BRITISH FRONT

Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 89, 13 October 1915, Page 7

BRITISH FRONT

SIR JOHN FRENCH'S REPORT GERMAN ATTACKS DEFEATED. LONDON, 12th October. Sir John French, on 11th October, reports : " Further information shows that the German attack on our front south of the La Baseee Canal on the Bth,' was made in great strength. The main effort was directed against the chalk-pit north of Hill 70, and between Hulluch and the Hohenzollern redoubt. In the chalkpit attack the enemy assembled behind the woods, three hundred to five hundreds yards off our trenches. The attackers were mowed down by combined rifle and machine gun and artillery fire, none getting within forty yards of our trenches. " Further north, between Hulluch. and the quarries, the attack was similarly beaten off with heavy enemy loss. Here our troops, following up .the enemy, secured a German trench west of Cite St. Elie. -The enemy only succeeded in penetrating the front line at one point of a southern communication trench at the Hohenzollern redoubt, which is still in our hands. "He was promptly driven out by bombers. Reserves were not required at any part of the front. It is certain that -we inflicted a very severe reverse on the enemy. Our casualties were even less than the first low estimate. " The German report of the 9th that the British attack north-east of 'Vermelles failed with great loss is entirely false. No attacks were made. " There were eleven fights in the air yesterday, wherein our airmen were successful in nine. One hostile aeroplane was driven .to the ground in the enemy's lines, and was almost certainly destroyed. To-day another enemy machine was brought down m our lines. We lost one aeroplane." NEW PROGRESS IN ARTOIS AND THE CHAMPAGNE. PARIS, 12th October. A communique states : — We mad* very marked progress in the wood westward of Souchez and eastward of the SouchezAngrez. road, in the valley of Souchez and eastward of the redoubt in Givenchy Wood, also on the heights towards La Folie. We made fresh progress in the Champagne, north-eastward of Tahure, capturing, after a vigorous attack, the whole of the German work south-eastwards of the village on the edge of Goutte Ravine.(Received October 13, 9 a.m.) PARIS, 12th October. A communique states : — Fighting con tinued in the trenches we captured northeast of Souchez and on the heights of La Folie. A GERMAN ADMISSION CHAMPAGNE ARMY MUST BE SACRIFICED. AMSTERDAM, 12th October. Herr Kellermann, a correspondent of the Tageblatt, states that the French in the last 'few days fired three million shells, and that the German losses were heavy. Herr Kellermann believes that the whole Champagne army must be sacrificed, and adds that the French are attacking the whole line with unprecedented vigour and courage. (Received October 13, 11 a.m.) LONDON, 12th October. A Berlin communique states : The French continue their attacks north of Arras, north-east of Souchez, and east of Neuville. The French only succeeded in penetrating our advanced line at two points. We repulsed the French on both sides of Tahure. They nowhere gained ground. . TALL TALES ABOUT FRENCH AIRCRAFT. v PARIS, 12th October. A party of British and American journalists inspected a French fleet of two hundred new armoured gun -carrying aeroplanes, and witnessed them manoeuvring high in the air, firing three-inch rapid-fire guns. Some of the planes stretch 130 ft across. A monster battleplane has three super-imposed planes, and its average speed is seventy-one miles an hour. It has a crew of twelve, with two threeinch cannon. It flew as steadily as an ordinary biplane. The crew in actual fighting consists of an officer and four men. The cruiser aeroplanes are small biplanes of high power, capable of rising almost vertically, with a speed of ninety miles per hour. Their evolutions were thrilling. The battleplanes maintained a steady fire while circling and plunging, The fleet is almost ready to carry out an attack on the enemy's rear. The improvement in French aviation is astounding. One factory is turning out five aeroplanes daily, and others are nearly equalling that record. THE EAST FRONT THE RUSSIAN BATTLES OFFICIAL REPORT OF PROGRESS. PETROGRAD, 12th October. A communique states : Our aeroplanes bombed several villages south-west of Friedrichtstadt. There was furious and successful fighting at many points on the Dvinsk front. We put the Germans at Garbanovka to flight, and expelled them from the trenches near Lautzessei (f)", south-west of Dvinsk, pursuing them. We occupied the line from the south-eastern end of Lake Medmuskge (?) to Lautzessei. Our artillery murderously assailed the enemy, advancing near Kovel railway towards the Styr. There was an obstinate battle below Kolki, which ended in our occupying the third line trenches. The High Commissioner reports : — LONDON, 12th October, 5.55 a.m. Petrograd reports . There has been furious fighting on the Dvinsk front against the German offensive. The enemy were forced from Garbanovka and south-west Dvinsk, where enemy trenches were captured and the Germans pursued to the south-eastern end of Lake Medminn (?) and Lantzes Ghey (?). The Russian cavalry have occupied Bust je(?). The enemy offensive has been repulsed on the Niemen. On the evening of Hie 10th "we captured the third line of enemy trendies at Kolki. AUSTRIAN NEWS. AMSTERDAM, 12th October. An Austrian communique says : The Rusarian eft<meiv« h&» olwliened contidorftfaiv,