FIGHT FOR THE VILLAGE OF CARENCY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2462, 15 May 1915, Page 5

FIGHT FOR THE VILLAGE OF CARENCY

CARRIED BY ASSAULT IMPORTANT POINT GAINED BY ALLIES , (By Telegraph—Press'Assn.— Copyright.) . Paris, May 13. A communique states-There was an obstinate struggle southward of Notre Dame de Lorette. Violent counter-attacks throughout the night were repulsed, the enemy suffering extremely heavy losses. We carried by assault the entire village of Carency and the wood northward—namely, Hill 125. The garrison holding the village and wood comprised two infantry battalions, a battalion of Bavarian chasseurs, and six companies of pioneers, each three hundred strong. These had transformed the locality into a formidable redoubt, and they offered a desperate resistance. Hundreds were bayoneted, and 1050 taken prisoners, including thirty officers, among whom were a colonel and a major of chasseura We won hundreds of metres of ground northward of Neuville, and seized the road leading to Givenchy.- Besides.the southern end, we carried the centre at Neuville, the Germans being thrown back on the northern end, which we outflank. VILLAGE CONQUERED HOUSE BY HOUSE GERMANS OUT OF UNDERGROUND LAIRS. , . ' p ® rl8 > May 13. Official.—Every house in Neuville was found to be loopholed-' and every cellar transformed into a covered trench. The village was conquered house by house: the Germans surrendered in batches.^ Further north, the French troops, emerging from Berthonville Wood dashed through, amid a storm of shot, and traversed the enemy's trenches and dragged sections'of Germans out of underground lairs. Then then scaled the entrenched slopes and a crest dominating the plain. Many French officers fell. Of four battalion commanders only' one was left. • Two'and a half-miles were covered in ninety minutes. No such success has been previously achieved in this siege-warfare, cither by the Germans or the French. BRITISH LINES VIOLENTLY BOMBARDED; _. T , ' London, May. 13. Sir John French reports:—The fighting east of Ypres continues. The Germans violently bombarded our line north of the Mernn Road, destroying some trenches and necessitating a temporary readjustment of the line, which has since been completely readjusted. There is nothing to report elsewhere. LAST OF THE GERMAN TRENCHES TAKEN AT BOIS-LE-PRETRE. (Rec. May 14, 9.15 p.m.) Paris, May T4. Official.—ln the wood near Hill 125 we found the corpses of three German companies, which our artillery had annihilated. From Carency we advanced to Ablain and Saint Nazaire, and hold all except the eastern outskirts, where the struggle continues. Wo took; prisoners several hundred, and captured seventeen guns at Nouvillc and Saint Vaase. Wo have captured the last line of the German trenches, thus completing the capture of Bois le Pretro. MASTERS OF THE DEFENSIVE ORGANISATION. The High Commissioner's Report:— London, May 14, 5.5 a.m. The capture of a fresh line of German trenchos at Bois lo Pretre has made the Allies masters of the last German defensive.organisation, which still resisted in that wood. The whole position is now in the Allies' hands. THE LOSS PF CARENCY ADMITTED BY GERMANS. (ReCi May 14, 8.15 p.m.) London, May 14. A' Berlin official message says:—We evacuated Carency and tlio western part of Ablain, losing a number of brave men ana material. ALLIES OBTAIN FURTHER IMPORTANT RESULTS. High Commissioner's report:— London, May 14, 2.5 a.m. ■ The Belgians on tho right bank of the Yser repulsed tiie enemy, who lost sevoral hundreds. North of Arras the Allies obtained further important results. The capture of Carency is yielding many guns and munitions, but it is impossible as yot to give the number completely. In the forest the Allies found the bodies of three German companies annihilated by artillery. The enemy bombarded Carenc.v without result. \

BRITISH LACK HIGH EXPLOSIVE SHELLS \ " HENOE THE DISAPPOINTING RESULTS. (Roc. May 14, 9.30 p.m.) , London, May 14. The "Times" Dunkirk correspondent says that the lack of an unlimited supply of high explosive shells tvas a- futnl bar io British, succcss, honco tho disappointing results of the attacks al> Fromelles and IWcliebourg on t Sunday. The French fired 276 rounds of high explosive per gun in n smglo day, arid levelled the defences to the ground. The British fouud tho enemy much more strongly pas tod than thoy expected, but this was duo to insufficient explosive. _ When tho infantry stormed the trenches they found the German garrison, undismayed; many cnlnnglnmcnls were iiitaet, and the Maxims ready. . . As wo were unable to maintain ourselves in the trcnches won, tuo British reserves were not thrown in. BRITISH WANT MORE SHELLS, MORE HOWITZERS, AND MORE MEN. (Rcc. May 14, 9.15 p.m.) London, May 14. The "Times" says that two German forcos opposite tho British hold almost all the heights, and hare brought up hu&dreds ,of machine guns to the points which can be attacked, and are supported by formidable artillery. If the Allies can. break the hard outer crust of the German defences, tho commanders believe they call scatter the German armies, but for this they need more shells and heavy howitzersj and more men.