The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-04-15

Kaiser's Troops Try to Regain
Trenches Recently Lost
Near ST. EIOi.
CAPTURE HAUCOURT VILLAGE
Berlin Considers 1t Important Strate-
gic Point-French Make Gain
South of Douaumont.

London, April mot only have the
Germans been engaged in heavy
fighting with the French around Yer
dun, but they have launched a strong
attack against the new British posi-
lions near St. Eloi, a few miles south
Of Ypres, in an endeaVOr to regain
six hundred yards of trenches which
the British won from them ten days
ago. The fighting around st. Eloi pro-
coded throughout the day and had not
terminated when the latest British
official statement was issued.
Germans into Haucourt
There have been gains on both Ger
man and French sides. The Germans
which lies in the Avocourt-Bethin-
court sector to the northwest of Yer
dun. This is considered by the Ger
mans as an important startegic point,
for while the French held it the Ger
mans could not cross the FORCES
Brook
OF this operation, the French war
office says series of attacks in
which large numbers of men took part
followed a bombardment of extreme
violence. These attacks were checked
by the French fire, but one more furi-
Gus than the others, launched at the
center against the village of Haucourt
resulted in the Germans gaining q
foothold, Gin spite of repeated checks
and bloody sacrifices" The French
claim that this village is dominated
by the French guns.
FreRch Make q Gain, Too.
On their side the French forces car
ried large section of the position
north of Avocourt, known as the Bots
Care, and in severe hand to hand
fighting south of Fort Douaumont
drove the Germans back through their
underground passages for a distance
of two hundred meters along a front
of five hundred meters. They sue
ceeded also, by their curtain of fire,
in preventing an assault on the Cote
Poivre, to the east of the Mouse,
which the Germans had subjected to
a long and intense bombardment.
British Defeat Turks.
London, April ga victory for the
British over the Turks on the Tigris
below Kut-el-Amara has been report
ed by General Lake, in command of
the British forces there. The Turk
ish intrenched position at Umm-el-
Henna was attacked and carried at 5
o'clock this morning by the Tigris
corps, General Lake telegraphed, and
the operations are proceeding salts
factorily.
The capture of Umm-el-Hanna,
which is on the Tigris, about twenty
miles downstream from Kut-eI-Amara,
is the most important news from this
theater in some time and is regarded
here as giving promise of the early
relief Of General Townshend's force
which has been besieged in Kut-el-
Amara since the first week in Deem
Der
Umm-el-Henna is a strong position
at an important bend of the river and
is said to be the last serious barrier
to the relief of General Townshend,
although two OF three less strong po-
sitions are still to be overcome before
Kut-el-Amara is reached.
Germans Attack Russians.
London, April Elm Russia the
Germans have taken up the offensive
and are heavily attacking with infan-
try and artillery the Russian posi-
TONS Unofficial advices from Petro-
grad say, however, that the Germans
nowhere have been able to penetrate
the Russian line in frontal attacks.
French Gain Lost Ground.
For the moment the infantry of
both sides is quiet everywhere along
the western front in France. On the
much disputed sectors around Verdun
the only activity has been an inter
mittent bombardment in the region of
Dauoumont and Vaux. This rather
unprecedented calm follows success
full offensive undertaken by the
French in which they recaptuFed some
of their lost ground and drove the
Germans back.
French RepuIse Germans.
London, April 5.-An attempt by the
Germans to press farther south against
the French in the region of Douau-
mont, northeast of Verdun, has met
with repulse and considerable losses.
The German attack south of Douau-
mont was launched against the French
first lines of defense, but the French
raked the advancing Teutons with
their curtain Of fire, machine guns and
infantry fire, forcing them to retreat
in disorder.