1918-06-15 — Page 5

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THE WAR.

GERMAN OFFENSIVE CHECKED.

THE

"FRENCH COUNTER-ATTACK FORESTA L LS

ENEMY.

AUSTRIAN BATTLESHIP TORPEDOED.

DARING ITALIAN MOTOR-BOATS.

COUNTER-REVOLUTION IN RUSSIA,

THE DANGER TO HOLLAND.

Franco-Belgian Front,

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BRITISH FRONT

LINE ADVANCED.

between

HONGKONG DAILY PRESS, SATURDAY, JUNE 15TB, 1916,

A favourable feature of the new dete lopment is the general tendency of the fighting to rivet an increasing proportion of German resources in the youth, and there is now no talk of a more formidable German stroke in another direction.

܇

The German War Minister, in the Reichstag yesterday, boasted that the battle was already won and that General issimo Foch ́s reserves were wiped out, but this is not supported by the facts, for 'there are still great obstacles, like Villers Cotterets forest, to be overcome. While the line of the Allica is being stablis ed and the character of the Bghting apparently, changing in their favour Generalissimo Foch, indeed, appears to have the situation well under control..

NEW ACHIEVEMENT IN WAR

LONDON, June 13th-

11.35 ..

Courcelles and Belloy delivered just as the Germans were assembling for an attack. Consequently. their positions were held very strongly.

Reuters Correspondent at French Head- The fighting was very bitter, but the quarters, telegraphing yesterday, states: French infantry, supported by tanks and The importance of the role of our air British and French air aquadrons, over-service in the battle is daily increasing matched a numerically superior enemy. Battleplanes few in front of the infantry, spraying the Germans with bullets at a height of a few score yards, while the Abombing machines attacked the enemy

concentrations in the rear.

LONDON, June 13th."

1.30 p.m. Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haigre ports--In a successful daylight raid yesterday south-eastward of Arras we inflicted heavy eneiny casualties. trench-mortar was brought back and two others were destroyed.

In local operations at night-time we nd- vanced our line a short distance at little cost, with the capture of a number of prisoners south-westward of Merris

The French, eastward of Dickebusch- lake, improved their positions in the neighbourhood of Ridgewood, and cap kured 30 prisoners.

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AERIAL OPERATIONS.

LONDON, June 13th.

12.20 p.m.

Car neroplanos assisted the French

a counterattack in the western portion

The losses of the Germans owing to the overcrowded front were very beavy Their strength is indeed remarkable, four divisions being identified on a front of 3,500 yards.

The enemy in the centre continues at heavy cost to push his way yard by yard down the Matz Valley, where the abun dance of small woods and broken ground afford the maximum of - protection against - machine-gunning and artillery firing

Uur troops further west pursued their progress on the plateau into the valley-

ENEMY COUNTER-ATTACKS SHATTERED

Paris, June 12th)

states: Botween Montdidier and the Oise the battle has continued without any great change.

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(XOROUGH NEUTER'S AGENCY,]

A SUCCESSFUL RAID.

Losos, June 12th. A British Italian communiqué issued yesterday stated:Yorkshire troops chr

Our acroplanes yesterday participated|| Italian Front. In our counter-attack on the front Montdidier-St. Maur, bombing and dis- persing the enemy divisions coming up to meet the shock. Convoys were stopped and heavy batteries deserted by their ganners ceased to fire,

Altogether 20 tons of projectiles were dropped, in addition to 13 tons at right We again progressed east of Mery and time, on enemy stations. Thirteen enemy Senlis Wood

machines were felled yesterday, Naval Activities.

Last evening and last night, on our left, all the enemy's attempts to counter attack were shattered.

The Germans by violent attacks also attempted to drive us back on Aronde.

On the front St. Maur-Desloges farm Antheuil we bore the shock and in-.

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(THROUGH KEUTER'S AGENCY,}

iced very heavy losses on the attackers, SUBMARINES ATTACKED__70 and we maintained our positions.

POWERFUL ENEMY ATTACK FORESTALLED.

TIMES WEEKLY.

LONDON, June 13th. Bir Eric Geddes, interviewed by Petit Parisien, states:We have undoubtedly sunk more submarines since January than the enemy has built, and we have attacked German submarines on the average 70 times weekly, DUTCH LUGGER SUBMARINED

YMUIDEN, Juno Eth. The Dutch lugger Helena was sub- es which wearined on the Dogger Bank, Three of

the crew were killed.

find out a successful inid, capturing 11

prisoners and inflicting considerablo casualties.

The Air Force have destroyed 21 enemy aeroplanes, since the last report. Four

of our machines failed to return. General.

