THE WESTERN OFFENSIVE

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 310, 28 September 1915, Page 5

THE WESTERN OFFENSIVE

ALLIES MAKE CONSIDERABLE ADVANCE 20,000 PRISONERS IN TWO OAYS GERMAN HEADHUARTER'S DECISION BEATEN BACK EVERYWHERE SMMEMSE CAPTURES OF GUNS

WESTERN BATTLEFIELD. A TERRIFIC BATTLE. SEA, AIR, AND LAND. ALL ARMS FIGHTING. ROTTERDAM, Sept, 27. On Saturday the battle ranged over a wide area. All arms were engaged in simultaneous fighting on land, sea, and in the air. Between 1 a.m. and 10 a.m. a British squadron bombarded various ports on the Belgian coast, including enemy trenches at the westward end of their line above Nieuport. The French heavy batteries ashore also swept the line. The British ships shelled the positions at Seijst, Duinbergen, and Knocke, as well as coastal batteries on the sand-duneg from the Dutch frontier to Westende. Misty rain hid the approach of the ships, the first notice of their presence being shells bursting ashore. In intensity and duration all previous bombardments were surpassed. Many shells fell in land between Zeebrugge and Lawsaweghi, seven col- ; umns of black smoke towering in the air. The bombardment of Zeebrugge harbour was particularly • severe, and foiled the submarines' attempt to steal out. The Allied* airmen, under cover of the mist, successfully bombed the German positions. German aeroplanes were driven baek to their own lines. i i TREMENDOUS GUNFIRE. FEARFUL NUMBER WOUNDED. AMSTERDAM, Sept. 27. The Telegraaf describes the gunfire as tremendous. Following it was a fearful bringing back of the wounded. Soon all - the available buildings at Roulers and Cortewarck were filled with injured men. Large numbers of dead were buried in the numerous villages behind the German lines. GERMANS ADMIT REPULSES. NEW YORK, Sept. 27. Berlin advices state that the Germans admit repulses north-west of Loos, also north of Perthes, with heavy losses. ARE THE GERMANS RETREATING? REPORTS OF ALLIED VICTORY. ENORMOUS GERMAN LOSSES. ROTTERDAM, Sept. 27. There are persistent reports from various points on the Belgo-French frontier, that the Anglo-French achieved great successes and are steadily pushing forward. Movements behind the enemy lines point to something in the nature of a retreat. German losses from the Allies' prolonged artillery fire are mounting enormously, while the infantry losses during the last 24 hours have been terrible. Every available man in Belgium has been flung into the defence, and newlyarrived troops were rushed into the firing line without a moment \s rest. Villages and frontier posts are being nenuded of guards. GERMAN REPORT CONTRADICTED. LONDON, Sept. 27. Sir John French states: The report in Friday's Gerrqan communique 'that our attempted attack on Thursday to the south of La Bassee canal failed, is untrue. No attack was attempted.

