THE WEST FRONT

Taranaki Daily News, 28 September 1915, Page 5

THE WEST FRONT

ALLIES ATTACK. ALONG THE WHOLE FRONT. SPLENDiD SUCCESSES. Paris, Sept. 26. Official: After a terrific battle in the •Champagne the French penetrated the German Uses on a front of fifteen miles to a depth of 2% miles at some points. TAey captured 18,000 Germans. Stubborn fighting continues. London, Sept. 26, Official: Sir John French reports that the British renewed the offensive and captnred five miles of trenches south of the La Bassee GartaJ, and penetrated 4000 jaxds in some instances. We captured 600 yards at Stooge. FRENCH MAINTAIN THEIR CAINS. IN THE CHAMPAGNE. Paris, Supt. ii. A communique states: We maintained throughout the night our captured positions at Carteul and the Souehez Cemete*7» ajso the last German trenches eastward of the Labyrinth. There is obstinate fighting 1 along the entire Champagne front. Our artillery made a successful surprise attack against the Lamois region in the Ban de Sapt. 20.000 GERMANS CAPTURED. A REPORT FROM NEW YORK. Received Sept. 27, 6.5 p.m. New York, Sept. 26. The Allies captured 20,000 unwounded Germans, according to a French official ccmnrmnieatkm. The French stormed and captured Sottehez, and the Allies continue to make gams in the Champagne district. BREAKING THE LINE. ARE THE GERMANS RETREATING? RUSHING UP MEN. Eeceived Sept. 27, 0.15 pjn. Rotterdam, Sept. 2G. There are persistent reports that at various points of the Belgo-Dutch frontier the Anglo-French forces have achieved great successes, and are steadily pushing forward. The movements behind the enemy lines point to something in the nature of a retreat. The German looses owing to the Allies' prolonged artillery fire are mounting enormously, while infantry, losses in tie laßt twenty-four hours have 'been terrible.

Every available man in Belgium has been flung into the defence, and newlyarrived troops are being rushed into the firing-line without a moment's rest. The villages and the frontier posts are being denuded of guards. A SIMULTANEOUS ATTACK. BY LAND, SEA, AND AIR.

Received Sept. 27, 7 pan. Rotterdam, Sept. 26. On Saturday the battle ranged widely, all arms being engaged. There was simultaneous fighting on land, on the sea, and in the air, ■ Between one and ten o'clock in the morning the British squadron bombarded various ports on the Belgian coast, including enemy trenches at iWestende and their line about Nieuport, the French heavy batteries ashore also sweeping the line. The British ships !■ shelled the positions at Seijst, Duinbergen and Knock, as well as the coastal batteries on the sand dunes from the | Butch frontier to Westende. Misty rain hid the ships' approach, and the first notice of their presence was shells bursting ashore. In intensity and duravtion all previous bombardments were surpassed. Many shells fell inland between Zeebrugge and Lawsaweghe.

Seven eohanns of black smoke towering in the air showed that the bombardment of Zeebrugge harbor was particularly severe, and. it foiled the submarines to steal out. The Allies' airmen, under cover of the mist, successfully bombed the German positions, and German aeroplanes were driven back to their own lines. GERMANS ADMIT REPULSES WITH HEAVY LOSSES. Received Sept. 27, 0.15 p.m. New York, Sept. 20. Berlin advices state that the Germans admit repulses north-west of Loos and also north of Perthes, with heavy losses. TERRIFIC GUNFIRE. HOSPITALS AND CEMETERIES FILLING. Received Sept. 27, 7 p.m. Amsterdam, Sept. 20. The Telegraaf describes the gunfire as tremendous, and it was followed by a fearful bringing back of the wounded. Soon all available buildings in Houlers and Cortemarck were filled with injured. Large numbers of dead were buried in the numerous villages behind the German lines.

SIR JOHN FRENCH'S REPORT.

SUCCESS CONFIRMED. Received Sept. 27, 6.15 p.m. London, Sept. 27. Sir John French's despatch, dated Sunday morning, says:— We attacked the enemy south of La Bassee Canal and east of Grenay and Vermilles, on Saturday morning. We captured his trenches on a front of over five miles, penetrating hia lines in some places for four thousand yards. We captured the western outskirts of Halluck, and also the village of Loose, mining the works round it and Hill 70. Other attacks were made north of La Bassee Canal, whieh drew strong enemy reserves towards these points, where hard fighting occurred all day long with varying success. At nightfall the troops north of the canal occupied the positions of the (morning. We made another attack near Hooge, on either side of Menin road. By tho attack on the siorth side of the road we occupied Bellewarde farm and ridge, but the enemy retook them. The attack on the south road gained WOO yards, and we have consolidated the ground won. To the present we have taken 1700 prisoners, eight guns and several machine-guns. The report in Friday's German communique that our attempted attack on Thursday south of La Bassee Canal failed is untrue. No attack was attempted. Received Sept. 27, 1055 pjw. London, Sept. 2/7.

Sir John French's report continues: ?There was severe fighting on Sunday, and determined enemy counter-attacks. We hold the ground gained, including the whole of Loos, Our aeroplanes bombed and derailed trainß at Douai and Baches, those at the latter place being full of troops.

THE HULLUCK QUARRIES. Received Sept. 28, 1.15 e.m. London, Sept. 27. Sir John French's report adds:—Qn Sunday night we retook the quarries northwest of Hulluck which were won and lost on Saturday. In this fighting we drew in the enemy's reserves, thus enabling the French on our right to make further progress. The number of our prisoners after yesterday's fighting was 2800. Nine guns and a considerable number of machine guns were captured. Our aeroplanes bombed Valenciennes station.

