FRANCO-BRITISH ADVANCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16506, 5 October 1915, Page 5

FRANCO-BRITISH ADVANCE

/THE WESTERN THEATRE

REPORT FROM HIGH COMMIS SIONER. ' ■<■■■"

ENEMY COUNTER ATTACKS. PARIS, October 3. A communique states: Between Souchez and Givenchy Wood the enemy's four attempts to retake by bombing portions of their lost' trenches were everywhere repulsed. The enemy bombarded part of our' reserve- trenches in the Smppes Valley, still using asphyxiating shells. We silenced several of the enemy's batteries.' EST THE CHAMPAGNE.

CLOSE TO GERMAN SECOND LINE

, LONDON, October 3. A French official report states: In the last battles in the Champagne we established ourselves in close proximity to the second German - line on a 12 : kilometre front. - <. . -

CONDITIONS AT THE FRONT. # MUD AND RAIN. • SUPERIORITY OF THE "TOMMY." • LONDON, October 3. Reuter's correspondent with the British Headquarters vividly portrays conditions at the front. In a despatch dated September 30 he says: During the last two days but little further advance has been made on the British front. Fighting has been proceeding in some places heavily along our new. lines'south of La Bassee, but none of the German' counter-attacks' has succeeded. The enemy lost heavily in killed and wounded. Our new positions are being consolidated.

The weather has been unfavourable. After a dull, grey day, heavy rain fell on Tuesday evening, with ■ a chilly wind. The flat Flanders countryside, especially the Black Country, is depressing to the last degree. Everything is covered with mud. ; Picture' long -files of marching men, with a waterproof sheet right over their heads, plodding steadily through the slush chanting a chorus to keep up their spirits,, endless columns of huge motor; lorries, staff caTs dashing through the ruts on the roadside to pass the traffic, and motor despatch riders, machine and man alike, a mass; of mud.:

The only subject amongst the men is: "How is the advance going?" In one town eight German field guns which were captured at Loos have been drawn up, guarded by soldiers with fixed bayonets. Both French and English soldiers inspect them and decipher the German inscriptions. The barrels are engraved with the Imperial Eagle and the name of the Emperor. Chalked figures /show the ranges at which the guns weTe last fired. The sight of the guns is proof of the success'of the British in pouring through Loos. The Germans had no time to remove them from the concrete emplacements, and the guns, were brought back to our lines in triumph by British horses and gunners. Soldiers from the front tell of 'the demoralisation of the enemy at the last. The, fighting proved the superiority of the "Tommy" in single-handed work.' Th& sight of British soldiers from the trenches wearing German helmets causes great merriment. '

The rain has now stopped, and the sun is shining. Important results in the west may be forthcoming in a few days. GRAND SUPPLY OF AMMUNITION. MAJESTY OF THE CANNONADE. LONDON, October 3. , An artillery officer, describing the British bombardment, states: We had a grand supply of ammunition. On Friday our machine guns prevented the.Germans repairing their trenches. We brought up load .after load of lyddite shells to the gun-pits. At midnight all was ready. We waited till 4 a.m., when the cannonade began. The air. was suddenly torn by thousands of explosions of the shells screaming overhead. In a section of five miles 3000 shells were fired in five minutes, which will give some idea of the awful -majesty of these few moments', when, like an avenging angel with flaming sword, the Allies swept down. on the Huns. The (lashes were so continuous that they gave an almost unbroken light. All the guns were firing their, hardest at carefully registered points on the German trenches.

TROOPS VIE IN YALOUR NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT CONGRATULATIONS FROM THE KING THIRD LINE OF TRENCHES PIERCED GOOD REPORTS FROM RUSSIA SITUATION IN THE BALKANS RUSSIAN ULTIMATUM TO BULGARIA • ; MUST DISMISS GERMANS Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright.

FRENCH AERIAL ARM. WONDERFUL PROGRESS. PARIS, October 3. (Received Oct. 4, at 7.10 p.m.) The secretary of the Aeronautical Department, in an interview, said that the department was working unceas= intflv in the construction of heavy machines. The radius of action and the speed of the biplanes had been in= creased. Monoplanes would be dis= carded in 12 months' time. The lift, ing capacity of the French aeroplanes had been quadrupled and the speed nearly doubled. THE BRITISH ADVANCE. TERRIFIC BOMBARDMENT. v LONDON, October 4. • (Received Oct. 4, at 8.30 p.m.) An artillery officer stated that for every yard of trench four shells must have fallen within five minutes. Each shell had a radius of destruction of 20

yards. Afterwards the guns were switched to longer ranges, their busi. < ness being to search the enemy's supports. The second bombardment lasted half an hour. The German artillery was surprised and overpowered, and ma'dc a feeble reply. Our men carried-the first trench with ease, the second with some loss, and then turned their attention to the trench forts. At noon they had ac« complished the set task and had a fine bag of prisoners. ;

FAITH IN FALSE HOPES. THE GERMAN PLAN. AND ITS FAILURE. * (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) LONDON, October 4. (Received Oct. 4, at 5.5 p.m.) The; Times says that the German plan on the western front was *to trust to a vigorous defensive while Germany was turning all her available weight against Russia. It is obvious that the plan was to take, advantage thoroughly of the bad Russian situation and endeavour to Tound up the Russian armies and compel her to sue for peace. The wise Russian strategy prevented this. The Czar's assumption of the command negatives, the German > hopes of a pre mature peace. The Czar promisus to step back in the defence of Russian territory to the river Volga, if necessary until, the enemy are worn out. The German Headquarters did not expect that the Allies would recommence in the west so soon after their summer offensive had been arrested, and therefore they have faltered in their plan and are now facing the situation with profound anxiety, knowing that they are deeply committed to the invasion of Russia- and aTe unable to abandon it without admitting that the cause has been. lost. They will probably continue to attack at any cost until their destruction has ( been achieved, because the danger of giving Russia time tt* recuperate is too deadly a risk to face. The Germans constructed line after line of defensive positions in the,west, believing that the strength of these lines and the number of their troops would prevent a general uprooting. . It has been shown that the Allies are now so well armed as to be able to wreck the strongest defence?. The changed situation may vitally affect the whoie course of the war. ■ We must create fresh armies and p-rosecute the 1916 campaign to a successful issue in order to-balance the disaster .of the practical elimination of the Russian nation. MORE OF THE FRENCH AIRMEN;

BRILLIANT "WORK. (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) LONDON, October 4, (Received Oct.. 4, at 5.5 p.m.) It is stated that during the Champagne operations French airmen flew to a height, and.from a distance of 400. yards behind the German line regulated .the French firing. They were Subjected to a terrific shelling, and many of the machines returned riddled and with their engines damaged. '..".,.

The High Commissioner reports, tinder date London, October 4 (0.55 a.m.):— In Artois we progressed, capturing a blockhouse and some entrenchments south of Givenchy. ' '• . There has been a general bombardment south of the Somme and in the Champagne, and the ATgonne. A squadron of French aviators bombarded this morning the station, bridge, and military buildings at Luxemburg. GERMAN COMMUNIQUE. BERLIN, October 4. (Received Oct. 4, at 10.55 p.m.) A communique states: — Monitors bombarded Westende. The English .abandoned their attempts to recapture the ground north of Loos, after bitter fighting and heavy losses. There has been hand-grenade, fighting at Souchez, Neuville, Lemesnil, and Ville Sur. Lourte Tombe. We forced a French airship in Alsace to descend, and the crew were made prisoners. '