Wan News.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 30, Issue 20, 12 March 1918, Page 3

Wan News.

ATTACK ON A MILE FRONT.

LOST GROUND RECOVERED.

LONDON, March 10.

Sir Douglas Haig reports: — The enemy’s artillery is active in the Scarpo Valley and at Ribecourt. There is much reciprocal artillery activity between the Menin road and Houthulst Forest.

Despite haze, we dropped three and a half tons of bombs on various targets, including a ton on an aerodrome at St. Quentin. Our night-fliers dropped five tons of bombs on railway stations at Cambrai and Busigny, and on billets and batteries.

Before dawn the enemy delivered a strong, local attack on a mile front south of Houthulst Forest. The attack mostly broke down under our fire. On our left, however, the attack was most determined, and was supported by flame-throwers. It compelled some of our advanced posts to fall back a short distance on a 500 yards front after severe fighting. The Yorkshire Regiment counter-at-tacked later with complete success, driving the enemy back 300 yards beyond our former line, inflicting heavy losses, and re-establishing the position. Our casualties were light.

Sussex troops successfully raided eastward of Laventie, taking prisoners. The enemy artillery is active at Flesquiefes, Givenchy, Ncuvc Chapello, Armentieros and Ypres. Sir Douglas Haig congratulated the first brigade of the Royal Flying Corps on its splendid success in bringing down eighteen aeroplanes in one day. A French communique says there is fairly great enemy artillery activity at La Pompelle and in the region of AvocourL

A strong enemy raid at Moneel was repulsed with serious losses.

POSITION TAKEN AND RECAPTURED. LONDON, March 10. Sir Douglas Haig reports:— The enemy attacked yesterday evening under cover of a heavy bombardment on a front nearly a mile from southward of the Menin road to northward of Polderhoek Chateau, Despite their intense artillery fire and determined attack, we repulsed them at all points excepting in the neighbourhood of Polderhoek, where the enemy entered some advanced posts on a front of 200 yards. We recaptured the whole of the positions after all-night severe fighting. We drove off raiders cast of Ncuvc Chapello, The Portuguese captured several prisoners in a successful raid in this neighbourhood. The West Kent Regiment made a successful raid south of Fleuxbaix, taking a number of prisoners.

LONDON, March 10. Sir Douglas Haig later reports:— The King’s Royal Rifles broke the main force of yesterday evening’s attack in the neighbourhood of Polderhoek. The enemy’s losses were severe.

A short section of trench which remained in their hands was recaptured, despite a strong resistance, by the Royal Fusiliers. A few prisoners were captured. The Portuguese penetrated the second line trenches at Neuve Ghapelle in the raid reported this morning, driving out the garrison with heavy loss, and bombing or blowing up a number of occupied dug-outs. Some prisoners were captured. The Portuguese casualties were light. Wc raided trenches north of the Bapaumc-Cambrai road. London troops raided in the neighbourhood of Oppy, killing several and taking a few prisoners. There is increased activity, of the hostile artillery north of La Basscc Canal. There was great aerial activity yesterday. We dropped over 400 bombs on dumps and sidings at Menin, Busigny, Guise, and east of St. Quentin. Wc brought down thirteen and drove down ten enemy machines. Three of ours are missing. Despite mist, our nightfliers dropped bombs on a dump and railway sidings at'Fresnoy, north-east of St. Quentin. All returned. We dropped a ton of bombs at midday to-day with good results on barracks, railway sidings and factories at Mainz.. A large fire started. All our machines returned.

LONDON AGAIN ATTACKED. 11 KILLED AND 46 INJURED. LONDON, March 10. The Press Bureau reports that seven or eight aeroplanes carried out last night’s raid. Two bombed London. The first two raiders, following the Thames, turned back before they reached the capital. A third crossed the Essex coast and bombed the south-west and north-west , districts of London. A fourth crossed Essex and dropped bombs in north London. It proceeded south across the capital after dropping its remaining bombs in the northern district. The remaining machine sturned back. There was some damage to property, several houses being demolished. The raid is designated the “Aurora Borealis raid. ’ ’ The glow in the northern sky gave a light resembling summer, which was 1 ample to enable the aviators to steer across the North Sea. The raid lasted until three o’clock this morning. Bands of red and white illuminated the water, though only the northern glow was visible in London. Though the raid was a great surprise to the public, a remarkable barrage and the speed with which the British airmen went aloft showed that the authorities were not taken unawares. Eleven persons were killed and 46 injured in last night’s raid. It js feared that six others are still bu?ied in wreckage.

PARIS BOMBED.

ENEMY ACTIVITY IN THE WEST,

RUSSIAN SITUATION.

INTENTIONS OF JAPAN.

SEVERE NIGHT FIGHTING.

DIVIDED PRESS OPINION.

SUCCESSFUL BRITISH RAIDS.

JAMBURG RECAPTURED BY THE RUSSIANS.

BELGIANS? GALLANT STAND.

ENEMY AIR RAIDS.

