The Western Front

Taranaki Daily News, 22 June 1915, Page 5

The Western Front

CHAOS IN ARRAS. ? FURIOUS INFANTRY CHARGES. GERMANS KILL THEIR OWN MEN. TERRORS OF BUVAL POSITION. LINK OF THE FRENCH ADVANCE. Received June 21, 10.10 p.m. Paris, Juno 21. Villages north of Arras have been reduced to jumbled licaps of brick and mortar, and huge chasms lined with sandbags twist through the streets. Machine-guns are hidden under cupolas of armored steel, and there are blockhouses of sandbags and armor plate. The enemy burrowed so deep that the bombardment lost much of its efficiency. The attacks were sustained by showers of hand grenades and short and furious infantry rushes combined with a patient rounding up of the enemy overlooked in the first dash, who attempt to continue to fight in an inner recess trench maze. The French nicknamed the Buval position "Hell's Mouth." It is a sheltered ravine on the south-east flank of Lorette, and provides a natural stronghold bristling with subterranean forts and redoubts. The French invested three sides and then avalanches of metal, prepared by an attack on two sides, was pressed on until the forces converged. The Germans fought with the ferocity of cornered rats. Owing to the steadily narrowing area of fire their machineguns wiped out many of tliyr own men in places. The Germans took cover behind the piles of their own dead. The French are now swarming up the rugged western slopes of Hill 111), which is directly south-east of Souchez, but will soon be obliged to abandon the fortress which is defending the road from Lievin to Lens. The slowness of progress has given the Germans time to prepaVe a strong second line at the Givcnchy brickfield and Hill 140, east of the NeuvilleGivenchy Road. Recent battles are proving the value of aerial torpedoes, which the French are able to regulate with great accuracy. THE BULL DOC GRIP. BRITISH ASSAULT AT LA BASSEE. TELLING INFANTRY ATTACK. Received June 21, 11.15 p.m. London, June 21. A British officer, in a letter describing the assault on La Bassee, says:— The artillery poured a tenipost of shells on the Givinchy brickfields. You ' could see ii high explosive shell crash into a square fort like a block of brick baked solid, and watch a great cloud o* smoke roll away and expect to see the . brick stack shattered, but would find , hardly a dent. Nevertheless your own experience tells you that the defenders are suffering from fragments of shells . and showers of broken bricks, which are breaking their bodies and shattering their nerves. The bombardment continued day and night, the British meanwhile enjoying the advantage of attackers and were able to rest in well-covered k positions until the moment for an advance, while the Germans did not know when or where the attack would fall. The first infantry rush was made at six in the evening, and inside an hour . the front line of trenches was taken , and most of the defenders killed. The . fight was continued in darkness, lit up by a constant succession of flares, while ' the Germans hurried up reinforcements in train 9 and motors. We, however, have | got our teeth in a bulldog grip, which 1 will not come away without tearing ) out a piece. i FRENCH ADVANCE ON SOUCHEZ. r " [ A VIOLENT ARTILLERY STRUGGLE. > Received June 21, 9.15 p.m. , Paris, June 21. Official: We advanced in the direction > of Souchez, and an artillery struggle i which continues is very violent. i THE FRENCH OFFENSIVE. WIPING OUT THE ENEMY. London, June 20. A Central News Dunkirk correspondent says says the French offensive from Lorette to Neuville has squeezed 150,001) Germans into a front of 4'/ 3 miles, " where they are being sacrificed in dc- ■ spairing efforts to save tlie remnants of ' tlie defensive system. The! French artillery is wiping out whole ranks of I the enemy. 'lleavy artillery, mortars, ' grenades, and aerial torpedoes are being utilised. An almost continual bom- " bardment is automatically followed by 0 bayonet charges, which the Germans are II incapable of resisting. A single mine- "* shaft (mil 2-")! l (Herman di't'eiiders, ol r " whom 200 were wiped out and the rest taken prisoners. The stream at .Soticliez village was blocked by German dead. The German heavy artillery continues bombarding, and advances are ordered which pro\e costly, (hie >hell struck ls the village of Mai'e<]ui, where 100 men s * were billetted. The killed -Si'. AKIIANXiKMK'N'TS Foil THIO DEAD. (Time- .xii:l Sydney Sun Services.) Received June 21, 5.45 p.m. n- London, June 20. I The French Chamber has authorised the burning of unidentified and tin. burying of identifed r-oldicrs' bodies. rv HOYS' SPOUT SUITS i- .AI, (he in ?,i!■:!.I'■!)l"!!N1C CLOTHING COMPANY. in This most popular style is again ir si full supply iu a line variety of mateex rials :• t tin- A!ELUOURNE. the popnlai i l ' l low-nriee SI hit. Many patrons of tin •ii- Store wiil he surprised and delightci i'l with o'.ir fine new range of Hoys' Suits eh ;ind we are pleased to he able to state •a- (hat owing to advantageous cash pur !y chases from manufacturers and ware mi housemen we are enabled to offer the •.!. Suits aI. price - rtcliwllv l.wr than (liosi ng ruling before (lie war. All-wool Spor ;,!i !-':iits, with phi'ii I'nii-l-'or-!. to (it boy 'V, 7 to 12 years. J7„ fid: colors, dark grey ng and hrow-s. Ilnvs Sport Suits, darl lid v>n: Sports Suits, in an importe( •:ii I weed plain knickers, sizes 5 (o 14, al v. one eriee. Ills fid. Roys' Dark Gre; si. p,Suits, made of warm Mosgie he tweed plain knickers. 10s bd. »or eiZe 7 to 12. All-wool I'clone and Kaiapo [ tweed Sport Suits, ~hiin or brceche *1 knickers. Gil. for size 1. up to -J) j fid for size JR. »(• In<l:J!» ••ew_ "<>r lly 1 s-niis - i;'.t Collepte " Siu.rl « ' K'W-er-I rizesfi t» W, 22s 0d to !ss.