IN THE WEST.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 April 1916, Page 5

IN THE WEST.

THE VERDUN FRONT. BIG ATTACK BY ENEMT. REPULSED AT HILE 304 Paris, April 10. A communique says:—The operations on the 9th, marked tlie first great attempt at a general offensive. The front exceeded twenty kilometres, but the Germans gained no appreciable results considering their losses, to which the bodies heaped in front of our lines bear witness. There was a violent bombardment west of the Meuse throughout the night," especially on Hill 304. The enemy's attack on Mort Homme yesterday was repulsed with important losses, but enabled the Germans to penetrate our advanced trenches on Hill 295 for a length of five hundred metres. Their sharpest struggle east of the Meuse during the night was in a little wood at Fontaine St. Martin. We progressed in the enemy's communication trenches south of Douaumont. Le Petit iParisien says that the Germans hurled at least a division into the fray between Avoeourt and the crossroads at Bethincourt. Their objective was Hill 304. They advanced in company column, not heeding their enorlious losses till within a hundred yards of our lines where they were completely mowed down. They returned to t'lie attack three times and then retreated beaten. INTENSE FIGHTING. GERMANS' STRONG ATTACK. FOKKBRS BROUGHT DOWN. Received April 1, 9.20 p.m. Paris, April 11. A communique states: There is a growingly intense bombardment westward of the Meuse. The Germans, at noon, launched an attack, debouching from the Haucourt-Bethincourt region against our positions southward of Forges brook. Notwithstanding the violence of the assaults, costing the enemy very great losses, our whole line is intact. Our curtain of fire stopped attempted attacks at the Mort Homme-Cumieres front. The enemy, in the evening, repeatedly attacked our positions at Caillette wood, but were everywhere repulsed. An airman brought down a Fokker in our lines in the Verdun district on Saturday, and special guns on Sunday brought down another German in our lilies at Woevre. A third Fokker landed undamaged in the Champagne district, and the pilot was captured. "THAT HELL." GERMANS MUTINY. A HUNNISH "EXAMIPLE." • Received April 11, 8.40 p.m. London, April 10. The Central News' corresponded at Amsterdam reports that the remnant of a' German battalion that was recently at Douaumont was ordered to return to the firing line. Many refused to go again into "that hell," and forty of the mutineers were shot as an example. A GERMAN REPORT. CLAIMS SOME SUCCESS. London, April 10. A Berlin wireless message says: We repulsed the attempts of bombing parties to recapture tlie craters at St. Eloi. We isolated two fortified points of support, called Alsace and Lorraine, south-west of Bethincourt. , The enemy in the south tried to avoid danger by a hasty retreat, but the Silesians cut them off, inflicted sanguinary losses, and captured 700 unwounded men, two guns, and 13 mi-ctiine-guns. We also cleared the front due north of the village of Avoeourt, south of Crows' wood, and the ravine south-west of Poivre Hill. GENERAL HAIG'S REPORT. ' A. CRATER CAPTURED. Received April 11, 9.15 p.m. • London, April 11. General Sir Douglas Haig reports: We captured the mine crater that was remaining in German tiands at St. 'Eloi, and established ourselves in the German trenches running Bouth-west from the crater, j VERDUN OFFENSIVE. NOT YET FINISHED. Times and Sydney Sun Services. Reecived April 11, 6.5 p.m. London, April 10. The Paris press agrees that the Verdun offensive is not yet finished. General Cheffils, writing in Le Gaulois, says there is every indication that the Germans will continue the offensive until they are demoralised, which will mean the commencement of a French offensive slsewhere. M. Marcel Hutin thinks that" the poor results on the west and east of the Meuse will cause the Germans to make big efforts to reach Verdun through St. ■Mihiel. FRANCE'S NEEDS. Times and Sydney Sun Services. Received April 11, 5.5 p.m. London, April 10. Senator Humbert writes in the Paris Journal that what has strained France's resources is the lack of able-bodied men. We need more to fill up the gaps. As for our allies, to-day they say that France has worked for them all; let *he>n all work for and with Iw#,