FRANCE & BELGIUM

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144711, 21 June 1915, Page 3

FRANCE & BELGIUM

(THE GERMANS NEAR ARRAS SQUEEZED INTO A TIGHT PLACE. FRENCH SUCCESS ASSURED. {Received June 21, 9.45 a.m.) LONDON, Juno 20. ■ A Central Nows Dunkirk corrcspou3cnt. says tlib French offensive from Loretto to Neuvillo has squeezed 150,000 Germans into a front of 4.J miles, ■where they arc being sacrificed in despairing efforts to save tho remnants of tho defensive system. The French artillery is wining out whole ranks of tho enemy. Heavy artillery, mortars, grenades and aerial torpedoes aro being utilised. An almost continuous ■bombardment is automatically followed hv bnvonot charges when the Germans are incapable of resisting. A single mme-shaxt had 250 German defenders, of whom SCO wore wiped ont and the rest taken prisoners. The stream at Sanchez village was blocked by German dead. The German heavy artillery continues bombarding and advances are ordered which prove costly. One shell struck the village of Marcqni, where 160 men were billott-c-d. The sued killed 89. THE DEATH OF WAR AFFORD. WHILE TESTING AN AEROPLANE. PARIS, June 19. TVameford was killed while testing his machine. . , He was accompanied by Henry jNoenham, an American, and they fell SOOit. Their bodies were unrecognisable. The Journal des Debate says \\ arnoford described several large circles, and made several rapid 1 descents. When at an altitude of 200 metres ho tried a sharp turn to the right, and somersaulted and fell heavily. The occupants were -not strapped, and both fell The bodies of Wameford and Needham 1 were brought to tho mortuary at the British hospital at Versailles from Bne. The coffins were covered with Union Jacks and the Stars and Stripes and floral gifts from the medical staff and from British convalescent soldiers who are inmates of the hospitals. The officers and men of the garrison sent wreaths-and baskets of flowers. OFFICIAL REPORT. BRITISH MAKE PROGRESS. LONDON. Juno 19. Sir John French reports: Fighting on the northern and southern portions of our front was continued throughout tho IGth, In. co-operation with our allies we made an attack about Arras. All the first line trenches captured about remain in our hands, despite two counter-attacks, which we repulsed with r.eavy loss to* the enemy. We were, however, unable to retain tho enemy’s second line of trenches occupied in the morning. , , , , c We slightly advanced eastward of Festubort as a result of further attacks, and judging by tho number of dead m the Gorman trenches our artillery fire was very effective. . We occupied 250 yards of German trenches north of iloogc, which our successes forced the enemy to abandon. W c captured 213 prisoners, three machineguns, a cylinder full of gas. In the Hooge region we exploded several mines and north-east of Arracntieres we inflicted casualties on the enemy trying to escape after the explosion. Airmen successfully bombed an electrical power station at La Bassee. PARIS, June 20. Official.—After a very sharp struggle, we invested on all sides and carried by assault, Buvalbottora, which the enemy has obstinately defended since May 9. We captured some machine-guns, but ouly ten prisoners, as the German resistance has been desperate. We captured several trendies on tho slopes east of Lorctte. and took three hundred prisoners. We hold the slopes of Hill 119, where our troops cling to ground beyond tho last German trenches. Despite the enemy’s attacks south of these slopes, our lino was advanced to north-cast of the “labyrinth.” Tho Gorman battalion at Embcrmenil captured a small post. We immediately counter-attacked, and though our forces were numerically inferior, wo reoccupied the whole of tho position and put our assailants to flight. Our advance in Alsace on both 'banks of tho Fecht continues, despite denso mist and torrential rain. Wo bombarded tbo station at Munster and blew up ammunition depots. Wo completely invested Mctzeral, which the Germans set fire to before evacuating. There was a violent artillery duel northward of Auras, where our front is unmodified. Wo reached tho outskirts of Metzcral, and hold the enemy’s communications between Metzeral and Munster under artillery and infantry fire. Wo have taken more prisoners, and have captured machine-guns and a largo quantity of rifles and cartridges. A French officer, describing the combat southward of Hehuterne, says: A battalion on our right was assailed by band grenades and knives. That settled it. Our comrades rushed across a space four hundred metres deep and twelve hundred long, and took tho first trenches by tho use of knives. Emilo Kauvolior, wife of a Belgian, and Henri Gaurearedt, a native of Dunkirk, who wero conducting a potato business at Chapello, have been sentenced to death lor spying. They wero found at Herscek in possession of luminous fuses, which they used for tho purpose of signalling tho Gormans. They confessed after forty-nino witnesses had boon heard. TERRITORIALS AT THE FRONT, SPLENDID WORK DONE. LONDON, June 19. An officer of tho Thirteenth London Territorials describes its share in the advance at Bois Grenier and Festubort and in Die operations ta Richebourg in the middle of May. Mo says: “What official and unofficial dismissed with a few lines was , ns fifteen and a half hours of desperile and bloody fighting. Our battalion pga gfj UiS left and the Bivot