“THINGS ARE GOING WELL.” LONDON, Sept. 27. The Paris correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says lie was impressed by the calmness with which the city received the news .of the .success. Large crowds walking in the boulevards read the communique, the general comment being "Things are going well.” FRENCH CAPTURE SOUCHEZ. , BIG GERMAN CAPTURES.' NEW YORK. Sept. 23. The Allies have captured 20,000 unwcunded Germans. According to a French official communication the French stormed and captured Souchez. The Allies continue to make gains in the Champagne district. FRENCH ACCOUNT OF VICTORY. K | ----- SOUCHEZ OCCUPIED. ENEMY DRIVEN BACK. 20,000 PRISONERS IN TWO DAYS. PARIS, Sept. 27. A communique states: — We occupied by main force the ' who’Se village of Souchez, and advanced eastward in the direction of Givenchy. Further south we reached La Folie, and pushed north to Thelus, making prisoners of a thousand. After crossing almost the whole ( front between Auberive and Ville-sur- | Tourbc, in the Champagne, where a • powerful network of trenches and i forts had been established and perfected by the enemy mapy months, we advanced to the northward, compelling the Germans to fall back three to four kilometres. Fighting continues along the whole front. We reached Epine de Ville Grande further east, and hold Maison de Champagne firm. The enemy suffered heavily from artillery and hand-to-hand fighting. The material captured includes 24guns, and 16,000 unwounded prisoners, including 200 officers. The prisoners taken on the whole front during two days exceed twenty thousand. Sir John French's report adds: On Sunday night we re-took the quarries north-west of Hulloek, which we won and lost on Saturday, This fighting drew the enemy’s reserves, thus enabling the French on our right to make further progress. The number of prisoners after yesterday’s fighting was 2,600. Nine guns and a considerable number of machine-guns were captured. Our aeroplanes bombed Valenciennes station. i NEW OFFENSIVE CONTINUES. GERMAN POSITIONS CAPTURED. (Rec. 5.40 a.m.) PARIS, Sept. 27. The new offensive is continuing in • the Champagne. All gains have been maintained and new German positions have been captured. THE OFFENSIVE IN FRANCE. OFFICIAL REPORT. The High Commissioner reports: LONDON, ( Sept. 27, 5.5 p.m. All positions east of Souchez are maintained. In the Champagne there is violent fighting on the whole front; several new points have been occupied, notably at Trou Bricot, nortjh of Jacques' farmstead. Some places were passed by the Allies, where the enemy had maintained himself.

FRENCH FIGHT LIKE DEMONS GOOD BAYONET WORK BY BRITISH. PARIS, Sept. '27. After a spasm of firing, five quietened and the bayonet get to work in the German trenches for the first time in a month. The French used picked troops and they fought like demons. They turned out the Germans, in spite of Yon Falbeck's furious resistance. The enemy threw hundreds of suffocating shells and aerial torpedoes. The British attack against Prince Rupprccht's forces is proceeding to the left of the Lens-La Bassee main road* and is directed towards the nort! Lens. An Army Service driver states that the British artillery crumpled the enemy's .front trenches, but when the British reached tliem the Germans advanced by communication trenches. There was sanguinary hand-to-hand fighting in the new trendies, and ihv bayonet did excellent work. The British gained a footing in many sections of the enemy front. Prince Rupprecht's troops fought. well. Many Bavarians were taken prisoners. DESPERATE STRUGGLE IN THE ARGONNE. ' LONDON. Sept 27. Tlie battle was especially stubborn north of Mourmelons and Egrand, close in the Y/estern Argonne. Here we made the enemy suffer his heaviest losses. One of our warplanes shot cloven an aeroplane west of Cambri, and another was brought, down souffa of Metz. One of our airmen repulsed an attack on Freeburg by three French warplanes. Two were shot down. ALLIES HOLDING GAINED GROUND Sir John French reports: There was severe fighting on Sunday, and determined enemy counter-attacks. We hold tßie ground gained, including the whole of Loos. Our aeroplanes bombed and derailed trains from Douai and Roubaix. The latter was full of enemy troops. QUIET CONFIDENCE OF "FRENCH. PAR7S, Sept. 27, Though the last communiques have proved inspiring, neither the Press nor the public have displayed a tendency to excess of jubilation, but to accept the news witlh cheerfulness and equanimity, convinced that victory will be theirs however long and hard the road. AN ALLIES AIR RAID. GAS WORKS DAMAGED. (Reed 10.45 a.m.) AMSTERDAM, Sept. 27. The Allies made an air raid on Bruges on Sunday. As t[he village of Sluis is sunk in darkness it is believed that the Bruges gasworks, from which it is supplied, must have been severely damaged. GERMANS MINIMISE RESULTSBUT ADMIT BIG LOSSES. GERMANS DRIVEN BACK. ALICES' GUjXS PAVE THE WAY. " • AMSTERDAM, Sept. 27. A Gel-man communique saysi: The Anglo-French offensive, which has been prepared for montjhs, has progressed 'without bringing the assailants appreciably nearer. The Britsh warships attempted, but wlithout success, to harass us. The enemy in the Ypres sector suffered heavy losses, and did not achieve success. The enemy soutih-west of Lille succeeded in repulsing one of our divisions near Loo s from an advanced line. Naturally we had considerable losses in men and material of all kinds. Our I counter-attacks are progressing favi ourably. We voluntarily evacuated the ruins of Souchez. A German divjison between Rheims ! and the Argonne, north of Perthes,wa s obliged to evacuate advanced positions (which had been ruined by a seventyhours uninterrupted bombardment), retiring tlhree kilometres. Otherwise all enemy attempts to break through have failed. A FRENCH COMMUNIQUE. PARIS, Sept. !6. A communique states: We maintained throughout the nig)ht our captured, positions at Carteul and the Souchez cemetery also the last German trenches eastward of the Labyrinth. There was obstinate fighting along the entire Champagne front. Our artillery made a successful surprise attack against works in the Lamois Tegion and in Bau de Sapt.

