Further to the east a similar attack was made about 7 P.M. which seems
to have been attended with even less success, and the assaulting
infantry was at once beaten back by our artillery fire.
It was not long before all our trenches were reoccupied and the whole
line re-established in its original position. The attack on the French
met with the same result.
_The Eyewitness then relates incidents showing the steadiness of the
Indian troops, who, he says, "advanced under a murderous fire, their war
cry swelling louder and louder above the din."_
Prisoners captured in the recent fighting, the narrative continues,
stated that one German corps lost 80 per cent. of its men in the first
week; that the losses from our artillery fire, even during days when no
attacks were taking place, had been very heavy and that many of their
own men had suffered from the effects of the gas.
_The writer concludes as follows:_
In regard to the recent fighting on our left, the German offensive,
effected in the first instance by surprise, resulted in a considerable
gain of ground for the enemy. Between all the earlier German efforts,
the only difference was that on this latest occasion the attempt was
carried out with the aid of poisonous gases.
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