THE WESTERN TUSSLE.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XX, Issue 5129, 7 May 1915, Page 5

THE WESTERN TUSSLE.

MARKED SUCCESS OF ALLIES. ENEMY CONCENTRATING. Paris, Last Night. Official : We recaptured Labos, and repulsed an attack at Calonne, inflicting heavy losses. Three regiments attacked our newly acquired positions on the eastern part of Boisdailly and the open ground of the ridge, and gained a footing on our first line, but our counter-attack gained half the ridge. A second counter-attack is in progress, the result of which is not .yet known. We gained marked success eastward of Bo is Mon/tmaire, capturing two successive lines of trenches. We repulsed three counter-attacks, and of the enemy were killed or taken prisoner. We progressed on the northern bank of the Fecht towards Stei ii brock.

Sir John French reports: Fighting is in progress at Hill 60, where the Germans gained a footing this morning under cover of gas, which was extensively used, the weather favouring it. They also made a feeble attack at East Ypres, which was easily repul:,cd, our artillery inflicting severe losses. The Germans exploded a mine in the neighbourhood of Givenchy. I hev used ga.s, and four men were poisoned, otherwise the attack failed

“Eye-witness” emphasises that the progress must not bo measured by tim extra ground covered, but by tho drain on the enemy’s strength. The Germans’ present policy is to achieve sufficient success to influence neutrals.

Amsterdam, Last Night. There is great concentration of Germans at Ron 1 era, Cmirtrai and Lille, foreshadowing a determined effort to reach Calais. Fifteen-inehers are mounted a few miTes north of NieujHirt. FIGHTING THE GAS.

GERMANS POISON THEMSELVES

fxmdon. Last Night. “E.vo-witness” states that tho French made considerable progress west of Yfierloo Canal and south of

Pilkem, removing the German wedge in the French line between the Canal and Ypres-Langemarck road, representing a gain of over a thousand yards. At a central point on the 2nd the Germans assumed the offensive against the British north of Ypres at about 5 in tlie evening. Dense clouds of suffocating vapour were emitted from their trenches on the whole front along the French right and our left. The evening was still. The fumes did not carry beyond our first trenches, but those were rendered untenable and a retirement was ordered.

The enemy immediately bombarded with asphxyiating shells and shrapnel. The gas on this occasion looked like a great, reddish cloud. Our batteries poured a concentrated fire on the German tiepches between us, which wavered the poison belt, the upper part being shredded thin and vapourish as it was shaken by the wind, and the lower and denser part sinking in the inequalities of the ground and rolling down the trenches. Nevertheless the German infantry faced it, and our hail of shrapnel. Our troops held firm and .shot through the cloud at the advancing Germans, while the men holding the front line managed to move flank wards beyond its influence, and waited until tlie Germans reached our trenches, and then bavonetted them. On the extreme left of our supports they charged through the vapour, and the men met the oncoming enemy with bayonets. The Germans fled, and large numbers were mowed down and tel lln heaps, many being unable to make their way through the gas cloud, and probably most of their wounded perished from its fumes. Before lonothe trenches and re-es-tablished our original position.

STEADINESS OF INDIANS

heavy enmey losses

London. Last Night. ' ‘Eye-witness’ recounts a recent instance of Indian steadiness A shell burst m the middle of a battalion of Pathans, killing and wounding sixteen but the columns immediately closed, mai ched on and went into action They advanced across twelve hundred y-ards in open country under a murderous fire, their war-cry swelling louder and louder above the din. One of the British officers was hit four times but lie continued to lead until be tell riddled with machine bullets. Prisoners captured in the recent fighting state that one German corps lost 80 per cent, in the first week, and the losses from our artillery fire were very heavy. Many Germans also suffered from the gas.

STRINGENT REPRISALS

CONFISCATION OF PROPERTY

London, Last Night. Robert Oeci], m the* Oommons, quoted letters from officers bitterly complaining of their treatment in Germany under the reprisals ordered bv Government and tlie Kaiser. They write that they were encouraged by the German officials to relate their experiences. Lord Robert Cecil hoped Air Asquith would iM-rrist in his intention to exact reparation at the end of the war, however high placed tlxo criminals may be. Mr Asquith reiterated his previous pledge. Air Bonar Law;, referring to German methods of warfare, hoped we would disregard any convention preventing u.s from effectively dealing with enemies showing no respect to Convention of any kind. We might without loss of national dignify reverse our policy with submarines, and if everything failed to bring redress we might confiscate all German property within the Empire.