] ONE MORE EFFORT. A GERMAN DECISION. (Reed. 12.15 p.m.) LONDON, Sept 27. The "Daily Telegraph's" Rotterdam cor-ttpondent says that the General Staff in Berlin has determined to make ] one more great effort in the West. PROGRESS IN FRANCE. NEW POSITIONS GAINED. PARIS, Sept. 27. A communique states: We maintained cur positions at Artois; we also maintained our advance east of Souche?;, Avhere fighting still proceeds. With bombs.and torpedoes, the enemy bombarded our positions at Quenneviers, when we replied vigorously. There is tenacious fighting throughout the entire Champagne front. We occupied several positions behind our new front, wherein the enemy had remained. There i s intense bombardment getween the Meuse and the Moselle, also in Lorraine. A violent storm bi-ought operations in the Yosges to a standstill. ' THE ZEPPELIN RAID. WHY IT FAILED. LONDON TOO FAR AWAY. BERNE, Sept. 27. A member of a Zeppelin crew, writing to the newspaper Der Bund, says that. London is beyond our range. It is possible to reach it if a steady east wind blows, they can tfiien float a considerable distance without using petrel. Unfortunately the weather is England's best ally, it is either windless, over windy, or bright moonlight. W e took fewer bombs on the London rail but, specially larger vVe reached the mout|h of the Thames unobserved, owing to clouds and the silence of our engines, until we arrived at the Tower Bridge, where we crossed to the north side. Searchlights then caught us and immediately the shy was ablaze, and the air was rent with terrific cannonade. The guns, at j first, were unable to reach us, and w e dropped bombs regularly till shrapnel began to play around us. THE BALKANS. GREEK RESERVISTS IN AUSTRALIA SYDNEY, Sept. 27. Greek reservists in the Commonwealth have been called to the colours. A SIGNIFICANT ACTION. TRAIN SERVICE BETWEEN BULGARIA AND CONSTANTINOPLE. (Times and Sydney Sun Cables). LONDON, Sept. 27. The "Times" correspondent at Salon- ! ika say s * n e uninterrupted service of trains between Bulgaria and Constantinople is causing surprise in view of the admitted scarcity of coal in Turkey. By this line troops and supplies for Gallipoli are carried as far as Uzunkupru, the rest of the journey being by road. IS BULGARIA REPENTING? ASSURANCES TO ROUMANIA. BUCHAREST, Sept. 27. The Bulgarian Minister declares that the mobilisation must not be considered as a step towards war. Diplomatic J negotiations will continue. Mobilise tion is a surer safeguard of independent * The Minister denied a report th i' M. Radoslavoff jhad made threatening dc clarataons towards Servia, Roumania and Greece. He hoped the existing most friendly relations with Horn ania would continue. GALLIPOLI FIGHTING. A NECESSARY GRIP. (Times and Sydney Sun Cables). LONDON, Sept 27. The Young Turks state that the Constantinople guns keep the disaffected population in awe. Throughout the empire things [have come to such a pass, through hunger, oppression and outraged religious feelings, that a general uprising would follow the slightest relaxation of t|he German grip on the country. COAL CARGOES. (Times and Sydney Sun Cables). LONDON, Sept 27. A returned traveller states that occasional cargoes of coal continue to reach Constantinople from the Black Sea. PROTESTS AGAINST THE WAR. The High ommissioner reports as 1 0l lows:— LONDON, Sept. 26. Constaatinople reports the resignations of the Sheik-ul-lelam and Prefect Ismet Bey, as a protest against the continuation of the war against the Entente. Great importance is attached to these resignations.

