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Show BRITISH MOWED DOWN GERMANS Great Piles of Dead in Front of Trenches Gas Is Used. London. Nov. 1, 5.32 p. m. How tho British strengthened their artillery by the Introduction of new weapons and the skillful handling of the old along the front in Flanders, where the Germans Ger-mans were driven back in the great offensive of September 25, is the chief disclosure of popular interest In a long official dispatch from Field Marshal Mar-shal Sir John French to Earl Kitchener, Kitch-ener, which is published tonight un-dor un-dor date of general headquarters in France, October 15. The dispatch is mainly a technical military review of the Inception, the carrying out of the aftermath of the fighting around La BasBeo. Loos and Hulluch. Nevertheless. It brings to tho British public for tho first time a full realization of the intensity with which tho Germans launched their counter-attacks. These. General French says, wore almost continuous from the day the big British attack up to and including October S. Then, the field marshal writes, the Germans delivered an attack with some 2S battalions in the Yront line and with larger forces In support, which was preceded by a very heavy bombardment on all parts of the German Ger-man front Heavy German Looses. "At all points of the line except to the Germans were repulsed with tre mendous loss and It is computed on reliable authority they left some eight or nine thousand dead in front of the British and French trenches," General French says. Dealing with the British losses in the action of September 25 the field marshal says: 'I deeply regret the heavy casualties incurred in this battle, bat-tle, but, in view of the great strength of the postlon, the stubborn defense of of the enemy and the powerful artillery ar-tillery with which he was supported I do not think they were excessive. I am happy to be able to add that the proportion of slightly wounded was relatively large indeed " Improvement In Artillery. Field Marshal French here, refers to the Improvement in the artillery and the arrival of British reinforcements, saying: "Since my last dispatch the army has received strong reinforcements and every reinforcement has had its quota of field artillery- In addition, numerous heavy guns and howitzers have been added to the strength of the heavy artillery. The arrival of these reinforcements in the field tested test-ed the capacity of the artillery as a whole to expand and meet tho requirements re-quirements of the army. 'Our enemy may have hoped, and . .m i ii..( : nou pernapa wuuuui ltruauu, mai u would be Impossible for us, starting from such small beginnings, to build i up an efficient artillery to provide for I a very large expansion of the army, j If he entertained sucn hopes, he now has good reason to know that they have not been justified by results. j New Guns Efficient. "The efficiency of the new artillery and new armies exceeded all expectations expecta-tions and during the period under review re-view excellent services have been rendered ren-dered by the territoial artillery The repulse of the enemy attack on October Octo-ber 8 In tho neighborhood of Loos and Hulluch with such very heavy losses shows tho capacity of the artillery to concentrate its fire promptly and effectively ef-fectively at a moment's notice." Of the use by the British forcc3 of gas, Field Marshal French says the repeated use of gas by the Germans compelled him to resort to a similar method. "A detachment was organized for this purpose and took part in the operations op-erations commencing September 25 for the first time," says the field marshal. 'Although the enemy was known to have been prepared for such reprisals, our gas attack met with marked success, suc-cess, producing a demoralizing effect in some of the opposing units, of which ample evidence was forthcom- J ing m captured trenches The men undertaking un-dertaking this work carried out their I unfamiliar duties with conspicuous gallantry and coolness and aro confident confi-dent ot their ability to more than hold I their own should the enemy again re- I sort to this method of warfare." In the concluding paragraph Field Marshal French pays tribute to the co-operation of the French forces with the British and refers to tho arrival in the field from Canada of a new division di-vision which he says is composed of military material. "This division will, I am convinced, acquit itself as well as tho first Canadian Ca-nadian division always has done," the Hold marshal says. on . |