WESTERN FRONT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 40, 15 February 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT

BRITISH ACTIVITY ? w AERIAL RAID ON EXGEIXENT - RESULTS. ! (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association) (Rec. Feb. 15, 8.50 a.m.> Y IX>NI>0?I, Feb. 13. Sir Douglas Haig reports: —The weather rendered flying on Tuesday .almost impossible, but observations enabled the artillery to engage a few hostile batWe bombed various targets behind the enemy lines and machine gunned enemy trenches. . •- Yesterday's , Offenburg raid secured, excellent results, 1£ tons of bombs being dropped on barracks, the railway station, and railway workshop. Several bursts were observed' in the vicinity of the barracks and two fires_ broke out in the town. All our machines returned. " ■ A British- aeroplane made a successful reconnaissance over German aerodromes. . Canaldians who raiaed south-eastward of Hargicourt killed many Germans .above ground and captured thirteen and two machine guns. They also destroyed four trench mortars and bombed 17 dug-outs whose occupants, refused to surrender. Our casu-alties-were slight, and all the wounded, were brought in. The Canadians last night successfully raided HilL 70 northwards of Lens# despite considerable opposition and prisonered six men and took a machine-gun. Our causal&es were light. In local fighting in the morning northwestward of Passchendaele a party of attacking Germans occupied two posts, but pur counter-attack. regained the poste. " - .

The enemy's artillery was active southward and westward of Lena. ENEMY ARTILLERY ACTIVITY. PREPARATIONS ON THE YSER FRONT. GREAT CONCRETE DYKES ERECTED. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association) (Rec. Feb. 15, 12.15 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 14. The Matin reports that despite the mud, there is intense German activity on the Yser. They are violently bombarding trenches and communications l'ar in the rear and multiplying aerial operations. The enemy has constructed great concrete dykes on the right bank of the Yser, which will possibly be usedJ as causeways for an offensive through the inundated region. THE BRITISH FORCES TAKE OVER EXTENSION OF LINE. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association^ Feb. 14. It announced that the British havfe taken over an extension of the line east of Montello ridge, along the Piave beyond Nervesa. GERMANS TRAINING PICKED TROOPS. (Australian and N.Z. Gable Association) LONDON, Feb. 13. Mr Hamilton Fyffe, the Daily Mail's correspondent at Headquarters, says the German preparations for an early _ offensive include the training of picked troops seventy or eighty miles behijjd the front, over areas resembling the coming battlefield. They are employing new light machine guns with a quarterinch bora, firing 400 shots a minut». ■MACKENSEN NEGOTIATING. (Australian and. N.Z. Cable Association AMSTERDAM, Feb. 13» It is officially reported from Germany that Field Marshal Mackensen (formerly in command of the Near Eastern front), is negotiating with the Roumanian Army Command for a continuation of the armistice at the front.

A BASI SOF NEGOTIATIONS. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association) AMSTERDAM, Feb. 13. A wireless message says it is under- i stood that the Central Powers have accepted as a basis of peace negotiations with Roumania Bulgaria's euggestion that Bulgaria should retain the Dobrudja, while Bessarabia should revert to Roumania. FRENCH RAIDS. [Australian and N.Z. Gable Association and Reuter.J LONDON, Feb. 13. _ A French communique says: There is considerable artilery. activity in the_ region' of Pinon and north-west of Rheims. "We made successful raids east of Auberive, and in the Vosges. Enemy aircraft dropped bombs at Nancy. Three civilians were killed and five injured. 'Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and R«uter.) (Admiralty per Wireless Press.) A GERMAN COMMUNIQUE. LONDON, Feb. 14. A German official message says: —We repulsed a strong reconnoitring detachment northward of Lens and northward of Moignonbach. We repelled with heavy losses a French attack between Flirey and Moselle. We bombed Nancy as a reprisal for the air raid at >Saarbrucken.

