BRILLIANT SUCCESS

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9044, 15 May 1915, Page 7

BRILLIANT SUCCESS

ALLIES MASTERING GERMANS HUNS’ DESPERATE RESISTANCE BROKEN The High Commissioner reports: — LONDON, Hay 13. 6.30 p.m. North of Arras, the Allies on Wednesday evening had a brilliant success. On Wednesday and Thursday at Notre Dame de Lorette they mastered a fort and church, sustaining a violent counter-attack from a quadrilateral of trenches south of the church. In the morning they were entire masters of the position, and inflicted extremely heavy losses on the enemy. ■ The same night they took by assault the whole village of Carency and the wood to the north. The garrison holding Carency had built a formidable redoubt, and although muen diminished by the preceding day’s losses in killed, wounded, and prisoners, they opposed the Allies throughout the night in a labyrinth of blockhouses and trenches, the desperate resistance of which was,broken. By daybreak the Allies were complete masters of the position. The Allies killed hundreds of Germans with the bayonet, and made 1050 prisoners, including 30 officers. The Allies’ attacks on the village of Neuvillo appreciably progressed, gaining hundreds of metres and capturing the Ncuville-Givencby railway. At Givenchy itself the Allies carried house by house the whole centre of the village, occupying the southern portion on Wednesday morning, and throwing the Germans into the north, which the Allies are now overwhelming. The Germans, by wireless, admit these losses and the loss of much material. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. PARIS. May 13. A communique states: —There was an obstinate struggle ,southward of Notre Dame de Lorette. Violent counter-attacks throughout the night were repulsed, the enemy suffering extremely heavy losses. We carried bv assault the entire village of Carency and the wood northward—namely. Hill 125. The garrison holding the village and wood comprised two infantry battalions, a battalion of Bavarian chasseurs, and six companies of pioneers, each three hundred strong. These had transformed the locality into a formidable redoubt, and they offered a desperate resistance. Hundreds were bayoneted, nad 1050 taken prisoner, including thirty officers, among whom were a colonel and a major of chasseurs. Wo won hundreds of metres of ground northward of Neuville, and seized the road leading to Givenchy. Besides the southern end, wo carried the centre at Neuville. the Gormans being thrown back on the northern end, which we outflank. THE GERMANS SURRENDER IN BATCHES PARTS, May 13. ' Official.—Every house an Neuville was found to be loopholed and every cellar transformed into a covered, trench. The village was conquered house by house; the Germans surrendered in batches. Further north, the French troops emerging from Berthonville Wood dashed through, antid a storm of shot, and traversed the enemy’s trenches and dragged sections of Germans out of underground lairs. They then scaled the entrenched slopes and a' crest dominating the plain. Many French officers fell. Of four battalion commanders only one was left. Two and a-half miles were covered, in ninety minutes. No such success has been previously achieved in’ this siege-warfare, either by the German or the French. ’ FIGHTING EAST OF YPRES CONTINUES ' LONDON, May 13. Sir John French report*: — The fighting east of Ypres continues. The Germans violently bombarded our line north of the Menin road, destroying some trenches and necessitating a temporary readjustment of the line, which has since been completely readjusted. There is nothing to report else where. The High Commissioner reports:— LONDON, May 13, 10.40 p.m. Sir John French reports that the Germans again subjected our lino north of Menin road to a violent artillery bombardment destroying some trenches; but the line has since been 'completely re-established. FURTHER IMPORTAHT~RESULTS OBTAINED The High Commissioner reports:— LONDON, May 14, 2.5 a.m. The Belgians on the right bank of the Yser repulsed the enemy, who lost several hundreds., North of Arras the Allies obtained further important results, the capture of Carency, yielding many guns and munitions, which iff is impossible as yet to number completely. 1 . In a forest the Allies found the bodies of three German companies who had been annihilated by artillery. The enemy bombarded Carency without result. A GERMAN CONFESSION OF LOSS By TelegrapK—Press Association —Copyright. . “vi - (Raoeived 'May 14, 8 p.m..) . BERLIN, May 14. Official: “We evacuated Carency and the western part of Ablain, losing a number of brave men and material;” A FATAL BAR TO BRITISH SUCCESS (Received May? 14, 9.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 14. “The Times” Dunkirk correspondent states that the lack of an unlimited supply of high explosive ‘is a fatal bar to British success. Hence, the disappointing results of their attacks at FromolJes. " At Richebourg, on Sunday the French fired 276 rounds of high explosive per gun for the single day, and levelled the defences to the ground. The British found the enemy much more strongly posted than they expected, but there was insufficient explosive, and when the infantry stormed the trenches they found the German garrison undismayed. Many of the/entanglements were intact and Maxims were ready. ■. As we were unable to maintain ourselves in the trenches won, the British reserves were not thrown into the fight. CAPTURE OF BOIS LE PRETRE COMPLETE (Received May 14, 10 p.m.) ■ PARIS. May 14. Official: “In the wood at Hill 125 we found the corpses of three German companies which our artillery had annihilated. . “Prom Carency we advanced to Ablain and Saint .Nazaire. Wo hold all except the eastern outskirts, whore the struggle continues. “We took several hundred prisoners, and captured seventeen guns. “At Neuvillq-Saint Vaast we captured the .last line of German trenches, completing the capture of. the Bois le Pretre.” THE GERMANS OPPOSITE THE BRITISH (Received May 14, 11.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 14. “The Times” correspondent states,that the Germans onposite the British hold almost all the heights, and have brought hundreds of machine guns to points from which they can attack, supported by formidable artillery. “If we can break tbe hard outer crust of the German defences, our commanders believe we can scatter the German.armies. For this wo nosd more shells, heavy howitzers and more men.”