DESPERATE ONSLAUGHTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3250, 28 June 1916, Page 17

DESPERATE ONSLAUGHTS.

ATTACK AFTER ATTACK.

PARIS, June 23,

The Germans have renewed their big offensive, and have been uninterruptdly bombarding all our positions on both banks of the Meuse for the past 24 hours.

The bombardment on the right bank is interpreted as meaning that they are striving to capture forts Souville and Tavannes, in order to enable them to spare reinforcements for other fronts.

A communique states : * Our artillery wrecked the enemy organisations on the Belgian dunes. Three German attacks between Maison do Champagne and Monttetu and several north-cast of Esnil and against Hill 304 and the left bank of the Meuse all failed. June 24.

A communique states:— The bombardment of Hill 301, Mort Homme, and the second lines at Chat" tancourt continues. There was a series of offensive actions of great extent on a fivekilometres front on Friday morning on Hill 32!, to the east of the Damloup battery. The attacks were made in great masses and succeeded each other with extreme desperation. Notwithstanding the enormous losses inflicted by our curtain and machine gun fire the enemy between Hill 321 and Hill 320, after several fruitless assaults, succeeded in carrying our first line of trenches and the Thiaumont works.

A powerful German attack reached

the village of Fleury, but was driven back.

Our fire shattered attacks against the Vaux-Chapitre Wood, the Fumen and Chenois Woods, and the Damloup battery. A communique states : We repulsed a hand grenade attack on Hill 301. There was a desperate aUnight battle in the western section and the right bank of the river. A vigorous counter-offensive in the region of Kill 321 and Hill 320 restored us a large part of the lost ground. The enemy have been driven back to the approaches of the Thiaumont work, which they still occupy. The struggle was particularly violent in the neighbourhood of Fleury. We recovered in the vicinity of Fumen and Chenois Woods the trench elements we lost on the night of the 21st. The latest information shows that upwards of six divisions participated in Friday's offensive on the right bank of the river. June 25. A communique states:—lt has been relatively quiet west of the Meuse except for the continuous enemy bombardment of Hill 304.. There is an intense enemy bombardment of our lines on the east bank. The struggle on the outskirts of Fleury was continued The enemy occupied some houses.