WAR NEWS BY MAIL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 13645, 27 March 1915, Page 4

WAR NEWS BY MAIL.

FRENCH STORM POSITION

THRILLING STORY OF VICTORY

UKR-MANB LIKE 'WHIPPED DOGS

(Sydney Sun special.) - ..VAN COUVER,, March 18. A despatch to r *the*L6na%ii Morning Post, dated March 9, supplies a striking description of the important French victory at Cbmbres. North-east of St. Miliiel. the message states, the Germans^ were clinging desperately to thc remaining strong! ui-lds, and their position Mas becoming more precarious a.s the French flanking, attacks were pushed home or new dominating positions were carried. The French had' to face, at certain places, advanced German positions and .salients, 'where, owing to tiie configuration of the country, it 'was inadvisable, and, perhaps, impossible, to dislodge them by a frontal attack. At one vi these salients the advance came to soinciliing iii the nature of ii blind wall, near St. Alihiel, where they were faced by the 'Wiudhig ,'MeuseV with 'lmpiegjiiabn earthworks oil. the, further baiik,' and hemmed' in by "powerful iprtiticatioiis on the liills commanding the. town on either hand, which, if they could not shell the Germans At St. Mihiel, lowing" -'to. the extreme steepness of the liills surround 'ixig tlio s^auuidw' viad\ey, at ail eve,nts could prevent them irom spreading m any direction. ■•'•--• yVhat appears; to be- the most serious menace to the German advanced position at St. Miliiel, vthe despatch says, comes at present from the western base of the .angle" at Freshes and Woevre.', The country down the. east side of the wedge* is so difficult as jto render .attacking operations very doubtful 'of success.. Bui it the base Mere broken the same result would be attained on the .'western flank. Behind Fresnes lie the-' forest Heights of Ambionville, which, thanks to spme of the most, brilliant lighting m the campaign, are nmv'in.our, possesion. The Crete de CoWores) *a$ it -i^ ; called, ,is m A'e'ality a. piateah. 7'Xhe top' ig'iiot very broad,- * and" descends "pretty .abruptly 1 to a. i>rc^d 'plain. , Wdevre rises, though not &> steeply, froni'. the valley in Avhich.Les Esparges lies. t The hillsides thfere present a sllies of ; shiaU cliffs, --which', m the final assault, ' liad te be scaled uitli the aid Of ladders; m the same \Vay lis a fortress. 'Tliis operation was preoecled by some of, "the ' riiost thorough and expensive sapping Seen m jthe war. 1 .';• " : ■■-. -"•■ - :■' '•'■ Mines had been dug pi'acticaUv through the hills. When the filial:explosion occurred, heralding the infantry, attack the light'Afcas obscured by a. treniendous, 'upheaval as though from a volcano. Atvthe same time the ground was being prepared byAheayy ""'tire from batteries concealed, m the iWest heights, which syvgpt.'ihe; uenmah Jjositiohsi jyith rV" f f mo °* shells. (i .Reply to them was difficult, because the' French guns were concealed m splendid cover m, the valley boimy. ; - : aya*-^' •"■ ,u y : a. ..P^'.,"vV c way up^theAstorming .parties Passed trench after TrenchV "'As ; i testimony to the effectiVe'&'ss'of the 'French projectiles the' narrow" treiiehesy which ||ad been packed with amen, Mere how K-^r'iW 1 * Wa« "^t; Shy "wonder that those who escaped w'£re delh'oraili|ed ? ' . Prisoners we're taken wholesale/ Ahd oflicer.l'Avlieir ;|orced^ to' 'surrender with a ' considerable V tJo'dy of men,' exclaimed bitterly, "What .is a^ih'an to do with M-hipped dogs like these?" Alow estimate of the German losses, when the Crete 'de Ooinbres was' earned, the despatch concludes, is 4000. ,TO I WHAT r ENDS •'!