FURIOUS FIGHTING AT VERDUN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2806, 26 June 1916, Page 5

FURIOUS FIGHTING AT VERDUN

POSITIONS TAKEN AND RETAKEN GERMANS AGAIN FORCING THE PACE (By Telegraph—Press Association-Copyright). 1 , Paris, June 2.?. The Germans, renewing their hig offensive, uninterruptedly bombarded all positions on both banks of the Meuse for twenty-four hours. • Tho bombardment on the right bank i 3 interpreted as a, movoment to tapturo Forts Souvillo and Tnvannes, so as to spare reinforcements for the other fnnts. HIGH COMMISSIONER'S REPORTS Tho High Commissioner reports:— London, June 23, ,1.20 p.m. "In Belgium, the Allies, by their destructive fire, destroyed the enemy's organisations among tho dimes. .-.,,. , i. , ■.' "In the Champagne district yesterday evening, following on a bombardment between Maison-dc-Chauipagne and Mont Totu, three Gorman attacks on a front of I'OO metres were repulsed by cm- grenade and curtain tire. Soino fractions of tho enemy at a third attempt ponetrated some of our advanced elements, but were driven out at tho point of tho bayonet. During tho night soveral ftttempoid coup-de-uiains by the Germans at small posts north-cast of Buttc-de-Mesn'l were "On the left bank of tho Meuse, tho Germans renewed their attempt.? in the region of Hill 304. Two grenade attacks failed against our mitrailleuse fire, onrin* the nWit there was a livoly fusillade in the Avocourt AApod and at ilort Honvme There was intense bombardment-at Esnes and Obnttancourt. "On the right bank of tho Meuse there has been considerable artillery firms on tho wholo front of tho Meuse, and at Moulainvillo, tho enemy everywhere using weeping shells. ~,.»,,• "At Lcs Espargcs a small German attack failed. London, Juno 24, 1.25 a.m. "On Die left bank of tho Meuse, a bombardment by tho Germans with shells of tho largest calibre continued nil day in tho region of Hill 301. Mort Homme, and on our second line in the Chattanoonrt sector. ~,.„, "On the ri»ht bank, following on. violent artillery preparation last night, the i;„,„„, .lireeted from eight o'clock i* tho morning, a series of widely-extended off nsivo actions on a front of Eve kilometres (three miles), from Hill Ml to wo east of tho TJamlonp batteries. Attacks m strong force succeeded each other with extreme tenacity, despite enormous losses inflicted by our shell curtain find maS i fire Between Hill 321 and Hill 320, after .several fruitless cssaults. fhn Germans carried our first-line trenches m the Thiaumont wood. A imworful German attack, reaching the village of Fleury. was repulsed by a lively counterattack Attacks on Vaux Wood, Ohnpi'.re.Wood, Fumin Wood, and Lo Ohenois and the batteries at Damloup, were broken by our fire and completely Tcpulscd." London, .Tune 24, 3.15 p.m. "On tho left bank of the Meuse intense artillery fire at Avocourt Wood, Hill 304, and Mort Homme. A German grenade attack on Hill 304 was "'""On'the rHit bank, the battle continued stubbornly during the night. On nart of the West front n vigorous French eounter-offonsivo on Hills 321 and 320 o'ermitted the attackers to retake a. great portion of the ground that was lost, and the enemy was driven to the borders of Thiaumont Wood, which lie still holds Fi"'htiii» is particularly violent in the neighbourhood of the village of Vleurv Between the Fumin and Chenois Woods French coiinter-attacka recaptured sll the trench elements which the enemy occupied on Wednesday night. The enemy's bombardment was energetically countered with equal intensity at the Ue "<y e a s " cr( ] a yjn l "a German offensive on tho right bank of the Meuse, tii divi> t,lon Espargcs the Germans exploded three mine-heads, but did no dam-, age." . FRENCH OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE. (Eeo. Juno 25, 11.5 p.m.) ~, Paris, Juno 25. A Frcuch official communique states: "If has been relatively a quiet day (vest of the Meuse, except for a continuous bombardment by tho enemy of "There was an intense bombardment by the eneTiiy of our Hues on the east " "Tho struggle on the outskirts of Floury was continued. The enemy occupied some houses." GERMAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE (Rec. June 21, 7 p.m.) Amsterdam, Juno 21. A German official communique states- "We frustrated'an attempted British attack eastward of Ypres. •,,„.. "Wo repulsed three assaults en our captured positions westward of Fort Vaux. "The enemy's airmen bombarded Karlsruhe, llulheim, and Treves. There wera a number of civilian victims. The military damage was inconsiderable. "Our air squadrons attacked the military works at St. Pol, and camps and dugouts westward and southward of Verdun." (Rec, June 25, 5.5 p.m.) A German communique states: "An aieanlt on the 'J'liiaumout fortifications, H'-'ided bv the 10th Bavarian infantry regiment and tho Bavarian infantry guards regiment was made. We captured tho greater part of Floury, and progressed southward of Fort Vaux. AVe took prisoner sixty officers and 2673 men." THE GERMAN STAFF'S GREAT GAMBLE (Roc. June 25, 5.5 p.m.J ' , London, June 24. Verdun is still the German General Staff's groat gamble. A'esterday's attack was followed 10-dav by a Council of AVar, at which were present the Kaisrar, the Crown Prince, General von Falkenhayn, Field-Marshal \ v on Hindenburg, The "Daily Mail" describes the Kaiser as being depressed. He allowed himself to be' persuaded by his technical advisers to make another went ntWk nt any cost. The French newspapers are optimistic regarding the ultimate result. RUMOURED FALL OF GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN CHIEFS OF STAFF (Rec. June 21, 3.311 p.m.) j ' , Rome, Juno 24. It is scmi-oflieially and persistently rumoured in neutral countries that both General van Falkenhayn and General Conrad do Hotondorf have been lomoved from their posts as chief of the German and Austrian General Staffs respectively, and also that General von Sadis, the German commander at A r erdun, has jbecu removed.