PUSHING FORWARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3196, 16 June 1915, Page 27

PUSHING FORWARD.

PARIS, June 11. A communique states: We scored a fresh success at the Labyrinth. The enemy was driven back, and we carried some enemy communication trenches eastward of the Labyrinth, near the high road from Arras to Lille. June 12. Taking advantage of a north-easterly wind on Wednesday night the Germans, using poisonous gas, vigorously' 1 attacked the Belgian advanced posts at Dixmude. They rushed across the Yser and captured three lines of the Belgian trenches. The Allies brought up reinforcements, including a British regiment, and a spirited counter-attack- followed. At daybreak the British, charging with great valour, drove the enemy back over the Yser and. compelled them to take a less favourable position than their original one. Fierce fighting continues. Half the town is held by the Germans and half by the Allies.

Official: In the booty among the Neuville debris were three 77mm guns, three trench mortars, 15 machine guns, all buried or damaged, thousands of grenades, 800,009 cartridges, 1000 rifles, incendiary implements, shells of 105 mm calibre, an enormous quantity of engineering tools, boxes of explosives, equipment, and provisions.

Official: We have made prisoners of an additional 130 men in the Hebuterne district. We counted hundreds of corpses, and the ambulances collected numerous German wounded. W© captured three more machine guns and pierced the German lines to a depth of one kilometre over a length of two kilometres. A strong German counter-attack was completely repulsed. Official: Our trenches in the Guennestieres district, eastward of Tracklemont, hive been strcn~ly established in immediate contact with the enemy. FEELING THE PRESSURE. LONDON, June 12. The Allies are pressing the Germans so hard that the enemy are apparently preparing to shorten their line and fall back on their second line, with Lille as a formidable salient. In the event of their withdrawal they will offer a tremendous defence on a triangle formed by Courtral, Lille, and Tournai. Twelve big guns have been very strongly emplaced in a semicircle around Courtrai, and the forts at Lille have been rebuilt of reinforced concrete, with electrified barbed wire extending for an enormous distance around. Guns have been emplaced on Mont St, Hubert, which, lying behind Tournai, commands the country for many miles in all directions. The roads from Lille to Lens have been put in a state of defence, the extensive fieldworks suggesting an intended cover for a “retirement. GERMANS LOSE THEIR HEADS. PARIS, June 13. An eye-witness of the bombing of the airship in the shed at Evere states that it contained a Zeppelin, not a Parseval. The Germans tried to get the airship out, but it had only emerged a few yards when the aviator dived within a few hundred yards ot the shed, and dropped three bombs, which exploded with a terrific noise. A few seconds later the airship blew up with a still louder report. The accomplishment of the feat was the signal for an outburst of joy in Brussels. The Germans lost their heads and called out the troops. The cavalry charged up the Boulevard Larabermont, where 10,000 people had assembled. Besides the Zeppelin, there were five Taubes in the shed, and these were burnt. Nineteen German soldiers were killed. The Germans are now raining fines on the noisy rejoicers. Official: A very violent artillery duel took place on the Loi’ette plateau.

Sharp artillery actions have occurred east of Rheims and on the Pithc-s-Beause-jours front. A CLEVER RUSE. PARIS, June 12. The Belgians near Nieuport found that an island between two small tributaries of the Yser had been abandoned. They saw two bottles attached to a plank, inscribed : “These bottles contain photographs.’’ The Belgians vainly tried to lift the bottles from the water, and the enemy immediately shelled the spot, the bottles signalling the presence of the Belgians. The Belgians subsequently reoccupied the island and captured it. AID OF SCIENCE INVOKED. PARIS, June 12. The Gdvernment has committed to the Academy of Sciences the essential part of the great military machine. Two points to be discussed are the possibility of a cloud of asphyxiating gases to-counteract those of the enemy instead of the use of respirators, and some substitute for high explosive shells in the destruction of barbed wire entanglements.

