GERMAN OFFENSIVE VIOLENT ATTACKS NEAR LOOS

Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 87, 11 October 1915, Page 7

GERMAN OFFENSIVE VIOLENT ATTACKS NEAR LOOS

ENEMY LINES MOWED DOWN RUSSIAN SUCCESS SN GAUCIA ABUNDANT AMMUNITION

Preceded by a heavy bombardment, the Germans on Friday last made a great attempt to win back the ground lost near Loos, but Sir John French reports that they were everywhere repulsed. North-east of Loos our trenches have been steadily pushed forward. General Haig's troops are again mentioned by a French writer as displaying marvellous tenacity. The German losses are said to be extremely important. Heports from the Russian area state that the fighting in the Dvinsk region is incessant. Our ally is holding his own east of .Vilna and is meeting with particular success in the south. An Austrian communique admits the Russians' strength in East Galicia, and that they have penetrated Austrian trenches near Tarnopol. LA BASSEE-LOOS FRONT ATTACKS ON BRITISH POSITIONS LINE STEADILY PUSHED FORWARD (By Telegraph. — Prees Association. — Copyright.) (Received October 11, 9 a.m.) LONDON, 10th -October. Sir John French reports : Since the 4th the enemy has constantly shelled ou* new trenches southward of tie La Bassee Canal, and made repeated bomb attack* -on the southern portion, of the Hohenzollern redoubt, which is held by us. All the attacks were repulsed. Despite the artillery fire, we pushed our trenches steadily forward northeastward of Loos, between Hill 70 and Hulluch, and gained ground varying from' five hundred to a thousand yards' depth. The enemy on Friday afternoon steadily bombarded the whole area we had recently won, and followed this by attacks in successive waves of infantry on oar -whole front from southward of Loos to the Hohenzollern redoubt. This attack was everywhere repulsed with heavy loss to the enemy. We gained possession by counter-attack of a trench five hundred yards westward of Cite Saint Elie. Great numbers of the enemy's dead are lying in front of ouj lines Our losses, comparatively, were slight. GERMANS WERE MOWED DOWN. (Received October 11, 9 a.m.) PARIS, 9th,October. A communique states : The German assaults at Loos were delivered in three successive heavy waves, followed by units in column. All were mowed down by combined infantry, machine-gun, and artillery fire. Only a few elements succeeded in gaining a footing in a single trench recently captured between Loos and the Lens-Bethune road. • Other violent local attacks south-east of Neuville were completely repulsed. The only German, reply to our progress on Friday south-east of-JFahure was a violent bombardment of asphyxiating, and tear-making shells. (Received October 11, 10.30 a.m.) PARIS, 10th October. A communique states : We repulsed German attacks at Bois de Givenchy. There has been lively trench fighting with grenades and aerial torpedoes at Lihons. GENERAL HAIC'S TROOPS. (Received October 11, 10 a.m.) PARIS, 10th October. Marcel Hutan. states that British and French" troops were engaged in repelling the counter-attacks at Loos, which were folly expected after a terrible bombardment. General Haig's troops again displayed marvellous tenacity, resisting heavy masses north and south of Loos. The enemy was broken against the British lines, and the losses were enormous. ENEMY'S LOSSES EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. The High Commissioner reports :—: — LONDON, 9th October, 5.10 p.m. Reports during the night show that the German losses in the offensive attempted yesterday against Loos, and the positions north and south now held by our troops, were extremely important. The assault was made by three successive very dense waves, followed by column formations, but all were mowed down by the combined fires of our infantry, artillery, and machine guns. Other attacks were local, but were equally violent against our positions ■outh-east of Neuville-Saint : Vaast, and were completely repulsed. All our progress latterly has been maintained. In the Champagne, the Germans' counter-attacks during the night east of the farm at Navarin were stopped dead by a curtain of fire of artillery. The Germans to-day, after an intense bombardment with guns of all calibres, attacked very violently at Loos- and the approaches north and south, but were completely repulsed, suffering heavy losses. In the Champagne region, the Allies progressed slightly. South-east of Tahure, the Allies took ground in a work called "Le Trapeze" (tile Trapezium), carrying several trenches and two forts, including a salient kept by the enemy in front of the second line of resistance. Over two hundred prisoners were taken. On the rest of the front artillery actions continue. LONDON, 10th October, 2.45 a.m. - Fresh attacks in Loos were repulsed, and in the Champagne a counterattack was scattered at Tahure. In the Lorraine region a trench was recaptured from the enemy. ATTEMPT TO RETAKE TAHURE HILL. PARIS, 10th October. The Germans tried to recapture the Butte de Tahure. They made three terrific onslaughts, of the most desperate character, on Wednesday night. They were repulsed, with enormous loss. Thare were piles of dead outside the defence works. Prisoners state that the General Staff had ordered the recapture -.of Hill 199 at any cost. THE GERMAN REPORT. (Received October 11, 10 a.m.) AMSTERDAM, 9th October. A German communique states : A strong British attack north-east of Verraelles failed, with great enemy losses. The German attack southward of Loos progressed. The French ea-stward of Navarin farm entered our trenches at .some points, but were rejected with considerable and sanguinary losses. We took prisoners. The enemy lost the much-contested height southward of Leintrey. We captured seventy men, a machine gun, and four bomb-mortars. BRITISH OFFICERS' CASUALTIES IN THE GREAT OFFENSIVE. (Received October 11, 9 a.m.) LONDON. 9th October. A six days' British casualty list shows 190 officers killed, 335 wounded, and 51 missing as the result of the offensive in the west.