TREMENDOUS GERMAN CASUALTIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3212, 6 October 1915, Page 29

TREMENDOUS GERMAN CASUALTIES.

AMSTERDAM, October 3. The severity of the recent fighting is provided by the Prussian lists. Lists 300 to 309 give 49,705 casualties, the next SO 53,396, the next 10 58,445, and the latest 10 43,468, bringing the total to 1,916,148, apart from 224 Bavarian, 199 Saxon, and 274 Wur= temburg lists, the naval lists, and the losses in Turkey. GERMAN COMMUNIQUE. AMSTERDAM, October 1. A German communique states : Monitors unsuccessfully bombarded Lombartzyde and Middlekerke. The British troops did not attempt to reattack on Thursday. Our counter-attacks north of Loos, though severely opposed, progressed. French attempts to advance east of Souchez and north of Neuville failed. A strong hostile attack eastward of Auberive failed. All the French attacks were undertaken by detachments of -seven different divisions, and were unsuccessful. Our captures in the Champagne total 7000 men. Successful mining operations damaged the French positions at Vauquois. French airmen dropped bombs on Seninlieterard, killing eight French civilians. We suffered no losses. October 2. A German communique states : The British on Friday night tried to recapture the ground taken, but failed, with heavy bloody losses. French attacks south-west of Angres, eastward of Souchex and northward of Neuville, were repulsed. Our prisoners have increased to 106 officers, 3642 men, and 26 machine guns. The French attacking eastward of Auberive penetrated a single point. We coun-ter-attacked and made prisoners of 70 men. The remainder fell. We brought down an aeroplane. Another fell aflame at Soissons. THE FRENCH AT SOUCHEZ. THE WOOD CLEARED. PARIS, October 1. The following account is given by Reuter. —•“ The Bodies bolted like hares into the wood,” said some French soldiers, describing the charges at Souchez. “ Simultaneously with the order to advance we exploded seven mines, completing the destruction of the trenches. We dashed hot on their heels, while some of our comrades stayed behind to explore

the ravaged trenches. There were subterannean shelters 20ft deep, and those who stayed threw bombs into these to prevent the occupants attacking us in the rear. “ Fast as the Germans ran, we soon caught them up, and occupied their second line of trenches in the middle of the wood. Some crossed the Souchez brook, and some went up the road towards Angres. “The enemy brought up strong reserves, and our officers recalled us to the first German trench. “ Our artillery in the evening bombarded the wood, and its aspect changed as by enchantment. Soon only' treestumps remained, emerging from a jungle of branches. We treated the German shrapnel philosophically, because we wore steel helmets. Next afternoon we again attacked the wood, stumbling over the fallen branches. The German machine guns were most troublesome, being invisible in their steeljdated pits. We took shelter in the shellholes, and our bombers crept in behind tree-stumps and kept up a rain of bombs. We soon drove the Germans out of the wood, which is now ours for good.” GENERAL MARCHAND. PARIS, October 1. “ Calmly puffing his pifte like a company commander. Genera] Marchand placed himself at the head of a column in the advance between Perthes and Souain.” This is the picture given by a wounded private of colonial infantry, who was alongside General Marchand when he was wounded. “ The general’s bravery was a legend among the whole division. When the order to advance was given on Saturday General Marchand arrived, and, amid a hail of bullets, made a short speech, which was inaudible owing to the guns. Our colonial division, with a Moroccan division, a brigade of Zouaves, and a brigade of the Foreign Legion, formed the first wave launched against the trenches. We covered 150 yards through a perfect hell of shot and shell, and had just reached the first Boche trench when General Marchand dropped with a shell-splinter in his abdomen. The stretcher-bearers picked him up, and he was taken to hospital at Suippes, where he is doing well, and it is believed his cure is only a question of time. LONDON, October 1. General Marchand has undergone a successful operation. KING AND PRESIDENT POINCARE. PARIS, October 1.. The King and President Poincare have exchanged congratulations on the joint success of the Allies, and express reciprocal admiration for the French and British armies’ exploits. COLONEL REPINGTON SUMS UP. ONLY THE OVERTURE. LONDON, October 1. Colonel Repintgon writes in The Times : There is every reason to hope that the Allies’ advance in the west will be continued in due time with the same admirabel forethought and resolution as distinguished their preliminary operations. Sir John French’s attack between Lens and La Bassee was satisfactory, but we must remember that the fortified agglomerations of La Bassee on the north and Lens on the south are now flanking our new line and cannot be ignored. On the northern flank of our new line Haisnes (two miles south of La Bassee) is still in German occupation. On our right flank, by capturinp- Hill 70 and the western outskirts of Hulluch, we have got across the Lens-La Bassee road; but this flank remains a little in the air, because the French are not yet masters of Givenchy. The Yimy plateau, with its formidable defences, still Res ahead, and the Allies must bring into action all the means at their command. It is certain that our leaders are not wasting an hour. An attack on the third German line of defences requires special care, because the German general reserves have now been brought up, and a severe struggle must be expected. We shall be able to help our allies on the right when the latter have turned the Germans off the Vi my plateau. We shall then be able to advance shoulder to shoulder with the French. If the Germans think we have shot our bolt they will soon be undeceived; it is onlv the overture. There are many signs that the Germans dread what is coming. Their local reserves have been used up. We have succeeded in our first efforts beyond all expectations. German headquarters are displaying weakness by their failure to hold ground which they had expected to be attacked. They are also foolishly concealing the truth from the German people. We must expect our offensive to be attended by heavy loss. THE GERMAN OUTLOOK. LONDON, October 1. The German papers insist that it is useless to minimise the importance of the struggle, but the nation is entitled to look with confidence upon the future, despite the enemy’s well organised and well prepared efforts. It is stated that the German Government is calling in all manufactured articles of copper, brass, and nickel. The Swiss newspapers announce that Berlin is alarmed at the defeats. The General Staff has invited the populace to remain calm.