WESTERN FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 October 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

BRITISH SUCCESSES.

KKEMTSEESISTANCE INCREASING.

London, Oct. 22. Sir Douglas Haig reports: As the remit of local fighting during the night we advanced our lino to the left bank of the Ecaillon river southward of Thiant, the western portion of which is in our possession. We made further progress between Valenciennes and Tournai. The enemy's resistance on this front is increasing. In the Tournai sector, as the result of sharp fighting during the night, we expelled the enemy from the village of Orcq and the woods in the neighborhood of Froyennes. We are within a mile of the town.—Aus. H.Z. Cable Assoc, and ReuUT.

FIGHT FOR SCHELDT LINE. SUFFERINGS AT COURTRAI. London, Oct. 22. Mr. Gibbs writes: Our troops are engaged in heavy fighting on the whole front from north-east of Courtrai to south-east of Le Cateau, more than 50 mile 3. The enemy is making a desperate effort to hold flhe line of the Scheldt southwards from Ghent, covering Tournai and Valenciennes, but we are getting closer to the canal everywhere and beyond it between Denain and •Le Cateau.

Eastwards of Courtrai the 2nd Army advance was resumed this morning, steadily pushing towards the Scheldt canal and taking many little Flemish villages still inhabited by civilians crouching in the cellars.

I visited Courtrai tihis morning, but here there was not a wholly joyous entry like those at Lille and Bruges. There aro 30,000 people in Courtrai, but they have suffered too much and are like people long stunned by misery. The Gannans, being unable to carry off the cloth-weaving machinery, broke it into bits with hammers. The last commandant of Courtrai was Baron RicJitoven, father of the. famous airman. The city is now being shelled, compelling the people to return to tha cellars.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.

ANGLO-BELGIAN PRESSURE. | HURRIED RETREAT OP ENEMY. j London, Oct. 2. A British-Belgian communique states: Our pressure has been maintained on the whole front. The Germans in their hurried retreat north abandoned their guns, some of which were intact. Across the Lys we repulsed violent counterattacks and improved our bridgeheads. Tie British reached the Scheldt, between Bailleul and Helchin, and advanced between the Scheldt and the Lys, despite lively resistance.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc, and Reuter. INHUMANITY TO DEPORTEES. London, Oct. 22. Details of the Turcoing deportations disclose that 400 women were sent to Germany and GOO men to Russia. The former were confined in barbed wire cages, deprived of comforts and utensils, semi-starved, and immersed in squalor and filth; many died.

The men were so treated that the survivors were so broken and aged when they weie restored fhat their wives did not recognise them.—Times Service.

HUNS DRIVE CIVILIANS UNDER FIRE.

London, Oct. 22. The United Press correspondent states that during the battle southward of Le Cateau the Germans drove thousands of aged men, women, and children from St. Souplet to the tiny village of La Halemeaneresse, which previously was no man's land. They were exposed for two days to German and American shells. The Americans rescued them on suddenly noticing a white flag on a steeple. Meanwhile fifteen civilians were killed.—Ans. N.Z. Cable Assoc. GERMAN, DAMAGE AT BRUGES. London, Oct. 22. Before evacuating Bruges the Germans seriously damaged the docks, dynamited the locks, and blocked the canal by sinking destroyers and submarines. —Aus. iST.Z. Cable Assoc. MORE HUN DEVASTATION". Washington, Oct. 22. Tho towns of Brieulles and Clery, on the American front, are in flames.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. AMERICANS IMPROVE THEIR POSITION. London, Oct. 22. An American communique reports: In the course of stubborn fighting north of Verdun we advanced our line at several points, captured Hill 297, and ejected the enemy from Rappes Wood. We improved our positions further west. —Aus. j N.Z. Cable As«oc. GERMANS FIRING TOWNS. Received Oct. 23, 7.55 p.m. New York, Oct. 22. The Germans facing the Americans north-west of Verdun fired the towns of Breulles and Clery-le-Petit—Aus. NVZ. Cable Assoc.

BRITISH ENTER VALENCN ENNESc

FURTHER FRENCH CAPTURES. Received Oct. 24, 12.50 a.m. Vancouver, Oct. 22. The British have entered western Valenciennes. The French have captured Chalandry and Grandlup.—Reuter. ' OFFICIAL REPORT. BELGIANS CROSS DERWATEN CANAL. FRENCH ADVANCING. BRITISH PROGRESS ON THE ESCAUT Wellington, Last Night The High Commissioner reports, under date London, October 23, 1.50 a.m.: British official: In Flanders several enemy counter-attacks failed. T!he Belgians crossed the Derwaten Canal at several points. The French advanced on a front of four kilometres.

The Second British Army advanced 1500 metres between the Ly.j and the Escaut, and established a bridgehead on the right bank of the Escaut.

ALLIES WORK NORTHWARD. EXCELLENT PROGRESS MADE. BRITISH HAVE TO WITHDRAW. Received Oct. 23, 1.45 a.m. London, Oct. 22. Reuter's" correspondent at headquarters writes on October 22: This morning strong French forces, serving with the Belgian Army, attacked northward of the British Second Army towards Ghent, making excellent progress. The British First Army captured Thiant yesterday morning, but a strong counter-attack caused us to withdraw from a portion of the village eastward of the Ecallion River. The weather is good.—Reuter Service.

