THE WEST.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 March 1916, Page 5

THE WEST.

THE ROAD TO VERDUN. •SPLENDID RESISTANCE BY THE FRENCH. Received March 26, 5.5 p.m. Paris, March 25. General Joffre, in an order of the day to the Verdun army, states: "For three weeks you have been sustaining the most formidable assault by the enemy ■yet attempted. Expecting success, Germany concentrated her best troops and most powerful artillery in-the thought that the effort would prove irresistible, and she hoped the fall of Verdun would harden the courage of her allies and convince neutrals of her superiority. Night and day, under an unprecedented bombardment, you resisted the attacks and maintained your positions. We possess adequate munitions and reserves, and your indomitable courage has barred the road to Verdun." GREAT ARTILLERY ACTIVITY. GERMANS BOMBARD VERDUN. Received March 20, 11.45 p.m. Paris, March 20. A communique reports somewhat violent artillery actions in the Argonne and fairly great artillery activity against our second lines westward of the Meuse and eastward in the Pepper Hill and Douimmont region. Amsterdam, March 26. A German communique says: Our artillery set fire to Verdun. AN EXCHANGE OF BOMBS. Received March 20, 11 p.m. London, Marcli 26. General Sir Douglas Haig reports: The enemy on Friday night sprung a mine. near Hohenzollern and an entire trench wa g bombed out. We bombed the trenches at Bois Blanc, badly damaging a hundred yards. The enemy's reply was feeble. LIQUID FLAME. METHODS OF DEFENCE. Paris, March 24. A wounded corporal, describing the methods of defence against the German liquid flame attacks, says: " We carried big shields of interwoven osiers covered with clay, against which the flaming liquid fell harmless. The smell wns suffocating though we were wearing masks. "Smidav's bombardment smashed the trenches badly and we had to shelter in holes. Our artillery disorganised the enemy, enabling us to link the shell 'idles and fix barbed wire before the Hsault commenced. Wo saw the Bodies running forward in groups to mounds i\ front of their livuehps niid about '"•ertv vnrds from ours, '['hen followed sharp spurting along the line. Our : i-i -li.MiUi'.-i were living continuously., 'nit the enemy kept sweeping us witn'n mil of bullets. After that came n Mi/hlninvo of omnl-p. Wo could never have held the line, for the enemy charged immediately and had flame-throwers with them, e.vcept for our artillery. The 75's made havoc of the attack. A shell ■xplraled a juice container and the blazing liquid caught the Bodies, who ran screaming in all directions. Our turn then came to riddle the whole line with 'mllet.«. When the smoke cleared the ground was carpeted with deep red and we could see the men rolling on the ground in the effort to extinguish their clothes. They must have loßt the be3t part of a regiment on a quarter of a mile of ground. "Flame attacks at night scare children or niggers, but against French trenches supported by French guns they are worse than useless. We had about 70 men burned altogether, but less than a score were bad enough to have to go to hospital." POSITION AT MORT HOMME. Paris, March 24. The Germans will continue the movement to encircle Mort Homme. If they succeed it will involve the withdrawal of the French to the lino Avocourt-Esnes-Chattancourt-Cumieres, but they must first take Hill 304, which is a sort of glacis with completely bare, slippery slopes commanding the' adjacent wood, whence the Germans have been unable to debouch since Monday. BAVARIANS MOWN DOWN. I Paris, March 24. A Bavarian division, attempting to debouch from Avecourt Wood on Wednesday and ascend the first slopes of Hill 304, was mown down, losing one-fourth of its effectives. It tried to re-enter the wood, but was caught in the zone of French lire and left a great heap of dead fronting the wood.