ON THE WESTERN FRONT.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLI, Issue 11581, 23 May 1916, Page 5

ON THE WESTERN FRONT.

ATTACK ON MOOT HOMME. REPEATED ATTACKS MADE. A FEW YARDS GAINED. A HEW HECATOMB LOST. United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright, Paris, May_2l. About 00,000 Vs’era engaged in repeated attacks on Morfc Homme along a two mile front. On the east, and steeper side, tiio Crown Prince’s troops concentrated at Crow’s Wood got into our advanced trenches, which were badly shattered, but they were quickly thrown back. Desperate fighting took place on the western and northern slopes. After repeated assaults over ground torn up by a preliminary bombardment, some detachments reached the Drench second positions, hut were broken and dispersed with heavy losses. The former front line had ceased to exist and the ground became ‘‘No Man’s Land.” Keinforcements were constantly brought up and new assaults launched throughout Saturday night, constituting a new hecatomb. The Crown Prince gained a few yards of broken, exposed ground of no tactical value.

AN ALL DAY CONFLICT. FRENCH FIRST LINE PENETRATED. ATTACKERS DRIVEN OFF. Paris, May 22. A communique says:— The Rattle continued all day desperately between Avocourt Wood and the Meuse. We captured two trenches' in tbo vicinity of 11>o Esuos-Hancourt road. Our artillery entirely wrecked a small work occupied hy the enemy on the 18th. The enemy immediately, east of Hill 1104, launched an attack which momentarily penetrated our first line, hut the attackers were quickly driven out, A violent offensive hy an enemy brigade on tho western slopes of Mort Homme was stopped. Lotteries caught enemy columns following the assaulting waves, which were compelled to fall hack. The enemy violently bombarded the Douaumont sector.

We sharply attacked and captured Haudromout quarries, which had • been strongly organised by the enemy.

TERRIFIC GERMAN BOMBARDMENT LANDSCAPE TORN TO BITS. ; WAVES OF GERMANS BROKEN. : ENEMY SCURRY BACK AT NIGHT. —— i i Paris, May 22. The bombardment reached its | height at 1 o’clock on Saturday, i when much of the first Pencil line | became a smoking rubble heap. The ' first line was abandoned before the ; enemy was outmanoeuvred. Assaultiug columns advanced at 2 j o’clock, and were faced by a thick : curtain of fire. Wave after wave of | the enemy broke before they i acquired the impetus to carry them 1 through to the French lines. The ; Germans in tiie western section, sweeping over the advanced posi- | streamed straight up to the j French second line. There the ; effect of toe French artillery and | machine guns was deadly, and show- j od that the Germans had outrun , their strength. Towards the end of ! the day the enemy wei;e scurrying * in disorder back to their trenches. * Their flight was marked by heaps of dead.

SIR DOUGLAS HAIG’S REPORT. ENCOUNTERS IN THE AIR. FOUR GERMANS ACCOUNTED FOR. ONE SBHISH MACHINE LOST. London, May :H. Sir Douglas Haig reports:— •Several successful air encounters took place on Saturday Two enemy machines fell in the German lines and a third crashed to earth in our lines, 'where a fourth also landed undamaged. A British aeroplane fell into the enemy Hues. Wo repulsed three small enemy attacks south-west of W’ielt.jo. GERMANS BOMB 810-FORT. INSIGNIFICANT DAMAGE DONE, Paris, May 22. The Germans threw fifteen bombs on Belfort, doing insignificant damage.