France & Flanders

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 195, 26 January 1915, Page 5

France & Flanders

GERMAN OFFENSIVE IX BELGIUM. HEAVY ARTILLERY FIRE, THE .ALLIES FALL BACK. Received 25, 7.55 p.m. London, January 24. The Daily Chronicle's Havre correspondent says the Germans have resumed a strong offensive towards St. 'George's, directing a heavy artillery fire, and compelling the Allies to fall bade. Neither side occupies the village. SMALLPOX AT THE FRONT. COMPARATIVE IMMUNITY OF THE BRITISH. Times and Sydney Sun Services. Received 25, 5.50 p.m. London, January 25. Sir Frederick Treves, in pointing out the value of inoculation, says that only 212 cases of typhoid occurred with the British expeditionary force, including eleven who had been inoculated. Twentytwo deaths occurred, but none of these men had been inoculated.

FIGHTING IN MID-AIR. TWO ENEMY AIRSHIPS BROUGHT DOWN. BOMBS AT DUNKIRK. Received 26, 1.20 a.m. Dunkirk, January 25. Nine deaths occurred during the bomb raid, including three members of the hospital staff. Two of the enemy's aeroplanes were; shot down and two aviators captured, Wearing British military caps. The other two aviators were killed. The British and French aircraft waged a forty-five minutes' battle. The crowds watched, undeterred by the falling bombs, of which two struck the Uruguayan and Norwegian Consulates. A German aeroplane dropped four incendiary bombs on the town on Saturday, without doing any damage. PREPARING FOR AIR RAIDS ON PARIS. SPLENDID BRITISH MEDICAL SERVICE. Times and Sydney Sun Services. London, January 24. The Echo de Paris says that two new Zeppelin sheds near Brussels and two at Longwy are to be used as bases for raids on Paris. The Casino at Boulogne has been converted into a splendidly fitted military hospital. Sir Frederick Treves declares that never have the British wounded been so well treated and never has the army medical service been so efficient. Doscribing the wounded as they reach the hospital, he says that many are caked with mud, in some cases so solid that they might be #gurcs moulded by a sculptor. They left England fine, alert soldiers, now they are so bent that they limp and shuffle as if they had just left the torture rack, and seem to be old men.

FRENCH OFFICIAL REPORT. Paris, January 24. A communique states: "The enemy violently bombarded our new positions at Nieuport and Lombartzyde. Our artillery dispersed the infantry at the moment when they were beginning to attack. The artillery expelled the enemy from a trench near Vermelles, silenced or demolished several guns in the Aisne valley, and destroyed works at Soupir. Our infantry carried a trench at Berry-au-Bac. The infantry engagement at St. Hubert and Fon-taine-Madame continues. The advanced trenches were several times lost and retaken. Our right progressed at Haartmann's Weilerkopf. We lost and then re-captured a trench near Steinbach."

ALLIES' TRENCHES DAMAGED. BY HEAVY BOMBARDMENT. ADVANCING NEAR HARTMANN'S. Received 25, 9.45 p.m. Paris, January 25. Official.—The Germans heavily bombarded the district northward of Ziellebeke. The fighting at Four de Paris has terminated. We maintained all our positions except fifty metres of trenches which were demolished by the enemy's bombs. We are nearing the enemy's entanglements at Hartmanns.