FRENCH OFFICIAL REPORT. Received Sept. 27, 9.50 p.m. Paris, Sept. 27. A. communique says:—We occupied, by main force, the whole of the village of Souchez, and advanced eastward in the direction of Givenchy. Further south we reached La Folie and pushed north to Thebus, taking a thousand prisoners. After crossing almost the whole front between Auberive and Villes Surtourbe, in the Champagne, where a powerful network of trenches and forts had been established and perfected by the enemy during many months, we advanced northward, compelling the Germans to fall back three or four kilometres. Fighting continues on the whole of this front. We reached Epine de Vilegrando, further east, and hold the Maisson de Champagne farm. The enemy suffered heavily from artillery and is hand to hand fighting. The material captured includes twentyfour field guns. We took sixteen thousand unwounded prisoners, including two hundred officers, and on the whole front in two days the prisoners exceed twenty thousand.

GERMAN OFFICtAL REPORT. (REPULSES AND LOSSES ADMITTED. SGUOHEZ RETAKEN BY ALLIES. Received Sept. 27, 9.10 pjn. Amsterdam, Sept. 27. A German communique state: The Anglo-French offensive, which had been prepared for months, progressed without bringing our assailants appreciably nearer. British warships attempted, without success, to harass us, and the enemy in the Ypres sector suffered heavy fosses without success. The enemy south-west of Lille, succeeded in repulsing one of our divisions near Loos from the advanced line. Naturally we suffered considerable losses in men and material of all kinds.

Our counter-attacks are progressing favorably. We voluntarily evacuated the ruins of Souchez, but easily repulsed other attacks, with heavy enemy losses. A German division between Rhcims and the Argonne, north of Perthes, was obliged to evacuate their advanced positions, which were ruined iby a seventyhours' uninterrupted bombardment, retiring for three kilometres. Otherwise all the enemy attacks to break through failed.

AERIAJ, PARTICIPATION. Received Sept. 28, 1 a.m. New York, Sept. 27. The battle wa3 especially 3lubborn north of Mourmelond and Egrand, close to the Western Argonne. Here we made the enemy suffer the heaviest losses. One of our warplanes shot down an aeroplane west of Cambra, and another was brought down south of Metz. One of our airmen repulsed an attack on Freeburg by three_French warplanes, two being shot down.

"THINGS GOING WELL." OPTIMISTIC CALM IN PARIS. Received Sept. 27, 9.50 p.mi. London, Sept. 27. The Daily Telegraph's Paris correspondent remarks on the calm wherewith the city received news of the success. Large crowds who were walking the boulevards read the communique, and the general comment was: "Things are going well."

QUIET CHEERFULNESS IN FRANCE. Received Sept. 28, 1 a.ni, Paris, Sept. 27. Though the last communiques have proved inspiring, neither the press nor the public have displayed a tendency to an excess of jubilation, but accept the news with cheerfulness and equanimity, convinced that victory will be theirs, howev»» long and hard the road,

FRENCH FIGHT LIKE DEMONS.

SHELLS AND AERIAL TORPEDOES. Received Sept. 27, 10.25 p.m. Paris, Sept. 2L After a spasm of firing the guns quietened and the bayonets got to work on the German trenches. For the first time for a month the French used their picked troops, who fought like demons and turned out the Germans, in spite of General von Falbeck's furious resistance. The enemy threw hundreds of suffocating shells and aerial torpedoes. BRITISH ATTACK PROCEEDS. The British attack against Prince Ruprecht's forces is proceeding to the left of the Lens and La Bassee main road and is directed towards the north of Lens. ARTILLERY CRUMPLES THE TRENCHES. An army service driver states that the British artillery crumpled the enemy's front trenches, but when the British reached them the Germans advanced to their communication trenches. SANGUINARY FIGHTING. There were sanguinary hand to hand fights in the new trenches and the bayonets did excellent work, the British gained a footing on many sections of the enemy front. Prince Rupreehtfc troops fought well. Many Bavarians were taken prisoner.

BLEEDING ULLE. METHODS OF THE PERSECUTORS. Received Sept. 2(7, BJS pjri. Amsterdam, Sept. 26. Owing to the Idle factories refusing to supply the Germans with sandbags, the Mayor was notified that an equivalent quantity of bags would He manufactured in Germany, and would be used at the city's cost of fifteen thousand sterling, to be deducted from the civic fund. The treasury was forced, and also an additional twelve hundred and forty thousand pounds of war taxes were demanded, ©ending payment, the •Germans placed seals on the banks' strongrooms and those of individuals, as a guarantee that the securities would not be removed. The authorities insisted that the city could not meet such huge sums, and the Huns thereupon agreed to a compromise, and said they would accept £040,000 with a penalty of £4OOO daily untH the amount was paid. WEARY OF WAR. GERMAN OFFICERS AN© MEN DESERT. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) London, Sept. 26. A correspondent at Roosonaaai savi that arrivals from Brussels state that the Gormans' iron rule has gripped Belgium. Espionage is rampant and nobody is safe, from denunciation. The Germans are depressed, and officers as well as men are deserting. Nine officers left their residence in mufti, and left a note behind stating that they were sick of the war and did not care wliat became of Germany. Thousands oi troops are coming to Wavre, Overyssehe and Louvain, apparently exhausted.