EASTERN .BATTLEFIELD j RUSSIA EVERYWHERE ADVANCING. BETWEEN POLESIA AND ROV-MA-NIA. WATER COURSES RECAPTUIiFC i (Reed. S.-10 a.m). PARTS, Sept. 27. M. Nadeau, at, the Russian headquarters, telegraphed to Journal, reporting that considerable Russian successes in South Polesie have been achieved. They are progressing constantly westward and methodically regaining the watercourses which the Germans previously captured at encr mous costs. The Russians are everywhere advancing between Pclesia and Rouniania. RUSSIANS THRASH GERMANS. A CHEERING REPORT. MACHINE-GUNS CAPTURED.. PETROGRAD, Sept. 27. A communique states: — The position on-the Dvinsk front is quieter. Many attacks nen.r Yileyka were repulsed. We carried with the bayonet the fortified village of Ostroff, north-west cf Vileyka, and crushed the enemy's desperate resistance near Podlugie. Eastward of Novogrodek we captured six hundred German machine-guns and two supply columns of artillery ammunition and munitions. We captured the village of Podlugie, further south, and drove the Germans across the Strumane. RUSSIANS TAKE 6,000 PRISONERS. PETROGRAD, Sept. 26. i A supplementary report states that in the Lutsk region six thousand prisoners were taken. HINDENBURG AGAIN. AMSTERDAM, Sept. 27. German communique: Yon Hindenburg's troops broke through at several points west of Wileschnew. We attacked and drove the Russians over the Beresina, north-west of- Sabresin. Further south we reached the Niemen near Dieeleatitaschi, taking prisoner 900. AUSTRIAN REPORT. COMPLETE RUSSIAN DEFEAT. (Rec. 1.15 a.m.) AMSTERDAM, Sept. 27. . Austrian communique: The enemy's great forces attempted to break our front near Novo Alinetz. The battle lasted several days, but was a complete Russian defeat. The enemy yesterday attacked ten times southward of Novo Alexinetz, but were repulsed. A GERMAN ORDER. NOT TO BE REALISED. , (Rec. 5.40 a.m.) ' LONDON, Sept. 27. /A French official wireless states that " recent orders addressed to Germans operating in the Dvinsk district, stat,ed: "Tens of thousands of your comrades who have courageously pierced the Russian front at Seventziany and are moving eastward are endangered while Dvinsk remains Russian. It is absolutely necessary to take the town." The wireless adds: These wishes seem unlikely to be realised. AUSTRIAN ATTACKS REPULSED. ROME, Sept. 27. A communique states: We captured Suldenspitze, 3375 metres high, after three night marches, although strongly held. The ftiemy on th e 24tfli attempted a ccupe-de-main with large forces in the Cevedale zone. We counter-attacked and repulsed them. AUSTRIANS WIPED OUT. LONDON, Sept. 27. Mr M. Donohoe, describing the Austrian attack against the Italian entrenched position at Monte San Michele, says that mass after mass of the Austrian infantry, under cover of a terrific fire, were flung against the eastern sic pes into a maelstrom of deatjh. The advance did not exceed | four hundred yards. The Italian guns, I sweeping and enfilading the enemy's lines, tore holes in their ranks until all were killed or prisoners. Comprint is made by the Austrian soldiers that there was no officer in the forefront of their fighting. Some aver that the Austrian army is desperately short of officers. GOEBEN rN THE BLACK SEA. PETROGRAD Sept. 27. The Goeben appeared in the Black Sea st) miles from the Bcspherus. and cut off th e retreat of a Russian torpedo craft, which was skilfully handled and escaped. The fire of the Goeben was inaccurate.