IN THE WEST.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 May 1916, Page 5

IN THE WEST.

THE BATTLE OF VERDUN. | ■ REALLY A FRENCH VICTORY. GERMANY'S FAILURE TO PIERCE LINE. SUPREME EFFORT UNSUCCESSFUL. Times and Sydney Sun Services. Received May 22, 5.5 p.m. London, May 21. Colonel Repington, the military critic, says that when the Germans attacked Verdun they were convinced they would strike a decisive blow and sweep on to Paris. They would then turn and overwhelm Russia. Dogged French valor frustrated this plan. The French momentarily reeled, but tliey speedily recovered and established a defence line which is likely to prove impregnable to Germany's full might and fury. The Germans cannot reign themselves, for their supreme effort has failed and they dare not face the consequences at home and abroad. Even confiding Austria docs not believe the clumsy fiction of progress according to the preconceived plan. Hungarian critics refuse to believe that three-month pauses are part of the German staff's conception of Jie venture, and they remark that the battle so far has been a French victory, adding that it is impossible to pierce the Verdun region. If this opinion is censored in the Budapesth press, what is being thought of the dual monarchy in the Fatherland itself? The Times' correspondent at Paris says that each development of the Verdun battle further separates the Germans from their gpal. When the" first onslaught on Douaumont failed they transferred their attentions to Pepper Hill, but this move was also without success. They then moved further afield across the Meuse to Mort Homme, but the latter was as firm as Douaumont. They then tried to turn Mort Homme about Hill 304, but' without success. Then they displayed a centre attack in the lAvocourt region, where there has been an uninterrupted struggle ever since. The French are holding their own and are inflicting heavy losses. The arrival of German reinforcements indicates the importance the enemy attaches to these operations, and also points to the extent of his losses. French airmen spotted great railway activity at the back of the front, and bombed many railway stations before reinforcements arrived.

MORE GERMAN ATTACKS. RAILWAY STATION BOMBED. Paris, May 21. A communique says: The Germans continued their attacks on Mort Homme and occupied the first line trenches on the western slopes. All attempts on the eastern slopes failed. ,• Our aeroplanes boin(bed the enemy's cantonments and also Lumes railway station, where a great fire followed, and trains were obliged to leave at full speed, A DESPERATE BATTLE. i " ; FRENCH CAPTURE TRENCHES. AIR RAID ON DUNKIRK. j Received May 22, 9.10 p.m. .'Paris, May 22. A communique says: The battle continued all day desperately 'between Avocourt Wood and the Meuse. We ' captared two trenches in the vicinity of the Esnes-Haucourt road. Artillery entirely wrecked a small work occupied by the enemy on the 18th. The enemy immediately east of Hill 304 launched an attack, momentarily penetrating our first line, 'but they were quickly driven out.

A violent offensive by an enemy 'brigade on the western slopes of Mort fiomnie was stopped by our batteries, which caught the enomy column following the assaulting waves and compelled them to fall back. The enemy violently bombarded the Douaumont sector. We sharply attacked and captured the Hnudromont quarries, which were strongly organised by the enemy. Twenty bombs were dropped on Dunkirk on Saturday. Four people were killed and fifteen were wounded. ' Another squadron dropped one hundred bombs in the siibnrbs of Dunkirk on Sunday. Three people were killed and twenty were wounded. Allied aeroplanes pursued and brought down two German aeroplanes as they were reentering the German lines. Fifty-three Allied aeroplanes dropped 250 bombs on enemy cantonments at Wyfegc and Ghistilleh.

The Germans threw fifteen bombs on Belfort, causing insignificant damage. ASSAULTS ON THE FRENCH. GERMAN ADVANCE THROWN BACK. DESPERATE FIGHTING CONTINUES. Received May 22, 8.20 p.m. Paris, May 22. About fifty thousand troops were engaged in repeated assaults on Mort Homme along a two miles front on the east and steeper side. The Crown Prince's troops were concentrated in Crows' Wood, and they got into our advanced trenches, which were badly shattered, but they were quickly thrown back. There was desperate fighting on the western and northern Elopes. After repeated assaults, over ground torn up (by a preliminary bombardment, ■some detachments readied the French second positions, but they were broken and dispersed with heavy losses. A former front line ceased to exist and the ground became "No Man's Land." Reinforcements were constantly brought up and new assaults were launched throughout, Saturday night. The Crown Prince gained a few yards of broken and exposed ground, which is -*i bo tactical valufl- -

ENEMY WAVES BROKEN. .. A DiSOiIDERLVr RETREAT. - Received May 22, 10.40 p.m. iP'aris, May '22. The bombardment reached its height at one o'clock on Saturday, when much of the first French line became a smoking rubbish-heap. The first linn was abandoned before the enemy moved out in assaulting columns, and advanced at two o'clock and faced a thick curtain o? fire. Wave, after wave of the enemy broke 'before the attack acquired an-im-petus sufficient to carry it through to the French trenches. The Germans, in the Western section, sweeping over the advanced positions, streamed straight up to the French second line, but there the effect of the French artillery and machine-guns was deadly, and showed that the Germans had outrun their strength, towards the end of the day the enemy was scurrying in disorder back to their 'trenches. The flight was marked hy heaps of dead.

ON THE BRITISH FRONT. ENEMY ATTACKS REPULSED. GERMAN AEROPLANES BROUGHT DOWN. Received May 22, 5.20 p.m. London, May 22. Sir Douglas H*ig reports: There ivere several successful air encounters on Saturday. Two enemy machines fell m the German lines and a third crashed to earth in our lines, where a lourtli also landed undamaged. A British aeroplane fell in the enemy lines. We repulsed three small enemy attacks south-west of Wieltje. There was heavy enemy artillery activity from Vimy to Loos, also south of Souchez against our front trenches. We silenced a hostile battery north of Mjitz Wood.

GERMAN VERSION, SUCCESS CLAIMED. { London, May 21. ,A Berlin eoMmuaii|ue »ays: By skilful artillery preparation we advanced our lines on the santhem and south-western slopes of Mort Homme, capturing 31 officers and 1315 men, eight guns and sixteen machine-guns. Feeble enemy counter-attacks were fruitless. We brought down five aeroplanes on the Western front. Our aeroplanes hotly bombarded Dunkirk at night. The obstacles due to the floods in the Vardar valley have been removed. PLUCKY AVIATOR MISSI.nxx Paris, May 21. There is anxiety as to the fate of Boilloitt, the famous motorist. He engaged five German and soon brought down one. Boilloitt was then lust to sight, and has not returned. THE NEW BLERIOTS* 125 MILES PER HOUR, London, May 21. The new Bleriot aeroplane for the French army is described as graceful and frail-looking. It is named the Spad. M. Bleriot says it climbs rapidly and is capable of doing 125 miles per hour. Only expert aviators can use it, but these abound. The Spad's deadly work is already in evidence in recent communiques. They make rings round the Fokkers. GERMANISING BELGIANS. "MOST CRUEL ACT OF ALL." London, Maj 10. The Times' correspondent at Amsterdam learns from an authoritative Belgian source that the Germans are forcing young Belgians to join the army and compelling the local authorities to help to enroll them. UHLANS RETURN FROM THE BALKANS. London, May 20. A thousand Uhlans, who went to the Balkans eight months ago, have returned to Belgium and gone into camp near Brussels.