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THROUGH REUTER'S AGENCY J

MINES OFF NEW ZEALAND

WELLINGTON, June 13th.

Two enemy nines were destroyed ter miles off the North Cape,

“ HOLLAND'S DANGER"

PARIS, June 1ath Le Temps, in an article headed Hol land's Danger, say, with German. trains running on the Roermond line and the concessions which Germans possess in the Venlo district, together with other means of invasion at Germany's disposal, the Dutch are never sure when they go

On our right the Germans, despite re peated efforts, were unable to debouch.

On the southern bank of the Matz we hold the southern part of Chevincourt and the station St. Mur Matz.

According to the latest information our counter-attack yesterday forestalled, a During 10-day's fighting our light bom-powerful enemy attack which was being barding squadrons performed an unpre- prepared on the saine front, cedented feat, attacking German heavy We encountered "great gun batteries in action and silencing the ran over by killing and scattering the gunners, In Prisons taken by one of our divisions the Picardy offensive our fighting plates belonged to four different enemy divi- AUSTRIAN BATTLESHIP SUNK to sleep that they will not wake up to repeatedly attacked the field-gun batteries with machine guns, but silencing heavy batteries by both stateks from the air is a new achievement in war.

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ENEMY EFFORT A COMPLETE FAILURE.

LONDON June 12th

4.30 p.m. Reuter's

Correspondent at French Headquarters, telegraphing this morning, states:-The enemy's main cffort yester day on the line Chevincourt-Machemont

sions.

South of the Aisne the Germans this

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ព

BABLE, June 13th.

morning attacked between the river and It is officially admitted in Vicnoa that forest of Villers Cotterets, desperate the battleship Stentiation was torpedoed üghting ocurring on the front Dommiers and sunk in the Adriatic at night-time, -Outry and south of Ambleny."

and that several officers and 50 of the FRENCH INCREASE" PRISONERS. crew are missing. Paris, June 13th.

etntes: Between Montdiider and the Oise the enemy o newed pressure. All his attempts on our left to recapture our yesterday's gains failed.

"A

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MOTOR-BOATS" DARING ATTACK.

LONDON, June 13th. A Venice

despatch states that -the two Italian ships which torpedoed the Aus

We progressed in the region of Belloy trian battleships were motor-boats with

united crews of only 30 men...

below. This position, in which the enemy Betancourt was complete failure wood and St. Maur. believed himself to be Brmly established

of the Noyon battlefront on June 11th forty-eight hours ago, was important Under the fire of our machine guns and

by special patrols dealing with German machines and by a vigorous constant hombing of the enemy's trenches, gu positions and communications and heavy machine-gun fire from our low-fliers upon hostile troops and transport in the same

arent

We destroyed 10 fierman acroplanes and drove down four uncontrollable. The British lost three. Two British machines missing yesterday have returned.

British and French squadrons since the German attack in the Noyon sector on June 9th dropped 21 tons of bombs and

· accounted for 20 enemy machines on the British front. Two German machines were shot down and two driven down uncontrollable. One British machine is miasing,

for his advance in the centre, as it over looks the Matz valley and commands the justion of the main roads from Mont- didier to Beauvragnes,at Guvilly through which the enemy troops had supplies for the front-line in the river valley must pass, also the junction of the Senlis and Compiegne roads, on which ho were all engaged on the first day. depends for an advance southwards, and thus overlooks the German centre. must have already greatly embarrassed the enemy.

artillery the Germun -infantry waves besitated and rolled back in the centre.

The Germans momentarily took posses sion of Machemont, but were ejected ny & French counter-attack.

-It is now known that the Germanz began the battle with 14 divisions, which

We took 400 more prisoners, several guns Ore was commanded by Captain Rizzi, and numerous machine-guns.

a Sicilian, who was a mercantile offcer There is no change on the St. Maur before the war, and has distinguisbed

theuf front

ENEMY RENEWS ATTACKS. The Germans on our right renewed their attacks on the Matz river, and after several costly attempts they gained footing on the southern bank, also the

Cross."

The attack in the centre along the village Melicock, and heights at Ricard This valley of the Matz, which was most suc ceisful, was entrusted to five divisions, including some of the enemy a best troops, of one Guard and one Chasseur division,

The Germans cast of the Oiso developed a new attack on both banks of the Aisne, starting from the line Maulin-sous-Tou- vent Ambieny Ontry Dommiers and front ing the Oise. Evidently the enemy intends to march along both banks of the

A MEMORABLE INCIDENT.-

The enemy's main objective on the first day was the block of wooded hills between. the Dise and the Matz, which he turnedi by an advance down the Matz Valley.

