The Western Front

Taranaki Daily News, 10 July 1915, Page 5

The Western Front

GREAT DRIVE COMING. FRANCE TO UK CLEARED BY NEW YEAH. ANOTHER YEAR OF WAR. Received July 1), 11.15 p.m. Now York, Juno 9. He Ryersson, ['resident of the Canadian Rod Cross Association, lias arrived from Havre. He stated that within two months tin: Allies would lie under way along the entire western front with a tremendous drive which would he the greatest of the war. Hi! had seen General Joll're. who said the Germans would he out of France by the Jirst day of the coining year, and the war would be over in another year, when the Germans would be defeated.

FIGHTING IN THE "LABYRINTH." A LONG, INCESSANT STRUGGLE. Received July 0, 11.10 p.m. I'aris, July 0. Eye-witnesses of the fighting iii the "labyrinth" narrate that on a front of barely ten miles hundreds of thousands of men have been incessantly engaged since the beginning of May in attacking and defending the watershed from where the Scheldt Hows. The Germans brought their best troops to defend the entrance to the Lens plain, the garrison at Souchez was fighting sujierbly, at Buvalbottom only ten were taken, anil in Alsace the Germans need all their discipline to withstand the fury of the Fren.'U attack.

A divisional commander recently complained that the men were not taking elementary precautions, and the men replied in affectionate respect: 'Well, General, we're all here to be killed." The men cheered when the General retorted: "Yes, my children, you and I are here to be killed, but we must so contrive our death that it will be useful to France." The Germans sometimes burrow Biity feet, and there is a regular system of socalled communication bowels and also a great concentration of heavy artillery on the slopes of Angras and Bois Defolie. There is much fig hting in underground galleries. Tlio men light torches and electric flares lind attack with hand grenades, which fill the galleries with poisonous fuincs. An officer in charge of a machine-gun section narrates: —After a week of Apache warfare, in which the Germans were fighting with automatic revolvers and knives, the Germans organised a night attack. I moved a machine-gun, to barricade the main street and when tlio Germans debouched fifty metres away 1 filled the whole street, and they fell one after another when the gun caught them. It was a terrible moment of slaughter.

THE FRENCH LOSSES. NEARLY ONE AND A HALF MILLION. Rocoived July 9, 11.33 p.m. London, July 9. The French casualties to June 1 were 1,400,000, including 400,000 killed, 700,. 000 wounded and 300,000 missing.

GERMAN ATTACK REPULSED. ENEMY FAILS TO PROGRESS. Paris, Julj 8. A communique states: North of Arrae somewhat heavy infantry actions developed last night. We completely repulsed a German attack, preceded by a heavy artillery bombardment, between Angres and Soucliez, to the north of the Bcthune r«ad. We attacked north of Sotutrez station, and approached the Tillage, carrying a line of German trenches after annihilating all the defenders 'with grenades and petards. Soissons was again bombarded. In the Argonne the Germans, in the region of Marie Tlierese, tried to leave the trenches, but were repulßcd. Enemy attacks between Fey-cn<-Hayc and Bois-le-Pretre were stopped at the outset. London, July 8. A German official report states: The French, west of Souehez, penetrated our trenches for eight hundred metres. A counter-attack ejected them, except from a small portion, where grenade fighting continues. There* have been vigorous artillery combats on the entire front. Zurich, July S. Travellers report that '2OOO military trains crossed tlio Rhine at Coblenz, Mavence and Mannheim, in connection with the westward movement of troops. London, July 3. Bern? states that the German-Swiss frontier has been reopened. The Germans refuse to disclo-e the military reasons which necessitated the closure.

TWO GERMAN ATTACKS. ENEMY CAUGHT BY BIUTISH FIIIR. Keccived July 0, 0.4." p.m. Paris, July Official: A German attack against the trendies the British cap!tired on the lith south-west of Pilkeii was broken up with very heavy losses, the attackers being caught by the lire of the l!riti-li artillery and our field guns. A very violent German counter-attack was launched north of the Souclkv, station in an endeavor to retake the trenches we captured on Wednesday evening. Tie.' Germans only succeeded in occupying a hundred metres out of eight hundred. Mine warfare in the Noyou region lias developed to our advantage.