THE NEW 2EALANDERS. IN THE GREAT DRIVE, ADVANCE OF 40 MILES IN UNDER SIX WEEKS. (From Captain Malcolm Ross, Official War Correspondent with the New Zealand Forces in the Field.) By Cable, October 21. Since tho New Zealand Division started on the great drive from the region of Hebuterne, it has in five and a half We,eks advanced forty miles, fighting its way over thirty-seven miles of tho distance, capturing over 000 prisoners and 59 guns, and nearly a thousand machineguns. Of the prisoners captured 180 were officers, and over 800 were wounded and received the best of treatment at the hands of our Medical Corps. On the line of its long trek lie many German dead, and there must also have been a large number of wounded who got back to the German dressing stations. Numbers of tflie wounded died at the German casualty clearing stations. Graves in a German cemetery at Lesdins bore witness to this fact.

Throughout, the education scheme and the entertainment of officers and men have not been neglected. Lectures have been delivered by eminent. British professors, and a company of divisional entertainers is playing nightly to audiences of close upon a thousand soldiers. Another theatre party is playing for charities in Paris, and a Rugby football team goes to play important matches in Paris and other towns. Though the men deplore the loss of bravo comrades, they are in good health and spirits and ready to fight for unconditional surrender. Everyone realises that the German army is at last being beaten in the field.

A THRILLING RACE. AUSTRALIAN DEFEATS HUN. An Australian soldier, describing how a, sergeant prevented the Germans blowing up three mined bridges' over the Somme, says: "A German officer was seen to detach himself from the retreating troops and to run back to the bridge. A party of Australians who had crossed higher up were then 1000 yards away. It seemed as if the German would succeed, because the bullets missed him as he ran a zigzag course. Suddenly a fleet-footed Australian sergeant darted forward amidst an appreciative roar from his comrades. Aa the runners closed the German pulled a revolver., The sergeant ran on, head down, as he always ran, and did not hear his comrades' warning shouts. Probably 'our man would have won the race. We were too excited even to have bets on it. The German opened fire at 100 yards range. The sergeant, seeing the danger, drew his automatic revolver, but ran on, twisting like a goanna. Then ho stopped, and a real duel commenced. The sergeant fired twice and missed, but walked ahead firing. Suddenly the German fell to his knees and steadied himself for a last shot. He must have been hit vitally, because he rolled over when he fired. "The Australian later on found that the bridges had been mined, but evidently someone funked the task of setting off the mines, and the officer had tried to do the job himself."

A GREAT FEAT.

AMERICANS VIOLENTLY OPPOSED.

BUT BREACH. THE lOtEIMHILDESTELLUNG LINE.

Received Oct. 24, 1.45 a.ni,

London, Oct. 22. Mr. Hall, the correspondent with the Auioreiaus says the Americans were violently opposed between the Mouse and Argonne, but, nevertheless, pushing on from Grand Pre, Landres and St. Georges, they breached the Kreimhilde—Stellung

It is evident that General von Ludendorff ordered the line to be held at all costs. Reinforcements were continually thrown in.—United Service. BRUTAL GERMAN CAPTORS. IRISH SCOLDIER MURDERED. COMRADES' DREADFUL STORY. For shear callousness, the murder of Private J. Sullivan, of the Ist' Irish Guards, will long be remembered as evidencing the bestiality of the German nature (says the Morning Post). Sullivan, who was taken prisoner at Ypres during the early part of the war, was transferred in June, 1915, to the camp at Merseburg, and was, in company with other prisoners, employed at work on the Hackpfuffel Estate. His death on •Tidy 28 was reported in the official list by the German Government, who gave no explanation of it.

Noting a paragraph in a German paper, the British Foreign Office demanded a, full explanation of Sullivan's death. The reply was that the Englishmen "were" unwilling to go to work before C o'clock, but after being told three or four times all went except John Sullivan, who at last attacked the guard, trying to snatch a weapon from him. The guard, forced by necessity, fired on Sullivan, the bullet passed through his right breast and severad an artery, and he died on the spot." The truth is now renorted on oath by two repatriated British non-commissioned officers, fellow prisoners-of-war with Sullivan. On July 17, says the principal •witness, we were sent from our laager to a farm. We were told hy the captain of our company before ' leaving tho laager that we should onlv be employed on very light work from 0 a.m. to 6 p.m. On the first morning we were roused at 4 a.m. and marched to a cornfield, where we worked until 6 p.m., when wo marched back to the farm in an exhausted condition. This went on every day until July 28, when, being roused from our bed 9 at 4 a.m., we informed the German sentry that as the captain of the company had told us that the work would "he from 6 a.m. we should not commence any earlier. The sentry, and another soldier fixed their bayonets.

Tho senior sentry in charge then struck me a brutal blow in the "faoe, so the remainder of the prisoners thought it better to proceed to work, and filed out, leaving me alone with Private Sullivan. He had been badly woundod, and had lost the wolile of his second, third and fourth fingers and half of the first finger of his left hand. This hand was also bleeding when he was at work. The two sentries kicked and b»at us with their rifles out of the passage as far as tho second landing, where Private Sullivan halted, showing them his bleeding hand, and tried to explain that it was impossible for him to work with a scythe in his wounded condition. The sentry at once put his rifle up and shot Sullivan through tho chest.

Private Sullivan fell without speaking, and the two sentries at once reversed their rifles and placed the butts between his legs. In this way they levered him up and threw him down the stairs, where he fell on the landing at my feet. He raised himself on his hands and knees, looked at me, smiled, and collapsed without speaking I was not permitted to assist Private Sullivan in any way. He was left on the ground alone' until he died. I saw the German officer shake hands with the soldier-

The witness then goes on to describe how he and another soldier dug a grave for the murdered Irishman, how "about 50 people from the HaCkpfufM district attended the funeral, laughing, talking, and occasionally bursting into lour roars of laughter." " The second non-commis-sioned officer, a corporal in the Grenadier Guards, corroborates in every detail the evidence of the first witness.