THE NEW ZEAUtftDERS STIRRING WELCOME FOR GERMANS FROM RUSSIA. COMFORT OF TROOPS MAINTAINED. (Special Despatch from the New Zealand Official War Correspondent, Captain Malcolm Ross.) Feb. 10. Our operations vary little from day to day. What casualties are reported come almost entirely from shelling, but the enemy must suffer much more. Recently the Germans caused several casualties in one of our working parties, but few of our cases were serious. On e German division, recently, arrived from the Russian front, received a stirring welcome from our gunners that must- have inflicted many casualties and, further, destroyed its somewhat- poor morale. At noon the heavy guns vigorously bombarded their area, and later in the day th e field artilleryjoined with the "heavies" in a further intense bombardment. In all over 4000 rounds were fired, including soine gas shells. Subsequently some unique shooting was done 'by one of our field batteries. One of the keenest of our battery commanders in a forward observation post spotted two Germans, and telephoned the range nnd position down to the guns for shrapnel fire". An excellent shot killed one of the men. The othei< sheltered behind a tree trunk, from which further shrapnel failed to dis-

lodge him. A further telephone message brought up one or two rounds of hicrh explosive, and the second German' was blown up. A third German cam e out and bravely endeavoured to draw his companions into the shelter. In response to another call fi'om the battery commander more shrapnel arrived. and the third German disappeared from view. There is still considerable night patrolling, _ and outworking parties are busy in various places. Yesterdav the General opened the hut presented to the Y.M.C.A. by the New Zealand Freemasons. This hut is being devoted to th e artillery brigades. who° heartily appreciate this piece of Masonic generosity. Everything possible is being done for the comfort of the officers and men at the front. The food is good, hot meals being carried right up" to the trenches through the shelled area. Lectures, entertainments, and church services continue behind the lines, and a library has been opened, while the daily news sheet is much appreciated. Our football team and the divisional theatrical company will shortly visit Paris.

AWARDS FOR BRAVERY BESTOWED ON NEW ZEALANDERS. (Special Despatch from th 0 New Zealand War Correspondent, Captain Malcolm Ross.) Feb. 10. The "King of the Belgians has, with the approval of King George, bestowed the following decorations : •Chevalier de l'Ordre de Leopold 11. —Corporal F. J. Tempero (Otago). Croix de Goerre. —'Lieutenant-Colonel J. Hardie Neil, Medical Corps; Captain T. A. Blake, Veterinary Corps; Sergeant-Major. T. H. West, Canterbury; Sergeant-Major E. J. Con lon, Rifles: Quartermaster-Sergeant A. son, Canterbury; Quartermaster-Ser-geant T. E. Bickford, Rifles; Quarter-master-Sergeant A. J. Coupland, Rifles; Sergeant-Farrier J. Sproat, Army Service Corps ; and the following sergeants: —F. G. Sproat (Army Service CoTps), F. G. Tott (Wellington), L. T. Wyli e (Auckland), G. V. Woods (machine-gunner), J. Vincent (Canterbury), E. A. Wheeler (Canterbury), R. C. Travis (.Otago). P. L. Grant- '(Rifles). W. Watkins (machinegunner), J. Rennie (Canterbury), T. A. Andrewssen (Wellington), A. E. Law (Wellington), A. Ward (Engineers), J. G. Jackson (Field Ambulance), F. Loftus (Field Ambulance), J. D. Beattie (Artillery), T. WoodTOw (Artillervi. FI. Muir (Trench Mortars), J. L. McGregor (Auckland): also Corporal O. King (Otago), Bombardier A. K. Greces (Artillery). Trance-Corporal H. J. McCheeney (Wellington). Private D. Movnihan (Auckland), Private W. J. Harris (Auckland), Private -T. McEllisrott (Wellington), Private V. Cruickshank (Canterbury), Rifleman S. N. Hooper. Rifleman G. M. Bolton ("Rifles), Private J- Ross (Otago), Private H. Kanara (Pioneers), Gunner A. W. McLeod (Artillery). Lance-Sergeant A- McLean (Otago) has been awarded- the Military Medal. The units of* identity are £iven in each case as near as is permissible, though the mexi do not necessarily come from the district mentioned. Vincent- has already been awarded the Military Medal'and the D-.C.M., and Travis and Muir the D.C.M.