PROLONGED FIGHTING IN BELGIUM

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2230, 17 August 1914, Page 5

PROLONGED FIGHTING IN BELGIUM

GERMANS ADVANCE EASTWARDS ! TWO-DAY ENCOUNTER NEAR TOWN OF DIEST The chief oyent on Wednesday and Thursday' was tho of General yon Bmmich's right wing, th'i'eateiiiiig Litnivain, abodt' two Sty miM' east bf'/'Bi-nssels/ The' '&etinans ~foi^ht'''pluckily, ! 'hurling : 'inen on' strong natural ■ Jpb9iti6m'"and making, the'attack l a" threefold' One. f. . A column from Huy atfaicked Eghezee, : ten miles north of another i reached Tirlemont as a feint, to keep the Belgians busy while the principal attack was developed at Diest, which lies about half 'way thejMouse ■ werp. ".•'•• '■: A mixed dotachment of Bekians to-day surprised Germap eayalry regiments eijcamped between Nsihiur and Bghezee, and forced them festwards.' 'The; Belgfalis . "eap'tii'red guns. i: ' Thcie are nd' Cermah'■'cavalfy no»;';bi i tw.e'eii , SaEs'elt''and ft distance'of abo'ut twenty miles'north'and : , south across the line of Gorffiari advance' froni tho .Meiise to Diest, Egh'ezee, andIjOiivain.

. PROLONGED ARTILLERY AND CAVALRY DUEL. Brussels, August 14. During llio attack on Diest and the village of Had en, a feu; miles away, the Belgians allowed tho enemy to advance slowly. Tie Germans then hurled themselves against the barricades, and endeavoured to carry them by force, but the Belgians shot them down! The attiictf oh the ridges was ns savage as that at the barricades, when, tho men, fell rapidly, and, almost shattered, retreated in great disorder to the east towards Tohgres. Meanwhile the Germans at Huy, on tho Meuse between tho fortresses of' Liege and Namur, were bombarding the forts, particularly that on the jutting peninsula on the liortli btuik of the Jleuse, \Hrioh, had hampered tho crossing of the cavalry column on Thursday. They crossed between Huy and Namur, and reached Eghczoo and Jodoigne, tho latter of which is about fifteen miles from Huy and fifteen nules from BrusSols. During the advance tho Germans captured some guns. The artillery and cavalry duel continuedon Tliiursday, when tho Belgians •• brought up fresh troops to relieve those fighting on Wednesday. , It is estimated that tho Germans lost a thousand killed and wounded in two days. Tho Belgians had few killed, but a considerable number wounded. English correspondents foavo reported that the country between Tirlemont and 'Sti Trbnd at the beginning of the week consisted of rich, cornfields and welltended gardens, but now the farms are smoking ruins and the fields trodden down. .ATTEMPT TO TURN BELGIAN POSITION PAILS. German cavalry, and an infantry battalion with twelve guns crossed 1 the River Getto, and flung itself on Haelen and Diest. Tho attack was so sudden that the Belgian: Engineers barely had time to '.Mow. up tlie bridges. Only tho' bravery 6f the Civic' Guard prevented a column of Mecklenburg Dragoons with sis -'gORS from "surprising Diest. •The Gprmnjis galloped to a little village one and a half miles from Diest, • where they suddenly encountered a barricade of farm' wagons, with the road in froiit' .torn iip. A mixed force pf 'Belgians ivitli machine guns was defending this. With reckless courage the Dragoons galloped into a virtual cul do sac, and'thei), with'revolvers drawn; faced a murderous fire. The only living things to surmount tie barricade' Vera sevxai riderless horses, which .were maddened'by fear." _ : " ' .The Saryiving Germans took shelter, behind the'dead horses, and tho Belgians,. believing" that resistance had ended, rushed out from the barricade, and many were shot, slater a field gin was brought up, and forced tlie'Geinnan survivors to fly. ' In tlie general attack on Haelen ajid Diest the encounter lasted all day. 'Hie exkmo' Germari right wing 'failed to. turn the Belgian position! Mii%. prisoners were captured in a fainting condition. The German torses were dying'from hunger. COMMENCEMENT OF 'A GREAT BATTLE. Though civilians in.'Brussels are naturally anxious, as the battle is only twenty.eight miles airay, they gaiiied confidence oiriiig to the presence'of'lVonch in' tiio sfcrcsttf " '•" Details from Diest show that the Germans advanced in close formation. Tliei" artillery fire was comparatively ineffective, while the Belgian guns tore great'gaps, in the advanoing colutrins. _ ■ ; Owing te the Batuie of the ground, tho Gorman infantry was unable to do; ploy; ■ ■ ■ '< ■■■■■■ ■ ■ 'An official statement says :p"Twelve hundred Belgians_ engaged in. a pitched battle, tho cbmmencemdiit of a great fight, and ' strongly •wilhstopd"' the attack. Thoughtho position remains unchanged, the Belgian 6ucccss hps bean of tageio the" giving them time to make a concerted plan for diradVancc. Service.) ' GERMAN UHLANS FALL'BACK TO MAIN BODY. (Rec. August 16, 5.5 p.m.) Brussels, August 1.", njoniing. ' No attack repotted; on Friday. E.ecoiuiaissalnses show that' the Gennaii Uhlans itate fallen ' back oil the main body, eicept oil {ho extreme, north, jfchere a raiders were close to tho forts. defending; Antwerp, and retreated fore the Belgian <»valrj, wHi.ck'attempted to'cut off tlioUhlans. ' V '"'