New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-27
Driven from Position
Captured After Five
Attacks from British.
INVADERS REFUSED
IN YPRES REGION
Start New and Violent OF
fenSive in Belgium and
Northern France.

p,csrdy. France. Jan. 26.-Prooao'y
20 be recorded iu military annals a.
the second battle Of la Bassee, an i'm
portant action yesterday morning re-
suited 10 the defeat Of strong Ger
man army that had been Messing for
DAYS behind this part Of the.r Anei;
Hundreds Of Germans were hh'e' anu
s,rc~al remained in our hands as pms
orcrs. two OF them officers Oh "eN
Thc s,a,c-tcal advantage gained ny
the Allies ie considerable. l'""",
being too exact. one may DC "'-'" O."
90 say that the conflict Iattd I""5.''
along the triangle of Auch\.eS ia pa
see. Guinchy and NVcnch!' NV
again. 90 various points WheIe He
sue had 20 be decided by cola steel
the British proved more than a mate"
for the Germans in the use or the pay
onct - po.h,,,o
% La Bass6e parallel with tie can"l
and but q few yards north OF H. me
Allies hold both towns. and 20 preserve
intact these lines Of COMMUNICATION Us
~ he utmost Importance. III has been
.bo er,b-tion of the Germans TO get
o..r,3o the railway and cut the NHes
communications. just before Christ
mas tbcv made a big move and drove
.be Iod,ans out Of Givenchy but were
r,rrlscJ I'M their turn with heavy loss.
For more than a week past lnteih-
,e-co has been brought 20 the Allied
Commanders OF large movements OF
German troops 20 this important part
Of The line. so they were fully prepared
In rencral sense for any big opera
+ion of the enemy The soft CONDITION
of the ground forbade the expectation
Of ANYTHING like an attack en- masse;
cvcD though il was almost the eve OF
The Kaiser's birthday
Deserter Gives Warning.
About ten minutes past Z yesterday
morning "a private, who now mas ms
right arm In bandages, was just neg ne
ming 20 think about breakfast 100 ms
mud lodging when, TO his aStonishmenl'
"a German soldier, HanoveiIah' came
,ur,bliDc over the top of the trench. ln
"a moment he was looking down the
business end of the British soic,er s
rife. He soon disclosed his erranG 10y
giving himself up as a prisoner ana Ge-
claring he was sick OF war ana lhe
tvphoid-stvickcn trenches. lie aoa,u'
,yben another Tommy began 90 wleId "A
bavonet threatenIngly, that a grand "l-
tack by the German army had Deeh
planned for 1880 O'Clock.
The deserter was speaking the truth
for lust as the British were starting
breakfast in the fighting trenches only
forty yayrds distant at their neafes'
roints from the German line, c.ouc
o.
3 tbe advanced Germad trenches. A. the
front ranks Of the Germans clambereC
over into the open, the British sent'
rels' shots rang out, and the battle Wa
Joined. ,,,.--
In a moment the regiments holding
the British advance posts were ready
and the dense mass OF gray rceied un-
der Il whitening ribe and machine gun
fire. But the gray wave swept on over
the sea Of corpses, and those that FIRST
managed 20 get unscathed TO within
fifteen wards of the British trenches
threw grenades. which wrought death
i'm the ranks Of the defenders. The Ger
man food swept into the British adj
vanccd line. winning through by sheer
weight of numbers.
Fight Hand TO Hand.
Then followed a mortal combat q
close quarters The rattle Of musketry
gave place TO the hoarse cries of gasp.
ing men, stabbing and thrustlng, and
next these sinister sounds OF battle
were drowned by the thunderou'
diaphason Of heavy guns. AT one Oh
two points the German tide actually
rushed on for 400 yards before IL broke
like a spray on rocks, against some OF
the most celebrated corps ln the Brit
ish army.
The Jack Johnsons" were falling
thick. but the heavy guns OF the British
reaped q far richer harvest, owing 90
the superior bursting power OF then
shells. Still the Germans came on ir
dense masses, bent on piercing the Al
lies lines at this point and maintaining
the wedge at all costs.
The dubbed rifles and the bayonet'
Of the British finally turned Che tide
and the islanders, reinforced, fell upon
what remained Of the Germans, who
broke and were crumplcd up. Many OF
them surrendered In groups Wher
battle finished, the British had rctakeI
the trenches.
a British armored train, operating
with troops in q section OF the battle
field. figured prominently and. with it
powerful naval guns, silenced severa
of the euemys cannon. Yesterday
battle, In which probably not fcwe
than $4,000 men were engaged on boil
sides. may be summed up as "a sever
very costly 90 them both in blood AM