We dropped It tons of bombs on June Aisne, skirting the Villers-Cotterets

forest on a north drive. The French ars After three days' hard Üghting he

Our troops cast of the Oise on Monday night effccted their withdrawal on the line Bailly Tracy-le-Val, west of Namical, pro tected by covering detachments which

masked the movement.

himself by innumerable acts during the war, including the torpedoing of the battleship Wion in Trieste harbour.

The other motor-boat was commanded by a midshipman,

And a German army encamped in their midst. It was to France's greatest inter- est to see the independence of Holland respected, and that her prosperity bo given every opportunity for free develop ment after the war

THE INDUSTRIAL SITUATION.

LONDON, June 13th, It is understood that the War Cabinet is gratified at the industrial situation, which is better than nt any time during the war. There is virtually not a single dispute in the country, and the men ara working splendidly.

THE HOME RULE BILL.

* LONDON, June 13th.

The Bolly Jewe says the Government's

drafting committer of the Home Rule Bill is making no progress. The draft bill prepared at the outset of the Committee's- proceedings is not accepted by any of the parties and the Government has no pro- posals to offer

AFFAIRS IN RUSSIA.

THE COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY.

PLOT.

Moscow. June 5th.

It is semi officially declared that the

Captain Rizzo, interviewed, said he was cruising among the Dalmatian Islands when he was astonished 30 miles. south-east of Pola to see a column of smoke. He changed course thither arud saw an enemy squadron. There was no time to wonder why the enemy had come out, but thinking he would never get counter-revolutionary plat includes both much a chance again he ordered the mid- shipman to do as he thought best and himself made straight for the enemy.

The enemy neither saw nor heard Capt. Rizzo's boat, which slipped in between the second and third escorting destroyers.

the Minimalists and Monarchists. The latter are favouring the restoration of the monarchy by an understanding – with Germany, and the Minimalists are wish ing for a resumption of the alliance with the Western Powers. Notwithstanding

We repulsed an enemy attack in the region of Hautebraye, and took prisoners FRENCH FORCES ON THE OISE PARIS, June 12th. A semi-officist report, issued today, not merely out of the wooded salient reached the first day's objective in this states: The enemy's advance on the railvy at Cambrai and billets at Fraini- north of the old Franco-German front of quarter. The second day's objective wright ham of the Oise is bound to tell As it passed the former sighted him, blew the divergence of views both parties are court, dropping four tons of bomb with-1016, also out of the Qurscamp, Carly the city of Compeigne, which is still fare on the other bank. We probably will be alarm whistles, and began firing shells, agreed to a common platform, with the mont, and Montagne forests, but they are way and was brought no nearer by obliged to bring our positions on the two which passed overhead. Capt. Rizzo was

11th.

Our night-fiers heavily attacked -- the

out Joes

Yesterday's fighting.

also out of the much larger Aigle Forest between the old front and disne, and are

The most memorable incident of the

banka into lile. That is the only advant- age the Germans gated yesterday.

object of overthrowing the Soviets. The central figures in the plot are Generals Dovguert and Suvinkoff. The plot sima

possibly out of the still larger Compiegne battle was the defence of Plemont by ENEMY PRETENSIONS MODIFIED he discharged the torpedoes. One strizek to isolate the Ural region from Central

NOTHING SPECIAL.

LONDON, June 12th

10.25 p.m. Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig re Forest, immediately south. There is no ports:-The French successfully raided indication at present that he will be able last night in the neighbourhood of to carry out his programme,

Locre

GERMAN REPORT.

LONDON, Juhe 19th.

10.23 p.in.

GERMANS DEFINITELY CHECKED,

LONDON, June 13th

7.30am. There is a growing tone of optimism in

cavalrymen.

WE ARE DONEZ

bill was the main French obsery This tory post in the Lassigny sector, and was defended by dismounted Cuirassiers, a few hundred strong, who held out against an incessant Geranan attack from four

already through the line and only 500 feat distant from the battleships, when

level with the funnels and the record A semi-official report issued to-day, further sit. Both exploded it

An Austrian destroyer tried to run states.An-ency come, alter

Panis June 12t

two-days" fgthing, announces that the

objectives were attained, indicating that he scarcely hopes for a further advance, but the German marching orders cap.

piegue on the first evening of the battle. The enemy's pretensions, therefore, have been singularly modified.

DESPERATE FIGHTING.

Capt. Rizzo, thinking he had no Vangs,

but Capt. Rizzo dropped a depth charge,

Russia, compelling the Soviets to capita- late owing to lack of supplies.

The Cossucks, who are under reactionary

offers, are holding thepiselves in readi-

which did not explode. A second depthness in the East.

charge was more effective.

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WARNING TO RUSKEA.

