FRANCE & BELGIUM

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144714, 24 June 1915, Page 3

FRANCE & BELGIUM

FRENCH NEED OF MUNITION'S. TO .DEAL WITH ST. MXHIEL WEDGE. TIMES AND SYDNEY SUN SERVICES, (Received June 24, 8 a*m.) LONDON, June 23. The Timoso correspondent at Nancy says, after visiting various points on both sides of the St. Mihiel wedge, that tho French need a tremendous increase in ammunition to drive home the offensive. An overwhelming force is at tho present moment marking time, but when they are supplied with_ ample munitions, victory, as far as is unmanly possible, will be in their hands. An excellent impression was produced in France by the creation of a Ministry of Munitions in England, and hopes are expressed that she is beginning to understand the real seriousness of the struggle. The French, nearer the war, know what it moans. A French soldier in hospital hurst into tears when he road of the tramway strike in London, and said that a friend who was manufacturing big shells found tho men do thirty per cent, more work £nan sxi time of peace. They know they, are sharing in the great work of the war for tho redemption of tho world. GERMAN OFFICER SURPRISED. AT EFECTS OF BRITISH ATCTILLERY. TIMES AND SYDNEY FUN SERVICES, (Received Juno 24, 8 a.m.) LONDON. Jure 23. Tho eyewitness says that a German officer captured near Vprcs was greasy disgusted at our effective artillery fire, apd complained bitterly that tho Germans were told they could do what they liked with us because we had few guns and no ammunition.

FIGHT FOE THE LABYRINTH SUCCESS AT LAST. PARIS, June 23. The official description of the French conquest of the “labyrinth” says: Our offensive north end south was continually exposed to fire from this stronghold of blockhouses, trenches, shelters, and saps. Hence our commander ordered the capture of the “labyrinth” foot by loot. After two regiments had secured a footing on May 30, one attacking in the north and the other in the west, our men proceeded along the saps, driving back the enemy step by step. We fought like demons in these burrows, crushing the Germans down with hand grenades and breaking down the barricades made of sacks of earth, which the enemy continually throw up. The French, maddened by tho sun striking hotly into the saps, fought bareheaded and in their shirt sleeves, and everyone was bloody. Monotonous days witnessed deeds of incomparable valour. On June 1 a lieutenant and a soldier reconnoitred about the centre of the enemy’s resistance, scaling a higher barrier obstructing sunken road works. They seemed to bo weakly held, so the lieutenant sprang down, calling the company to follow, and in ton minutes 250 Germans were made prisoner by 65 Frenchmen. AA’e pushed troneh-gnns ahead at ehch advance, throwing enormous projectiles at short range, which terrified the enemy. When the final assault commenced on the 16vh the French ran across a field of poppies and jumped into tho stronghold, which was captured in ten minutes. The Germans m the "labvrinth” lost the whole, of the 16th Regiment. AVe took a thousand prisoners and left the rest dcaci, and we decimated a Bavarian regiment. The French lost two thousand, many or whom wore slightly wounded. CANADIAN GALLANTRY. LOND.ON, June 23. The Canadian record officer narrates: On tho night of May 7, five months after w© first went into the trenches, 635 of Princess Patricia’s Own ansfvSred the roll-call, and when mustered at midnight on tho Bth there were only 150 men and a few stretcher-bearers present under Lieutenant Niven, senior unwounded officer, who had boon promoted from the ranks. During thelßth the German bombardment buried all tho machine-guns of Princess Patricia s Own. Two were dug out and remounted, and one was actually disinterred three times. , , . Corporal Dover stuck to his gun throughout, although wounded, and finally ho lost a log and an arm and was buried in tho which destroyed his gun. He my tans until dust, when ho crawled out and moaned for help. 'Two comrades went to Ins aid and carried in his mangled body. As he was being lowered into a trench a bullet ended Dover’s sufferings. _ The battalion held out from midnight until 1 o’clock in the afternoon, when a detachment of tho Rille Brigade reinforced them, and they were welcomed with cheers. Later a party of bhxopsliiros brought ammunition. The Gormans made a final attack and some penetrated a section of tiio trenches where all Patricia’s Own wore killed, but some wore dislodged when the King’s Royal Rifles relieved Princess Patricia’s Own at midnight. The survivors buried the dead who were not under the blown-nn trenches. Lieutenant Niven, surrounded by tho 150 men, stood before an open grave holding Princess Patricia’s colours, battered and bloody but intact, and said ns much of the Church of England service for tho dead as he could remember.

THE RECOVERY OF ALSACE. (Hecoived Juno 2-1, 8.45 a.m.) PATHS, Juno 23. It is announced that the Post Office is now handling mails from 00 places in Alsace. All have hcon re-named as they wore before tho Fnmoo-Prussiau war. A ROYAL AIRMAN. (Received Juno 24, 9 a.ra.) AMSTERDAM, Juno 23. The Kaiser’s son, Prince Joachim, has joined tho aviation corps in Flanders. For Chronic Chest Complaints, Woods’ Great Peppermint Cure, Is Gd, 2s 6d,