BRITISH STILL ADVANCING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16942, 2 March 1917, Page 5

BRITISH STILL ADVANCING.

ADDITIONAL POSITIONS CAPTURED. —— s GQMMECOURT TAKEN. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter.. LONDON, Febrnary 28. (Received March 1, at 7.15' p.m.) Sir Douglas Haig reports: This morning we captured a portion of the trenches no*th-east of Sailly-Saillisel. We occupied Gomtnecourf and captured the villages of Thilloy and . Pulsieux-au.Mont; with the trench > systems adjoining. We pushed the line 1000 yards north-cast of Gommc court. During a raid ia the neighbourhood of Clery we reached the second line, and also entered positions north-east of Arras and south-west and westward of Lens. We repulsed a raid north-east of Armentieres.

BELGIAN DEPORTATIONS. ' HORRORS YET TO BE TOLD. Australian and N.Z. Cablo Association. NEW YORK, February 28. Tho New York Times Bordeaux correspondent has interviewed an American Consul who returned, with Mr Gerard. The consul made a most significant statement concerning the Belgian deportations, which 'ho declared to bo the greatest hornor of the war. He added : " When the real reason for the deportations becomes kriown—which is not the case now—the •whole world will shudder in horror."

ABANDONING THE SLAVERY. MEN REFUSE TO WORK. The Times. LONDON, February 28. lne Tunes correspondent at Maastricht states that the Gernrans are abandoning the deportations from Belgium, because" f?r te menaces and tortures, 90 per cent ot the deportees refuse to work.

CAMPAIGN. BRITISH PURSUING THE ENEMY. FLIGHT BECOMING A ROUT. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter. LONDON, February 28 _A Mesopotamian official report state'slne close pursuit of the enemy is. steadily maintained" On Monday we advanced, and the troops engaged' the enemy in the afternoon from three sides at a point on the left bant of the Tigris over 30 miles west and north-west of Kut. The enemy abandoned quantities of arms and equipment, and threw three howitzers into the river.

_ We recaptured the gunboat Firefly lost m the retreat from Cteriphon. We also captured a Turkish ship and destroyed another.

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF.

THE IMPOSSIBLE ACCOMPLISHED.

BRIDGE-MAKING EXTRAORDINARY.

The Times.

. LONDON, February 28. (Received March 1, at 5.15 p.m.) Mr Candler, in describing a great stroke of strategy in crossing the Tigris at Shumran while the attention of the Turks was deflected by attacks upon Sanna-i-Yat, says: "Pontoons were launched at three points at dawn, and a British regiment etfected the northernmost crossing surprising tfie enemy. The first v boat was a lew yards; north of the bank before a short, sharp machine-gun fusillade berran but the pickets, after an hour's shootlnc surrendered. Two Ghurka regiments crossed downstream. They were strongly opposed by machine guns, which swept the nver. The Turks attacked with grenades, and the landing became a bombing match Eventually the Gunrkas established a foot-' ing ashore, and held on under intense ar- ■■ tillery fire, finally linking with the British Although artillery swept the river banks the bridge was completed in eight hours. The river was 340 yards wide, with a current of five knots an hour. Prisoners admitted that the feat was believed to be 1 impossible." ;

IN MOLDAVIA.

PARTIAL ENEMY SUCCESS,

Admiralty per Wireless Press. LONDON, February 28. Russian official : The enemy attacked on both sides of the Jaoobini-Kimpolung hi""h road, and occupied heights two miles south-west of Valeputna. Our counterattacks recovered portion of the heights

AUSTRIA EMULATES BULGARIA.

MASSACRE- OF PSEUDO-SERBIANS,

Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. AMSTERDAM, February 28. The Austrians have executed l≤o Bosnians and Herzogovinians who declared themselves to be Serbians, including clergy, members of Parliament, teachers' and doctors.

GERMAN POISON GAS. GALIOIAN VILLAGE WIPED OUT PETROGRAD, February 28.' The Novoe Vremya publishes an appalling story of German poison gas exterminating the entire population of a Galician village.' The Russian troops posted at the villages had barely time to put on their masks before the attack -was launched. The Russians readily repulsed this attack, but the civilians were wiped out. The women were driven mad with terror by the siaht of the oncoming greenish vapour, bringing certain, death, and killed their children with their own hands to save them from torture. Some people sought refuse in'a churoli. but the fatal cloud killed them. The Russian soldiers, returning after the fight, were confronted with a ghastly spectacle, the bodies of men, women, and children lying in attitudes testifying to the unspeakable sufferings the victims had undergone.

FRENCH COMMUNIQUE. Australian and N.Z. Cablo Association and Router. LONDON, March 1. (Received March 1, at 8.30 p.m.) A French official report states : Artillery is active on both sides of the Avre. Enemy attempts to reconnoitre the region of ißoye broke under fire

GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT.

SUPPRESSION AND DISTORTION,

Admiralty, per Wireless Press. LONDON, March 1. (Received March 1, at 8.5 p:m.) A German official report states : There have been infantry combats in accordance with our plans on the Anere. The French surprised and captured a river post on the Aisne, but were driven out. We captured several Russian heights in the wooded Carpathians on both sides of tho Valeput Toad The Italians strongly attacked hill positions in, the Cerna salient eastward of Paralovo, but failed with heajvy losses.

RECENT DESTROYER RAID. FANTASTIC GERMAN REPORT. A TRAVESTY OF FACTS. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter. LONDON, March 1. (Received March 1, at 8.30 p.m.) A Berlin official report gives a fantastic account of the torpedo-beats' dash. It states that they raided the Channel beyond the Dover to Calais line and entered the mouth of the Thames. The British destroyers stationed in the Channel scattered after a fierce artillery fight and avoided further action by a hasty retreat. The loss and damage sustained by the enemy were not further observed here. Another section raided, and not findinoany guard as far as the North Foreland into the Downs, bombarded coast defence works at Margate and vessels quite near the coast. No commercial traffic was observed. It is hardly necessary to state that the account is a travesty of the facts.