GENERAL WAR NEWS

Southland Times, Issue 17785, 14 July 1916, Page 2

GENERAL WAR NEWS

EARLIER CABLES POCK’S PAUSE. (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright) (Australian & N.Z. Cable Association.) PARIS, July 12. A communique states: The night on the Somme sector was calm. We carried out several successful coups do main on enemy trenches in the Champagne, between Matsons do Champagne and Cavalry (V), north of Vilio Stir Tourbe. Jn the Verdun sector, west of the Meuse, two German attacks on our trenches at Morthommc failed. Our counter-attack east of Fit min Wood recaptured part of the ground taken by the enemy yesterday. ; We drove the Germans out of the trenches at Relllon (Lorraine front) which they penetrated yesterday. THE BRITISH. LIKE. LONDON, July 12. Sir Douglas Haig reports;—■ Since tho commencement of the Somme battle, the enemy have been largely reinforced. Yesterday and last night strong hostile attacks on several points of our new positions (except at Mametz and Troncs Woods, in both of which localities tho Germans regained ground) were all beaten hack with loss. Between the main battlefield and the sea we actively bombarded the enemy’s positions, raining shells on their front line. Southward of Loos a parly of Irish Fusiliers penetrated the enemy’s trendies at a point strongly held, remaining in them for JO minutes, during which there was heavy fighting, in which many Germans were killed, while our casualties were slight. Opposite the Hohcnzolleni redoubt two companies of Scaforth High landers forced their way into another portion of the enemy’s trenches, after a stiff fight, many Germans being killed and wounded. A hostile machine gun was destroyed. Several dugouts were found crowded with the enemy, and we successfully bombed them, taking some prisoner. a LOira job. LONDON, July 12. Tiie Paris. Press, in paying a magnificent tribute to tho courage of the British in recapturing Contalmaison, note that this makes the 23rd village wrested from the invader since the beginning of the Somme offensive. EHEBCT BEXHTORCE BLABBERS. AMSTERDAM. July 12. There is considerable movement of German troops throughout Belgium. Jt is reported that all the Landsturm have been sent to the front. Heavy artillery is being transported to the, Yscr sector. BRXTSSILOPP’S KEETODS. LONDON, July 12. An analysis of the recent Russian strategy and tactics shows that the general method is to attack with great vigour at a particular point until the, enemy strengthen the threatened sectors. The Russians then fall back on the defensive, hut make a violent thrust elsewhere against those sectors where the lines have been thinned. Tho Germans have thus found that their system of quickly entraining reinforcements to different parts of their line useless. OUTBTJMBEREP AND OT7TG-UTTNED, LONDON, July 12. A Hungarian Start officer, who has recently been on the Russian front, states i that the Russian preparation for an attack is most formidable- Their artillery fire is concentrated on a given point for 20 hours. Meanwhile at least 10 lines of attacking columns arc concentrated. The bombardment commences at dawn and ends at nightfall. The defenders, utterly exhausted, expect a night attack, and everybody keeps awake, with nerves shattered and eyes burning with fatigue and excitement. But nothing occurs until dawn, when the. bombardment recommences. The defenders have another sleepless and nerve-racked day. Perhaps the Russian attack is finally launched at noon, the bombardment only stopping when the attackers have reached ; the German position. In most cases the defenders arc so exhausted that they are unable to tight amid the debris of the trenches. Having ample reserves. General finissiloff sends fresh regiments into the fight daily, while the Austro-Gcrma.ns are obliged to keep every man in the firing line continuously. | EAST APRICA. | THE BELOIAHB’ PART. ! PARIS, July 12. It is announced by the Belgian authorities at Havre that the Germans have been expelled from the provinces of Ruanda and Urundi, while they have also abandoned the province of Bukobe. The Belgians inflicted a severe defeat on the Germans at Blaramulo. The Belgian front now extends from Lake Tanganyika to Lake Victoria Nyanza, over a district which lias a native population of four millions

