WESTERN FRONT IMPORTANT SUCCESS FOR BRITISH

Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 93, 18 October 1915, Page 7

WESTERN FRONT IMPORTANT SUCCESS FOR BRITISH

TRENCHES CAPTURED AT VERMELLES. PARIS, 15th October. There was an important success be tween Ypres and Loos on Wednesday night, after one of the bloodiest engagements. After a temporary check, through a German couner-attack, the British, aided by •an excellent artillery preparation, attacked north-east of Vermelles and captured several trenches. The High Commissioner reports: — LONDON, 16th Oct., 1.35 a.m. General French reports : "To-day the only change in the situation was south of the La Bassee Canal, where we further improved our position at the Hohenzollern redoubt, holding all the ground gained on the 13th.. NUMEROUS ENGAGEMENTS POSITIONS LOST AND RETAKEN. The High Commissioner reports : — LONDON, 16th Oct., 4.10 p.m. Several enemy counter-attacks on the trenches captured yesterday were re pulsed during the night in Lorraine, north of Reillon. In the Vosges, the enemy attempted an attack in force between Linge ana Schratzmaenelle, preceded by an intense bombardment, accompanied by a curtain of fire on the 6econd-line trenches. The attack was completely repulsed. PARIS, 16th October. A communique stoles : After a violent

bombardment, t-he enemy gained a footing in part of his former trenches east of Auberive. We recaptured trenches which the enemy held since the 9th north of. Reillon. The enemy in the Vosges delivered a violent attack on a three mile front at Rehfensen and Hartmannswielerkopf, used burning petrol, and succeeded in reoccunying trenches on the summit of Hartmannswielerkopf He was repulsed elsewhere RECAPTURE OF TRENCHES AT HARTMANNSWIELERKOPF. PARIS, 17th October. A communique states : "We completely repulsed German attacks at the Bois en Hache and the northern slope of the Valley of Souchez. Trench to trench fighting continues south of the Somme, at Lihons, and Quesnoy-en-Santerre, the enemy using "tear shells," so-called because of the effect of the gases upon the eyes. In the Champagne bomb and grenad" fighting is proceeding. In the Argonne, north of La Houyette and Vanquoia, i% vigorous counter-attack enabled us to recapture all the positions on the summit of Hartmannswielerkopf, also to capture a fort. A squadron of aeroplanes on Saturday bombed the Sablons station at Metz. Numerous hits were observed on the station and on a moving train. GERMAN ATTACKS REPULSED. (Received October 18, 9.10 a.m.) PARIS, 17th October. A communique states: We repulsed several counter-attacks northward of Reillon, in Lorraine, and captured 100 men- The enemy attempted an attack in force between Lingo and Schratzmannells, preceded by. an intense bom-

■bardinent, accompanied by curtain fire, ' on our -second line. It was completely repulsed. ENEMY'S REPORT. BERLIN, 16th October. A communique states : We have again driven the English out of our positions north-east and east of Vermelles. They only retain a small portion of the trenches on the western fringe of the gravel quarry. The Saxons east of Auberive captured a French place d'annes, whence an attack could be made on our positions. They took 300 prisoners and several machine-guns, t (Received October 18, 9 a.m.) AMSTERDAM, 16th October. A German communique states : We repulsed attacks by the enemy north-east-ward of Vermelles. and captured 600 men. French attacks eastward of Auberive, north-westward of Souain, and northward of Mesnil, aided by gas grenades, failed. Attacks were undertaken to improve our positions at Hattanns (? Hartmannswielerkopf). They fully succeeded, and the enemy suffered great and bloody losses; 231 men were taken prisoner. FRONTIER CLOSED AGAIN. AMSTERDAM, 16th October. The Belgian-Dutch frontier has been closed. German reinforcements are arriving at the Ypres-Arras front. AERIAL CALLERS BELGIANS DROP MESSAGES. HAVRE, 16th October. Belgian aviators raided £eebrugga and Antwerp, and dropped Belgian flags and newspapers announcing successes on the West front.