DESPERATE FIGHTING IN THE FOREST

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2727, 23 March 1916, Page 5

DESPERATE FIGHTING IN THE FOREST

ATTEMPT TO FORCE THE AVOCOURT-MELANCOURT

FRONT

FUTILE RECONNAISSANCE IN BELGIUM

The High Commissioner reports::—

, _ London, March 21, 4.30 p.m. In Belgium an enemy, reconnaissa nee, which invaded the French lines north of Pout do Boesinghe, was immediately driven out by a.counter-attack. .' , "In the Argonne the French artillery is "very active on the border, south of Cheppy Wood.-

L ■ West of the Meuse, the Germans, after several repulses in the course of | the night, renewed their nttempts on the Avocourt-Melancourt .front, where | bombardment by largo calibre shells wns continued .without interruption, the attacks being accompanied by jets of liquid fire thrown by detachments carrying special apparatus. Despite the losses inflicted by tho French, the enemy was able to capture, after foot-by-foot lighting, the south-east part of the Melancourt Wood, which we had occupied, and which is called the Avocourt Wood. All the enemy efforts to debouch from the wood were checked. "The night was calm in other sectors of the .Verdun region." , ■ ' London, March 21, 12.35 p.m. On the left bank of the Meuse a violent bombardment and counter-bom-bardment ( continues at Melancourt, the village of Desmes, and Hill 304. "A. German-aeroplane was brought down in flames near Douaumont. -"Last night,' French airmen, bombed two railway stations and bivouacs in the region of Vignevilles;" VANGUARD OF LIQUID-FIRE. J)y Itelegrapli—Press Association—Copyright (Rec. March 22, 9.15 p.m.) „ ■_, ~ „. ~, „ _ . ' , London, March 22. Ihe "Daily Chronicle s" Pans correspondent says that the German attack at a new point on the West front is a confession of failure at Verdun. Throughout Monday morning their heary batteries on Mount Faucon shelled the region southward of ilelancourt, tvnicli is the meeting point' of tho French Argonne-and Vermm armies A division of reserve troops during the afternoon launched an attack eastward of Melancourt, and although broken by heavy losses, obtained a footing in a section of tho French trenches with the idea of breaking through and then turning the strong ramparts on Hill 304 (Dead Man's Hill). The attack was renewed in the evening under cover ' of a continuous bombardment, which was continued all night, with some success. The French, retiring stpp by step, and driving back successive charges, abandoned the Avocourt Wood, remaining in the village. 'Preceding the German infantry a body of pioneers advanced, every fourth man carrying a huge cylinder, and others manipulating a long tube (a ''flamminwerfer"), throwing a jet of flame forty yards, with black smoke smelling strongly of tar. ,The German gain of a few hundred yards is unimportant. ,

GERMAN OFFENSIVE . DEFINITELY BROKEN.

.„ ,i , , , , , Paris > Marcll 21. All the newspapers have declared tMafc formal assurance has been civen that France has now broken Germany's offensive at Verdun. °

BUT LULL MAY ONLY BE TEMPORARY.

.("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Son-ices.)

„,'„.'„'-, V London, March 21. The "Times" correspondent says:—"The lull a t Verdun must not bo accepted as indicative that the Germans have abandoned the thrust. Concentrations and movements of troops show that further assaults'are contemplate ed."

THE COMING SPRING AND SUMMER CAMPAIGN.

(Rec. March 22, 11.40 p.m.)

London. March 22. The "Daily Mail's" Paris co-respondent states that an Allied' Conference is meeting there between March 25 and 30, to discuss a united military and diplomatic policy, in view of the spring and summer campaign. Mr. As'quith, Sir Edward Grey, and Lord Kitchener will represent Britain. ITALIAN GENERALISSIMO IN PARIS Paris, March 21. General Cadorna, Commander-in-Chief of tho Italian Army, has arrived here. He states that when the weather improves the Italians will advance iu a manner satisfactory to everyone. f HOW THE ITALIAN OFFENSIVE HELPED VEHDUN. ("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.) (Rec. March 22, 5.5 p.m.) London, March 21. The fighting on the Italian front i'b waxing fiercer. General Cadorna states that his front extends four hundred miles, and there are sometimes six hundred thousand Austrians along his lines. He claims that tho Italian offensive has tied thrse hundred thoiUianil Austrn-Ggnimnf! to thin theatre, besides a great number of guns, thus retarding the assaults, on .Verdun.