THE RENEWED ONSLAUGHT.

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

THE RENEWED ONSLAUGHT.

PARIS, June 25. Semi-official : The battle of Verdun, in its sudden brutality and violence, with its heavy gun fire and extreme fierceness of infantry assaults, indicates that the Germans are either seeking to delay us at Verdun in the wish to foil our plans, tho approaching realisation of which threat-ens them, or to distract our attention while they transfer troops to Russia. FRENCH ACTIVITIES. PARIS, June 25. A communique states : Our fire stopped attacks on our trenches on tho slopes southward of Mort Homme. A counterattack restored to us some portions of our lost trenches westward of Thiaumont. Wa progressed at Fleury by means of grenades. German aeroplanes bombed Luneville, Baccarat, and St. Die, where some children were wounded. These bombardments have been noted with, a view ta reprisals by our airmen. BRITISH ARTILLERY ACTIVE. LONDON, June 25. Sir Douglas Haig reports that the Br!» tish artillery is more activo than usua. 1 along the whole front. June 26. Sir Douglas Haig reports : Ou.r artillery is very active along tin whole front. The heaviest shelling is. at Neuville St. Vaast, north of the YpresMenin road. The only other incidents have been small unsuccessful raids on the British trenches. A number of German mines were exploded without any casualty. GERMAN COMMUNIQUE, AMSTERDAM, June 25. A German communique states: The Anglo-French have developed an unbroken, and lively artillery bombardment in the region from south of the La Bassee Canal to beyond the Somme. It continued all night. They also heavily bombarded th< Lens neighbourhood and discharged gai unsuccessfully over our lines in the re< gion of-Beaumont, Hamel, and northward of Albert. The enemy's guns on the west bank of the Meuse attained great activity towards evening, especially at Mort Homme. Small infantry undertakings occurred at night, in which we were suc-i cessful. Many violent battles developed under the continuous artillery fire around the positions we captured on the east bank of, the Meuse, but all the French attempts to recapture the lost ground broke down, and they suffered very heavy losses.