AMSTERDAM, June 19th.

A destroyer was badly hit, and rose în the sea and rolled like a drunken man.

Capt. Rizzo slipped away, dodging a

Meanwhile, the midshipman's boat at |_ The whole affair lasted twenty minutes.

tacked the rear of the convoy, and fired tells Russia that she will endanger her

wireless German official report the newspapers as it becomes clearer the o'clock on Sunday morning until mid tured foreshadowed an entry into Com third destroyer, and escaped.N states:--We repulsed, with the heaviest Germans have been checked. They cer day on Monday. The commander sent, losses, a French counter-attack south-ainly compelled the French to withdraw wireless messages hourly saying the de westward of Noyon, and threw back the the northern end of the salient on

fenders were still holding. The last enemy on the whole front from Lethe left bank of the Oise, including Carle

nemago, when the hill was surrounded, Pleyron to Antheuil.

pont Wood and plateau, but the French consisted of the one word "Fortue," mean- have retained the strong belt of territorying "we are done for." The Cuirassiers north of the Aisne, and it is to threaten succumbed to the twentieth attack in this from the rear that the Germans thirty-two hours. launched the new attack south of the

We cleared out the enemy from the west bank of the Oise northward of the june tion of the fatz.

Our prisoners are now 13,000.

The enemy evacuated Carleront Wood, Aisue on a not very wide front. At the and we are pursuing him.

We reached a line running northward of Bailly through Tracy-le-Val to west- ward of Nameal,

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FRENCH FRONT.

HITTER FIGHTING.

same time the Germans, baulked in their

GERMAN, DIVISION CUT TO PIECES.

In the Matz Valley the crack German

PARIS, June 12th. A communique states the Germans are attacking between the Aisue and the Forest Villers-Cotterets. Desperate fight ing is proceeding

· DESPERATE COMBATS.

South of the Aisne there were desperate

Chasseur Division was cut to pieces. The combats, sometimes hand to hand, between Guards also sufferd very heavily.

Here

efforts to reach Compiegne frontally, hope to attain their objective by this outflank ing attack. Compiegne is still 18 miles On our left the enemy divisions wrest of the scene of the new operations, engaged for three days in battle for a with the forest of Compiegne intervening. line of village which are still in our hands: GERMAN WAR MINISTER'S They must have left half their numbers

BOAST

on the field. We now hold some points LONDON, June 13th.

5.35.a.m

success of the German ouensive on Sun on the original German line. The gen- Reuter's Correspondentat French day, the enemy's heavy loss and the eral impression is that although the battle Headquarters, telegraphing yesterday, vigour of the French counter-attack will continue for several days the sacm

sharply distinguish the present from the counter-attack yesterday March battle.

states:--Our

As already pointed out, the limited

rush is stemmed

the river and Villers Cotterets forest, We stoutly resisted the attacks of the enemy, who progressed slightly on the plateau west of the villages Dommiers and Outry.

His efforts against Ambleny and St. Pierre-Aigle failed

North of the Marus we captured Montecourt-les-Bouqueteaux, north Eloop, and the southern part Busslares.

two torpedoes at a battleship. One miss ed and the other hit her full in the stern,

The midshipman oped after his com panion, and Italian aircraft sixteen hours later saw masses of drifting wreckage.

report only one Dreadnought there, com

The aircraft which have visited Pola Pared with four previously.

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STEAMER SUB- MARINED.

AMERICAN

WASHINGTON, June 13th. The United States etr. Binar de kio was submarined 70 miles from the Maryland coset on June 8th

The crow have serived in

in port

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SURVIVORS' STATEMENT,

LONDON, June 13th

the survivors of the Fanar del Rio state A telegram from New York states that

of the German submarine which sank her of was accompanied by a 6,000 tan single,

funnelled steamer,

· Norddeutsche, in a minatory article.

dearly bought peace if she pormita the Czech-Slovaka who fought with the Russians to leave the country with arms to join the Entente. The Czech Slovalos

deserted from the Austro-German army are estimated to number 100,000, who

and ere distributed over the north and east of Huesia.

ELECTORAL REFORM IN

PRUSSIA

AMBTERDAM, June 13th. According to a Berlin telegram, the Sufrage Bill passed its fourth reading the Prussian Lower House, with, a proposal by the Conservatives and N tional Liberals for the introduction of proportional representation in the mixed language

districts in the Eastern Pro vinces. BONNEZ AMSTERDAM, June 12th.

The Prussian Lower House has again rejected the equal suffrage clause in the Reform Bill by 235 votes to 164, but has persons will be provided with two extre accepted a compromise whereby certain

votes,

(Contsaned on Page 6.).