THE STOKHOD STRUGGLE. GERMANS DEFEND CROSSING. AMSTERDAM. July 12. A Berlin communique states: (hi the Stokhod front the situation is unchanged. We took prisoner in two days 193S men and 12 machine-guns. Some Russian detachments crossing to the left hank of tiie Stokhod, near Janowka, were wiped out. YOUTHS CALLED UP. BERNE, July 12. The calling up of youths of 17 and IS years, professedly for training purposes, has caused a panic in Germany. Parents arc no longer willing, as in the delirious days of 1914, to send sons to slaughter. A Swiss doctor,' recently in Germany, reports numerous cases of drug taking, producing signs of illness, in order to escape service. AUSTRIAN HIGH COMMAND. ROME, .Inly 12. It is reported that General Pflanzer and the Archduke Joseph Ferdinand have been relieved of their commands. The Austrian reverses in the Bukowina have produced a deplorable impression in Budapest. Seventy per cent, of the forces in the Bukowina are Hungarians, GERMAN AWAKENING. AMSTERDAM, July 12. The German military authorities’ obvious attempts to break the disastrous news gently have led to a rapid spread of pessimism. Many newspapers are openly discussing the possibilities and effects of a definite military defeat. Hie 1 hamburger Naehrichten plaintively asks; "What will become of Germany without her navy, her colonies, her commerce, or any war indemnities'.’ ’ YON WXEGAND’S DESPATCH. NEW YORK, July 12. The New York Times says: "Von Weigand has proved himself a faithful reflector of opinion in Germany. His despatch is of unusual interest, inasmuch as it reveals tiie real condition of Germany. One cannot escape tiie conclusion that, unless Von Weigand is mistaken, Germany is nearing tiie end of her resources." THE DEUTSCHLAND. NEW YORK, July 12. Captain Koenig declares that the. Deutschland’s cruising radius is 13,00(1 miles. She left Bremen with ISO tons of oil fuel aboard, and more than halt of that is still in her tanks. The submarine Deutschland is expected to leave again shortly, the unloading of her cargo being almost completed. An American offered £IO,OOO for a passage to Germany, but Captain Koenig declined. The Press is discussing the Allies' light to fire on a submarine without warning. Captain Koenig is confident of his ability to elude the Anglo-French cruisers waiting for the Deutschland outside United States territorial waters. MICROSCOPIC COMPORT. AMSTERDAM, July 12. The Deutschland's feat in crossing the Atlantic has caused great jubilation in Germany. Her owners advance the extravagant claim,that tiie British blockade is now ended, and .neutrals must revise their attitude .towards Germany. Count Rcventlow, in the Deutsche Tageszcitung, warns the public not to attach too much importance to the voyage. It does not change anything, and possibly may only’ excite false hopes. He adds : “Unless the submarine war is resumed Germany’s claims to aspire to the domination of the seas will be futile.”

BRITISH HARBOUR SHELLED. LONDON, July 12. Official : A submarine from a few hundred off the shore shelled the undefended port of Scaham with "0 rounds of shraptjel from a Jin gun, the shots bursting mostly around Seaham colliery. There was one fatality—a woman. JUTLAHS BATTLE, BERNE, July 12. Admiral Holtzendorff’s recall from the retired list to an appointment as expert adviser to the derman Admiralty is interpreted in Berlin as a rebuke to the admirals concerned in the Jutland hattie, and as showing further that the official outcome of the battle was not a victory for Germany. BRITISH STTBMARXtrZS. COPENHAGEN, July 12. Many British submarines have been seen in the northern Catteg.it, and only small German steamers are now able to reach Norway. TTAT.TAW WARSHIPS ACTIVE. ROME, July U. Italian warships bombarded an Austrian hydroplane station at I’arenzo, notwithstanding a violent land battery fire. EZ-JOCZET wothtdeix RON DON, July 1 2. Lieutenant Stanley Wootton, of the Seventeenth Royal Fusiliers .the cxAustralian jockey, inis been wounded at the front.

TEE MESOPOTAMIA MUDDLE. LONDON', July 12. In reply to questions in the Commons, Mr Asquith said he did not think it opportune to 'discuss the campaign in Mesopotamia. Sir K. Carson wanted to know whether the House was never to get the promised reports; also whether the Premier was aware that the gravest anxiety was being felt regarding the negligence of the whole operations there. He said lie would question ‘the Government on the matter next week, and if their reply was unsatisfactory ' lie would move the adjournment in order to discuss it. TEE CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR. • LONDON, July 12. In the House of Commons the Home Secretary (.Mr Herbert Samuel) said the committee that had been appointed to deal with conscientious objectors had arranged for the transfer of the genuine objectors from prison to some work of national importance. AMERICAN KUBITIOES, NEW YORK, July 32. The foreign trade of the United States for tiie year was (1,.100,000,000 dollars, compared with ."i,000,000,00a dollars in the year 1914-1.7. The export of munitions contributed largely to these record figures. GENERAL ITEMS. LONDON. July 12. •Mr Kislier, the. High Commissioner, lias issued the first number of the Anzac bulletin for distributing free Australian news fro-weekly to troops on Salisbury Plain and in France. Mr Asquith,-in the House of Commons, said that the Government were unable to find a practically uncontroversial solution of the registration and franchise questions. They intended to appoint a Select Committee to inquire. No member of (lie Government would sit on the committee. It was quite obvious that the life of tiie present Parliament must be prolonged. Mr Asquith, in the House of Commons, said the Government had adopted tiie resolution passed at the Paris Kconomic Conference; also the prolongation of Parliament, and the appointment of an independent committee to investigate tin: franchise.