MISCELLANEOUS,

11 KILLED 41 INJURED. LONDON, March 10. A French official message says; — Between ton and twelve squadrons participated in the air raid on Paris. They were hotly received by the antiaircraft guns, and sixty aeroplanes. Nino inhabitants were killed and 39 wounded. A Gotha was brought down at Compiegue, the four men on board being incinerated.

A later official report says there were eleven killed and 41 injured in Paris and the suburbs.

DESPERATE INTERNAL CONDITIONS. LONDON, March 10. The “Daily Newss’ ” Petrograd correspondent says that not a single newspaper or politician admits that this will be a lasting peace. All agree on the immediate need for organised forces of resistance.

The conditions of internal Russia arc desperate. Rural life is at a standstill owing to lack of agricultural implements, and the railways have broken down. There are masses of crawling, demoralised soldiery, many of whom have no intention of returning homo, and have taken up a half-conscious nomadic existence. Every station is like an opened hive of bees, and smells like a.vast latrine. Men are swarming in cattle trucks.

The correspondent believes it will bo years before demobilisation is complete. Thousands arc leaving Pctrograd on foot or on the roofs and buffers of railway vehicles, hoping to find food. Japanese intervention will make a national catastrophe irreparable, and mean a shortage of meat as well as corn.

PARIS, March 10. Mr Lansing, United States Secretary of State, in an article in “Excelsior,” says: “The intentions of Japan and the United States regarding the Siberian expedition have been misunderstood, and this has led to mutual suspicions, which were cleverly exploited by German agents, who arc seeking to propagate discord between the two States. I strongly repudiate the suggestion that Japan has any aggressive designs. Viscount Ishii, of the Japanese mission, persuaded the United States that Japan only desired to aid in the complete suppression of the Prussian military caste.”

TOKIO, March 10. The majority of the newspapers advocate intervention, but opinion is divided. The Osaka “Asahi Shimbun,” representing the commercial class, deprecates exaggeration of the Siberian disorders, and urges delay. The Government is introducing a Bill nationalising all industries for war purposes.

LONDON, March 10. The Russians recaptured Jamburg.

TABLES ON THE ENEMY. LONDON, March 10. The correspondents pay a tribute to the Belgians’ fine stand at Stuyenskcrkc. The weather had dried the flooded ground, which enabled the Germans to attack on a fairly wide front. The Belgians’ rifle and machine gun fire beat oil' the southern portion of the attack, but German storm troops in the north rushed seven advanced posts semicircling around the bridgehead. A desperate fight ensued. A Belgian officer and nine men with one machine gun held on for an hour, and repelled repeated assaults by 300 of the enemy with twelve machine guns. Luckily a Belgian patrol returning from another encounter heard the firing and rushed to reinforce the gallant defenders, quickly turning the tables. Assuming the offensive,, the Belgians attacked and recaptured prisoners and one machine gun. Meanwhile a larger counter-attack began, dismounted cavalry completely re-establishing the lino. A later Belgian communique says:— Two Belgian raids in the region of Nieuport killed many and brought back prisoners. Wc captured a German outpost. The enemy’s raiding outburst last week resulted in a recrudescence or artillcrv actions on the whole front.

The “Petit Journal's’’correspondent on the British front says there is prodigious enemy activity due to the bringing up of troops, while there are marked enemy reinforcements of artillery on the whole front. The “New York World” interviewed returned wounded soldiers, who state that twelve Americans were taken prisoner, and the next morning their bodies were found in front of the trenches wuth the legs amputated, and their eyes gouged out. The Hamburg “Frcmdcnblatt ” states that Germany has secured the use of the Roumanian oil industries and large quantities of grain and fodder. It also states that the Ukraine will endeavour by April 15th to deliver large quantities of grain, sugar, frozen meat, and dried fruits. .

A commercial agreement between America and Spain has been signed. Spain agrees to send the supplies needed by General Pershing’s army, thus relieving the shipping situation.

The United States Government is organising five million children to cultivate gardens, so as to increase food production. They will be instructed by 40,000 teachers.

There is widespread indignation in Spain owing to newspaper revelations of German intrigues in 1916 and 1917, proving that the Embassy directly com-

municatcd with and encouraged the Syndicalists to organise revolutionary strikes and outrages against property in order to produce unrest and confusion and embarrass the Government. It also initiated an anarchist meeting at which Count Bomanoncs, the Premier, was assailed.

Mr Asquith, in a speech at Cupar, Fife, said that the two keys of the world position, command of the seas and the West front, both remained in the Allies’ hands. The submarine inroads on the mercantile marine and the collapse of Russia presented formidable dangers, but did not fill us with apprehension. The so-called peace negotiations were an instinctive contrast befoveeu Germany’s pretensions and indentions. While Hertling was professing acceptance of President Wilson’s four principles, welcoming a court of international arbitration and approving of the League of Nations, to which the bulk of us here and in America looked as the only effective safeguard, his subordinates were writing in terms not of a treaty, but of a capitulation as harsh and humiliating as any history and ruthlessly and recklessly mutilating a great national unity, which, if carried out, would sow seeds of conflicts and embroil tiro nations for generations.