OFFICIAL SUMMARY

AN ENCOURAGING SHOWING. PETROGRAD, June 12. Official: The enemy’s repeated and determined attacks to the westward of Sliavli have bean repulsed, the Germans leaving piles of killed and wounded in frant of our trenches. We made prisoners of 500 men and captured some gnus and mitrailleuses. On the left of the Dubissa the enemy continued their fruitless attack^. In the Mosciska region we continued on Wednesday night to press the enemy between the Tismenica and Svika Rivers, captmin many prisoners, quickfirers, and o*.mr booty. The enemy, with a view- to covering their retreat, despatched an armoured train and 500 armoured motor cars to support the infantry towards Stryj and Mikolaieff. Our accurate gunfire compelled them to make a rapid retreat. In this action the head of our column of infantry, which developed an energetic offensive, captured the -whole of the fifth company of the 79th Austrian Regiment. The enemy in their defeat on the left bank of the Dniester sustained especially severe losses among the Prussian Guards on the 2nd, when we captured 10 guns and !8 mitrailleuses. The enemy attacks at the bridgehead near Halico compelled us to modify our front, occupying the Pruth line. In the course of this operation we abandoned Stanisiavoff. We repelled German attacks on Podlugic, and further south made prisoners of 1000 men.

ENEMY SUFFERS HEAVY LOSSES PETROGRAD, June 11.

Official; We drove back on Thursday to the right bank of the Dniester strong forces which had crossed to the left bank near Jairasnov, and had extended to the Siwka (? Sivica). The enemy suffered heavy losses. We captured 17 guns, 49 machine guns, 188 officers, and 6500 Austro-German soldiers, including an entire company of Prussian Guards.

BRILLIANT RUSSIAN STRATEGY LONDON, June 12.

The Daily Chronicle’s Petrograd correspondent states that the German advance has been checked in the two most dangerous places, Mosciska and Zuravno. The continuance of the advance would have brought the enemy in the immediate neighbourhood of' Lemberg. The Russians scored a distinct success at a critical moment, and regained command of both banks of the Dniester. The Germans in Eastern Galicia are compelled to move their armies by isolated routes, while the Russians are holding several important railway junctions, enabling them to rapidly transfer their troops from one portion of the front to another. The Daily Telegraph’s Petrograd correspondent states that the success on the Dniester was gained by brilliant strategv, the enemy being lured to disaster. A corresponding success at Mikolaieff may also discourage the German idea of withdrawing troops to assist -in the western campaign. CHOLERA IN AUSTRIA. ROME, June 11. Bosnian deserters from the Austrian army report that cholera is assuming vaster proportions than last summer in Eastern Hungary, Transylvania, and Galicia. There are many cases in Vienna, where some panic exists. EXPLANATION OFFERED. WASHINGTON, June 12. Diplomatic circles believe that the collapse of the Russian Galician offensive is directly due to the recent China-Japanese crisis, whereby Japan was obliged to cease the despatch of arms and ammunition to Russia. It is understood that Japan is now releasing the supplies again. THE AUSTRIAN SUCCESSES. VIENNA, Juno 12. The recent Austrian successes are largely attributed to the 15 centimetre mortar, throwing a projectile charged with ecrasit which explodes in the ground, scattering huge quantities of earth, and killing all who are near it. No field earthworks arß able to withstand it. NO COLD IS “NAZOL” PROOF!

GERMAN CLAIMS. BERLIN/ June 12. Official: General Linsingens attacked the Russians when they were approaching the German wing from the north. We captured Zurarano, which we evacuated on Thursday before the advancing Russians. Other attacks in the district were repulsed.

ENEMY SUBJECTS AT MOSCOW. PETROGRAD, Juno 12. The authorities at are expelling enemy subjects from the factories. The population has resorted to anti-Ger-man disturbances and pillage, but the Governor, in an energetic proclamation, intimates that he will not tolerate mob violence. He declares that any domestic disorder encourages Russia’s enemies to a more determined resistance, delaying the final victory. •