WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 December 1916, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

iiERMAN LOSSES ON THE SOMME. ESTIMATED AT 700,000. ./' . t . Received Bee. 13, UO a.m. _/ Paris, Dee. 12. An authoritative estimate places the German losses on the Somme at 700,000 SUCCESSFUL RAIDS ENEMY ENTERPRISES fiHECKEI". >■ Received Dec. 12, d.20 p.m. London, Dec. la. . General Sir 'Douglas Haig reports: W v undertook successful raids eastward of Nctjville st. Vaast and south-eastward of Ar.mentieres, destroying machine-guus and emplacements and taking prisoners. Attempted enemy raids eastward of La Botitilleri failed. Hostile working parties at Fouquisart and Wieltje were dispersed. There are reciprocal aitillerying- and trench mortaring at Loos; Arras, Ypres, and north of the Ancre. ,i Paris, Dec. 12. A Jjoralnuniquc states: There is violent artillerying at Ville an Bois, northwest of ißheinis, and- in the Donav.mont sector. A coup de main was successfully carr:»d out against the enemy trenches at Bois le Pretrie, west of Pont-a-Hcusson. ■' < ■ HEAVY CANNONADING. WHAT DOES IT PORTEND? J f deceived Dec. 12, 8.40 p.m; London, Dec. 11. The '''Daily Chronicle's Paris correspondent stages that, coinciding Wi'th the cessation of the sjtormy weather, the intensity of the cannonade on the Bm tali front has redoubled since Saturday, but. snow has begun to fall. The ai ii'Uery duel on the. Ancre is the*, most riolent" since the beginning o! the somme battle. British gunners, north it the Ancre, gained a marked success >\er the German heavies. The cannoniding extends over many sectors, includmipLoosy Givenchy, Armentieres, and Ynrcs, also on the Belgian front. " %.. IMPORTANT AIR RAIDS. , * Received Dee. 12, 5.3 p.m. 'Amsterdam, Dec. 11. Tile Telegraaf states that British penetrated far into Belgium, Mid bombed important military works in Brussels and elsewhere. The railway traffic was impeded. The aeroplanes were also observed at Zoebrugge, where they were violently fired upon. SUCCESSFUL AIR WORK. London, Dec. 11. A French communique says:—There is In intermittent cannonade south of the Somme.' Two German aeroplanes were brought down at Verdun and two in Champagne. Our aeroplanes bombed cantonments and .a munition dump north of Verdun, where there were scveral fires and powerful explosions.