ON THE YSER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3169, 9 December 1914, Page 20

ON THE YSER.

LONDON, December 2. A heavily censored Rotterdam mes= sage states that the Yser battle has been renewed with intense virulence. The artillery fire on land was terrific, while the British ships were Hinging shells into the German batteries. The Germans, on the eve of battle, sent an additional 3000 to garrison Heyst, fearing the possibility of troops landing in their rear.

| SUPREME ATTACK INTENDED. AMSTERDAM, December 1. the Handelsblad (an Amsterdam daily) 1 ates that a heavy force of Germans has ren sent to Ypres to make a supreme tack and capture the town. A great ittle is raging between the Yser and the ys. ) More German troops from the Yser and Jstend have been sent to Ileyst and Zee■rugge, and additional artillery has been ent to the coast. The practice of the ;3w coast batteries has begun. There is dearth of horses on the Yser front, the ■ermans having seized all available. Advices from Sluys state that a larger lerman force and bigger guns than before iave concentrated with a view to a fresh nslaught on the Allies on the \ser posiions. Numerous motor cars have carried he chief German officers thither from . arious points. GERMAN LOSSES ESTIMATED AT TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND. LONDON, December 2, The Times does not believe in the probability of a fresh attack on Ypres or elsewhere. The battle of Flanders, it saj's, is ended, because the opposing armies have “ dug themselves in.” From the standpoint of casualties in the greatest battle in history it is estb mated that the German loss was 200,000. It fell to the lot of the Bri= tish and Indians to withstand the most furious attacks, especially in the earlier stages. GENERAL JOFFRE’S MOTTO. LONDON, December 1. A pressman who has had an interview with General Joffre states that the physical and moral vigour of the French army emanates from its generalissimo. Among the tilings the general said was this : “ Only one thing matters, and that is to save our country.’ 5 General Joffre, in a message to the Sixth French Army, says: “We ow r e it to yon that we now have in sight that towards which all our efforts and energies have been directed for 44 years—revenge for 1870.” LATEST GHURKA EXPLOIT. PARIS, December 1. The latest Ghurka exploit secured Dixmude. For several days the British had 1 been unable to dislodge a body of Germans, who were apparently heavily reinforced. A regiment of Ghurkas arrived and entrenched next to the British. Towards midnight the British officers noticed that a majority of the Indians disappeared, and it was assumed that they had been j drafted to another part of the line. At

dawn, however, it was noticed that they were back at their posts. The majority of them had their left* arms and hands bandaged. The British did not think of asking the Ghurkas for an explanation, but they detected a curious silence in the German trenches. They feared a trap, but decided to risk an attack. Two Midland regiments charged and took the trenches without opposition. They found the guns in position, but only a row of dead Germans within. The Ghurkas had evidently seized the Germans’ bayonets in their left hands while they knifed the enemy with their right. HELD THE ENEMY FOR TEN DAYS. LONDON, December 1. Lieutenant Aubrey-Fletcher, of the Grenadier Guards, wounded at the front and now in England, relates that his division of 15,000 troops was ordered to hold a front of eight miles at all costs till reinforced. “We were faced,” he said, “ by about 75,000 Germans, including some of the Kaiser’s crack regiments. The Germans occasionally broke through us by sheer weight of numbers, but they were always driven back. We held them for 10 days. ‘‘When help came, out of 15,000 Guards only 2800 remained. Our own battalion of 1000 men lost 800, and 28 out of 30 officers.” BATTLE INCIDENTS. LONDON, December 1. An eye-witness with the British forces at headquarters, describing the repulse of the Prussian Guards, says: “German discipline is wonderful, but occasionally it is forced beyond human endurance. The Germans ordered an attack on our trenches across an open space of 200 yards. After cries of ‘ Vorwarts’ (forward), the first assault was delivered and repelled. The second and third assaults, preluded by louder exhortations, also failed. Again there were shouts of ‘ Vorwarts,’ but they were greeted with exclamations of * Nein’ (No), and no advance was made.” Reuter’s Calais correspondent states that the French and German troops are entrenched on opposite sides of a cemetery near Lille. The French mined towards the enemy, who counter-mined, and an encounter took place underground. Elsewhere the Germans used the tombs as trenches. The Allies, on entering a village to the northward of Arras, discovered three British guns and heaps of live British shells. They had been abandoned during the Mons retreat, brought to this village by the enemy, and again abandoned.

GERMAN BOAST OF STRENGTH. PARIS, December 2. Commenting on the German claim to have 100 active reserve army corps in the field, a semi-official French note states that Germany really has active army corps, of which are operating in the west and the remainder in the east; also 33 reserve army corps, of which 22£ are in the west. The note points out that neither the German nor the French calculation includes the Landwehr, of which there are eight army corps in the west and seven in the east. GERMAN AVIATORS INTERNED. COPENHAGEN, December 1. A German hydro-aeroplane landed at Esbjerg (on the North Sea coast). Its two officers were interned. THE RUSSIAN FRONT. PETROGRAD, December 1. Official: Obstinate fighting continues in the direction of Lowicz. German efforts to force a way to the region of Szercow, between Wielun and Piotrkow, were repulsed with heavy losses. Official : Our offensive northward of Lowicz was crowned with success. The enemy's reinforcements from Kalisch took the offensive at Sieradz. Our advance guards in the Laska district were engaged in a desperate battle all day. Further south we captured Szezerercow, where a brigade of infantry and Prussian Guards, with five batteries, were dislodged and driven back in disorder. AMSTERDAM, December 2. An official Berlin report states that the German army east of Lodz, which was seriously threatened in the rear by the Russians, broke through after fierce battles extending over three days. \Ve captured 12,000 prisoners and 25 guns, and did not lose a single gun. Our losses were not light, but were not colossal. PETROGRAD, December 1. Official: After 10 days’ assault we captured the Austrian position on the crest of the Carpathians from Konesza to Ozozuka (apparently near the source of the San River). Since November 14 we have taken prisoner 50,000 Austrian troops and 600 officers. ANOTHER AUSTRIAN REVERSE. NISH, December 1. Official: The Austrians violently attacked the Hazarevatz front on Friday. They were repulsed everywhere, and we captured 20 officers and 1500 men.

CZAR AT THE FRONT. RETROGRAD, December 2. The Czar has again proceeded to the front.