of the whole attack, and was the only battalion that succeeded in doing the work allotted to it. The moment our 'bombardment ceased wo went over the parapet, and charging right through* captured three lines of trenches with the bayonet, while two companies, turning to the right and to the left, bayoneted and bombed the Huns hack along the trenches for two hundred yards on either side. ‘’Then we settled down to hold our ground. Some regulars should have advanced in the samo way, for their front was connected with us, but they were nnablo to get through. in tho meanwhile wo held against steadily increasing counter-attacks, and we stuck to it grimly. For eight hours guns on both sides carried on a deafening bombardment, shells pitching everywhere. Wo received a nasty eniiladc fins from machine-guns which we wore unable to locate, and from snipers. Then wo got a promise of reinforcements, and saw thorn approach and fades away. “Tho Germans advancing in force on | our flanks, we were order to retire, j and had to light our way through to | our trenches across ground raked with 1 a withering cross-lire. Major-General | Sir 11. S. Rawlinson. commanding tho ] Fourth Army, declared: ‘By your splendid pluck and dogged endurance you and your fallen comrades have won imperishable glory for the thirteenth battalion. Its feat lias boon surpassed by no battalion in this great war.’ ” A DUTCH REPORT. AMSTERDAM. Juno 10. During the nine days closing below the Dutch frontier iOO/liX) German troops travel sod Belgium, whom 300,000 have been sent into the fighting line, where the French pressure is dangerous. A hundred thousand, with two hundred heavy guns, were hold in reserve at Conrtrai and Holders, hoping for an opportunity to break through, but in the last three days they were'hurriedly sent to defend tho trenches at La Bassco and Ypros, where tho British attack in force was a magnificent surprise, and smashed the enemy s plan. THE R AID OX dCABLSnUHE. GENEVA. June 19. Details of tho aerial raid on Karlsruhe show that the first bomb foil rear the Emperor’s monument in the Kaiser Platz and tore up the tramway, killing two people and wounding two. Other projectiles damaged the Post Office. A shell killed five people outside the Margrave Palace. Bombs fell in ihe Market Place, near tho Hof Theatre and the Synagogue, in the Grand Ducal garden, and on the roof of Prince Marx’s palace, where the Royal children narrowly escaped. RUSSIA THE ATTACK OX LEMBEEG. TO INFLUENCE BALKAX STATES. (Received Juno, 2L 9.40 a.m.) IAINDON, Juno 20. Tile Observer’s Petrograd correspondent says the object ot the Lemberg attack is to impress Ron mania and Bulgaria. The German stall regard tho position on the Gallipoli Peninsula as a stalemate, neither side being .able to use more men within the space. Tho only danger is if Eoumania or Bulgaria intervenes. GERMAN REGDIEXT CUT UP ATTACK ON GRODEK OPENING. (Received Juno 21, 9.45 a.m.) PETROGRAD, Juno 21. Tho battle at Lubackzow on tho loth included a brilliant and bold attack by cavalry upon infantry, in which th'o whole of the 91st German Regiment was annihilated or dispersed, '.'he attack produced .i panic, which temporarily slopped the German advance. Tho enemy’s vanguard attempted to break through tho defiles to Grodck Lake, but were repulsed. The fighting continues. Considerable enemy forces crossed tho Dniester below Liziow, but all attempts to advance beyond tho steep banks on tho 17th and 18 th wore repulsed. RETIREMENT TO GEODEE LINE. INVASION OF RUSSIA CHECKED. PETROGRAD, Juno 19. Official.—The enemy on tho Bzura front spread, a cloud of asphyxiating gas along a front of six versts. Our troops on tho right hank of tho San withdrew, fighting, across tho river Tenev and in a lino with the Grodok Lakes. The onemy between Pmth and tho Dniester was ■ thrown back into Austrian territory. LONDON, June 19. An Austrian official report says:— We occupied Tarnograd. The Russians between tho Lower San and tho Vistula retired at several points. Wo occupied tho Creszanow heights. Strong Russian forces appeared in the mountainous region eastward of tho Niomierow and Janow districts. Tho Russians southward of the Upper Dniester, after hard fighting, were driven towards Kolooruby. Our pursuing troops reached tho mouth of tho Wenoszke. Artillery on a 1 certain sector inflicted heavy losses on tho enemy, who are desperately attempting to throw back our forces in Bukowina. Wo there took eight officers and 1022 men prisoner, and captured throe machine-guns. BUCHAREST, Juno 19. Tho Russians forced the forces of tho Austrians, who invaded Bessarabia, to retreat to Bojau, and they captured a groat quantity of munitions and sup plies. GERMAN GOLD SEIZED. PEKING, June 19. The Russians have confiscated a substantial consignment of bar gold from Mongolia destined for Germany. A hank sent the gold under a Chinese name.