WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 August 1916, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

! THE ALLIES' OFFENSIVE. ITS ORIGIN DISCLOSED. | ' I FORCED BY ATTACK ON VERDUN. Received August 15, 11.40 p.m. •Sydney, August 15. .The Sydney Sun's London correspondent. writing on July 0. gives an extremely interesting' resume of most of tile facts which forced the Allied offensives. These were not carefully planned for a general attack which was to be the beginning of the end, but were due to tho .necessity of relieving other positions against Auatro-German attacks. ITALY'S APPEAL TO RUSSIA. When the Austrians were within sight of the Venetian plains, Italy appealed to Russia, who wanted some months before the vast effort, which the General Staff was preparing, could be made. Russia sent word along tile line, and General Brussiloff accepted the hint. He struck and shattered Austria's southern armies. VERDUN ALMOST SACRIFICED. Meanwhile the enemy was within an ace of taking Verdun, owing to new ■artillery methods, Germany being still |far better supplied with heavy guns than we were. Germany struck so hard in her first attack that the French decided to evacuate, and only counter manded the order when General Castel,main arrived and ordered the famous counter-attack, which drove the Germans to the east of Fort Douaumont. Seneral Joffre, continues tho correspondent, has been fiercely assailed by the 'French 'Parliament for ordering the evacuation. A fortnight ago Veidun had all but fallen. The French troops on the outer lines were completely exhausted, and the supreme crisis had arrived. RAIN SAVES THE FORTRESS, If three days of heavy rain had not fallen it would have enabled the French to change their companies on the outer works, and Verdun would have fallen. STRONG APPEAL TO BRITAIN. This was the time when strong appeals were made to Britain to take the offensive. Germany knew about the appeals, for there are few things which occur in Paris that are 1 hidden from German spies. Before M. Briand and General Joffre had arrived in London upon their mission, the news of it had been published in the German press. NOT QUITE READY, BUT FORCED TO ACT. We would have liked at least another two months, for we had not nearly reached our maximum'strength. The conscripted drafts had not been trained up to the full efficiency, nor had we all the supplies of heavy guns and shells desired, in order to embark upon a supreme effort. We were ready for a serious, solid push, but the offensive, nevertheless, was forced on us by the German offensive elsewhere. _ , v , GERMANS RE-ENTER , TRENCHES. ESTREES POSITIONS ENLARGED. London, August 14. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The enemy last night gained a temporary footing in a portion ol the trenches westward of Pozieres, whifeh we captured yesterday. Our miners entered and blew up a considerable length of a German mine gal-1 lery northward of the Ypres-Comines Canal. A French official message says: North of the Somme there was a lively cannonade in the region of Maurepas. South of the Soinme we enlarged our positions south-west of Estrees, taking portions of trenches upon the left of the FayDenitfcourt road. EFFECTIVE BOMBING BY AVIATORS. GERMAN NERVES AWECTED. Amsterdam, August 14. The Telegranf states that Allied airmen have bombed the statiin at Mons twice within a fortnight. Each time it was crowded with military trains and great, damage was done. The attack is also hampering the arrival of ammunition lot the front. The Germans are searching for supposed spies. The repeated air raids at Ghent, Zeebrugge, Estrees and Moils have led to more rigorous limitation of traffic. FRENCH CAPTURES. A CREDITABLE PERFORMANCE. • Received August 15, 5.5 p.m ■Paris, August 14. Trustworthy advices state that the French captured 2000 unwounded prisoners and 70 machine-guns since August 11, principally northward of the Somme, the advance culminating in the seizure of upwards of half of Maurepas. They ■ aiso took 000 prisoners at Va'ux Chapitre and Chenois wood. GENERAL HAIG'S REPORT. SUCCESSFUL AERIAL WSRK. ' Reuter Service, Received August 15, 7 p.m. [ London, August 15. General Sir Douglas Haig reports that the situation is unchanged along the whole British front, excepting the usual artillery Arc, a bombinp Taid. and much -orial work, ,

RHEIMS AGAIN BOMBED.

-V HOSPITAL DESTROYED. i Reuter Service. j Received August in, 7 p.m. I Paris, August 15. A communique states: Bad weather has hampered operations on most of the j front. An artillery duel continues. German aeroplanes bombed Rhoinis, and batteries shelled different quarters. The civilian hospital was destroyed and | six civilians killed. CORPORAL JACKA, V.C. A TALL STORY. London, Aggust 14. Corporal Jacka, the Victorian V.C., has earned further honors and is in hospital 'in London with eight separate wounds. His comrades declares that he deserves 1 another Victoria Cross. During the fierce fighting at Pozieres the Australians took the first German ■ positjon, and, regardless of the -danger from their own artillery, penetrated the 1 second line in face of the hottest fire, ,Tho Germans counter-attacked and, rC- ■ filling the trenches on e ier side, iso- , fated Jacka and a party of fifty bombers who, being without bombs, were compelled to surrender. Jacka and six others who were crouched in a ; dug-out -saw the hopelessness of the situation. They then noticed the Australian supports starting and Jacka unhesitatingly called out to his . six comrades, who 'advanced upon the surprised Germans with the bayonet, shouting. The bluff succeeded and tho Germans, numbering nearly two hundred, showed no resistance. Some escaped and others surrendered and the Australians marched back in triumph with their prisoners. Their comrades, seeing the success of the ruse, welcomed them with rousing cheers. USUAL GERMAN REPORT London, August 14. A German official message says:—The British penetrated 700 metres beyond the first line of trenches southwest of the. Thiepval-Pozieres high road on Sunday morning, but were driven out.