Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-05-14
Lines Of General French Are
Broken at Several Points
Under Desperate Assaults of
Teutons Near YpreS.
LATER ASSAILANTS ARE
LITERALLY MOVED DOWN
Dead Piled Upon Ground After
Struggle Which Lasted for
Days and Nights With Un-
ceaSlng Fury.

London, May 10 $3.50 p. m. 1.-THE
official British witness, under
date of May IL, gives an account ol
the German attempts on Saturda,
and Sunday last to break the British
lines around Ypres, and the com
meneement of the Anglo French of
fensive north of Arras. He says:
The calm that prevailed Thursday
and Friday proved to be only the lul
before the storm. Early Saturday
morning IL became apparent that the
Germans were preparing an attack
in strength against our line running
east and northeast from Ypres, fol
they were concentrating under cover
of a violent artillery fire, and at about
10 o'clock the battle began in earn
est.
British Front Penetrated.
AT that hour the Germans at
tackled our line from the Ypres- Poel-
cappelle road to within a short dis
tance of the men in the high road,
il being evidently their intention
while engaging us closely on the en-
tire front OF this sector to break our
front in the vicinity of the Ypres-
Roulers railway, to the north and to
the south of which their strongest
and most determined assaults were
delivered
"Under this pressure our front was
penetrated at some points around
Frezenberg and at 4:20 o'clock in the
afternoon we made counter-attack
between the Zonnebeke road and the
railway in order to recover the lost
ground. our offensive was conducted
most gallantly, but was checked be-
fore long by the fire of machine guns.
More Desperate Fighting.
Meanwhile the enemy launched
another attack in the woods south
OF the Menin Grad and at the same
time threatened our left to the
north of Ypres with fresh masses.
Most desperate fighting ensued, the
German infantry coming on again
and again and gradually forcing our
troops back though only for a short
distance, in spite of repeated coun-
ter-attacks.
During the night the fighting
continued to rage with ever-increas-
ing fury. 1t is impossible to say at
what hour our line was broken at
different points, but it is certain that
at one time the enemy's infantry
poured through along the Poelcap-
pelle road and even got as far as
Wieltje at p. M.
There was also a considerable
gap in our front about FrezenDerg
where hostile detachments had pene-
trated. At both points counter-at-
tacks were organized without delay
TO the east of the salient the Ger
mans first were driven back to Ere
zenberg, but there they made a firm
stand and under pressure of fresh
reinforcements we fell back again
towards Verlorenhoek. Northeast OF
the salient counter-attack carried
out by us about / o'clock, was more
successful. Our troops swept the
enemy out of Wieltie at the bayonet $
point, leaving the village strewn with
German dead and, pushing aon, re-
gained most of the ground to the
north of that point.
Fight Throughout Night.
"And so the fight surged to and
fro throughout the night. All around
the scene of the conflict the sky was
lit up by the flashes Of the guns and
the light of blazing villages ana
farms, while against this background
of smoke and flame. looking out IN
the murky light over the crumblinsI
ruins, of the old town rose the bat
tered wreck of the cathedral tower
and the spires of Cloth hall.
when Sunday dawned there came
short respite and the firing for a.
time died down. The comparative
lull enabled us to reorganize ana
consolidate our position on the line
we had taken up and to obtain some
rest after the fatigue and strain or
the night 1t did not last long, how
ever, and in the afternoon the climax
of the battle was reached, for under
the cover of intense artillery 1ring
the Germans launched no less than
five separate assaults against thel
east end of the salient.
Horrible Slaughter Ensues.
ITO the north and northeast their
attacks were not at first pressed so
hard as on the south of the main
road, where the fighting was especial
ly fierce. In the latter direction
masses of infantry were hurled onl
with absolute desperation and were
beaten off with corresponding
slaughter.
"At one point north of the town,
500 of the enemy advanced from the
wood, and it is affirmed by those
present that not a single man OF them
escaped.
son the eastern face, at $50 p. M
an endeavor was made to storm the
grounds of the Chateau Hooge, lit
tie north of the Menln road, but thel
line broke and fell back in the show
err of hail and shrapnel poured upon
them by our guns It was on this side.