IN THE WEST.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 June 1916, Page 5

IN THE WEST.

BRITISH ACTIVITY. FRANCE FILLED WITH CONFIDENCE. GERMANS NO LONGER THE MASTERS. Received June 2S, S.2"> p.m. London, •June 27. General Sir Douglas Haig reports: We repulsed a German attack on the Ypres-Menin canal. All along tlio front our patrols have been very active, entering the enemy's treii' liivJ at, numerous points and indicting ninny uisualties. *We exploded mines at Loos, enabling the Leicester.? to inflict many casualties. Paris, June 27. AT. Briand, .Prime Minister of France, brought reports from the front of the splendid preparedness and the morale of the British troops, which, he said, filled France with confidence and encouragement. The Le Temps slates that it is now the turn of the Germans to submit to a ceaseless hail of shells. They must understand that they are no longer the musters. Colonel Roussef, writing in Le Liberie. savs the British artillery attack is formidable. The British army to-day is ;i redoubtable force. The Germans are so anxious that the violence of the bombardment at Verdun has slackened.

BRITISH IN STRIDE. NO LONGER A " CONTEMPTIBLE ARMY." Received June 28, 5.5 p.m. Paris, June 28. The Petit iParisien draw.? attention to tlie German description of the British guns, which have been thundering furiously from end to end of the British front, and adds that possibly the}' have some connection with the suspension of the German oft'ensiveness on tlie Meuse. Tlie British army is formidable, and the Germans are unable to deny the offensive powers of Kitchener's armies.

INTENSE ARTILLERY FIRE. A GERMAN REPORT. ' Received June 28, 5.5 p.m. Amsterdam, June 28. A German communique states that patrol fights developed upon the English north wing and the French fronts. Numerous gas clouds and smoke clouds floated towards us without damage. Tlie clouds in some places floated back to the enemy trenches. The enemy's artillery was directed with special intensity upon our positions on both cides of the Somme. The French attacks north-west of Thiaumont and south-west of Fort Vaux were without result.

DARE-DEVIL ANZACS. VIVID STORY OF TWO RAIDS. HERMANS DRIVES MAD. Received June 28, 10 p.m. London, June 27. Philip Gibbs, the Chronicle's war correspondent, describes two successful Anzac raids, which occurred 5000 yards apart on Monday morning. In order to ensure success, the raiding parties, the members of which were all six-footers, underwent special training, their comrades rubbing them down after a morning sprint. The trench mortars at midnight began cutting the barbed wire like beanstalks. Simultaneously the guns barraged the communication trenches, putting a fence of shell lire round the positions to be attacked. ■ Then the Anzacs went forward with bomb? and truncheons. The German machine guns were scouring "No Man's Land," but the raiders escaped the bullets, and rushed on. One party encountered 'Prussians and the other Saxons. Then ensued a terrible ten minutes. The Germans came out of their dug-outs to see the Anzacs in their trenches. Some promptly surrendered, whilst others tried to defend themselves with bombs, many killing their own comrades. The Anzac? wasted not a moment. They accomplished a great deal of quick work, rummaged the rug-outs for papers and .hauled out prisoners. They bombed along the trenches, and used tomahawks to break through the debris of sandbags, which wefe strewn with corpses as the result of the previous bombardment. When the order to retire came an Anzac escorting prisoners over the parapet shouted: "I won that Ave francs!" to all oiiicer who made a sporting bet regarding the number of prisoners he could secure. Another cheerily called attention to six bullet 3, one being in the am. He had. had remarkable luck. The raids demoralise the Germans, who are suffering dreadfully from nightmares, which are driving the men mad. A burly New Zealander made a bet before starting that he would bring a prisoner. is he dragged a miserable, terror-stricken victim over the parapet of the British trenches by the scruff of the neck he claimed his bet, but apologised for not bringing a better specimen!

STARVING BELGIUM. GERMAN ANSWER TO PARIS OOXFERENOB. London. June 27. The Amsterdam correspondent of the Daily Mail says that, as a reprisal for the closure of the Dutch frontier, which is believed to be due to the Paris Conference, the Germans are subjecting the Belgians to starvation. Hitherto a considerable amount of foodstuffs has passed from Holland to Belgium, but now there is the strictest order for this to cease, excepting a small quantity of bread.

ALLIES' HOUR OF ACTION. EXPECTATION LV PARIS A.\T> LOMOON. Times and Sydney Sun Services. Received June 27, p.m. London, June 27. There is great interest and expectation in London and Paris over the next bit' war move. All newspapers emphasise the artillery activity in the West, especially on the British front, under the heading of "The Allies' Hour of Action." Le Matin says the public 'mist now ivatcli the general war aspect and judge each detail in relation to the whole. GERMANS TERROR-STRICKEN. AX EFFECTIVE RAJ 0. Keceived June 28, 10.20 p.m. London, .T'.nu' -'o. Other correspondents describe the Anzac raids in the neighborhood of Armentieres. It was a calm and moonless night. The trench mortar bombardment only lasted eight minutes, instead of the usual forty. Both German trenches were heavily manned. The defenders were unable to escape owing to the barrage of fire. It is believed ?very German was killed or taken prisoner.

The attackers advanced over "No Man's Land" through- machine-gun fire, but happily there were no casualties, owing to t'he Anzacs' sprinting powers. The enemy was so flustered that many were killed by their own bombs. With comparative ease the Anzacs captured the Saxons and Prussians. Many went on their knees and squealed. The difficulty was to get the captives out of the trenches. Tl'iey were so terrified of their own artillery.