Drawing of a trench siege

Article with a drawing from the war artist of Illustrated London News entitled: Trench-to-Trench siege-war: The allies making an offensive movement. 2 January 1915, (Catalogue ref: ZPER 34/146)

Transcript

The Trench-to-Trench siege-war: The allies making an offensive movement.

Drawn by Frederic Villiers, War Artist of ‘The Illustrated London News.’ One of the correspondents invited to go to the front by the French Government.

Bayonet-attack supported by concentrated shell-fire: any advance against German trenches in the neighbourhood of arras.

Describing his drawing, Mr Frederic Villiers says: ‘The German trenches are now negotiated by bayonet-attacks, with the assistance of concentrated shell-fire which hardly any entrenched troops can withstand. The sketch shows an advance in the neighbourhood of Arras. Over 300 guns were brought up to assist the advancing Allies, and a deadly shell-fire was poured into the enemy’s position, with the result that our men were able to gain the trenches with little loss. In this way, day by day, the enemy is slowly and surely pushed back towards the Rhine.’

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