BATTLE OF SAMBRE STILL IN PROGRESS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2239, 27 August 1914, Page 5

BATTLE OF SAMBRE STILL IN PROGRESS

ALLIES HOLDING THEIR OWN THREE FRENCH ARMIES NEARING GERMAN FRONT

'■■"'■-. r- By Telegraph—Press T -: ■ l [ <mu t>, ■ ■ 'L ''••'; '•' ••"■' ' Ostend, August 25. N The Belgian War Minister states that three biindred tfiousand Germans passed. Brussels. Eye-witnesses state that half went in the direction of Ninove .-(nine miles south-west of;' Brussels), end liille, and half towards Charleroi 'and Mons . . "'. . * . The extreme rapidity of the advanoe suggests that the fighting up to the • present has been ohiefly with the ; German oavalry and artillery; .The German line is nearly a hundred miles in length, spread out for a for- ,-•.. midable flank movement.■■'■ , .It descended all the available road 3 cast and west of Brussels in endeavouring to force the passage of the Sambre River at many, points, with a nos- , Bible view of penetrating.France between Valenciennes anil Maubeuge During the week the French cavalry, Chasseurs d'Afrique, and artillery yC advanced north from Charleroi, hut were insufficiently supported'.by infantry !'and were forced to withdraw. Meanwhile tho Allies aro prepared to meet the new situation. GERMANS HELD IN CHECK TILL SUNDAY AFTERNOON, It is officially stated that the Third Army- Corps, from- Iho region of Chimay, twenty-five miles south of Charleroi, has moved forward to attack the Germanright between the.Sambre and the Meuse, supported by the English Army, which-set out from the region, of-.Mons. • The German movement which sought to envelop the Allies' left wing has bjfen followed step by step. The German right is now bejng attacked by the French left andthe English Army, which was assigned the role of highest importance. . ! , Eye-witnesses 6tato that tho Germans were held in check, at all points to Sunday afternoon, when the cannonade ceased, while it was "renewed with increased violence in the evening. "'"•.': ' Many wounded l continue to arrive at Maubeuge and Valenciennes from near Charleroi. They were injured during a .fiorce fight, which terminated in favour of the French... , . • - : 6 ? attaoks in '*? direction of Anderlues and Jumet, east and north of Charleroi, were repulsed. '. •. ■ The British,wore engaged between Mons and .Binche (half-way 1 on the line to Charleroi) throughout ■. Sunday afternoon and evening. Messages state thaVtbe advance on LDle is expected' to exert the most important influence, on the battle. . , ;■",/. POSITION OF FRENCH ARMY OOr¥s. ' • & War Office'communique sh™ that the Ist French Army Corps is attaokWg through the gap of Stenay; twenty .miles south-east of Sedan, towards the RiverSemoy and Neuchateau, in Belgian Luxemburg; that the 2nd is attacking from Sedan (on the Meuse), towards the River Lesse, advancing along tho right , bank of the Meuse; while the 3rd Army Corps has passed Chimay, twenty-five miles south,of Charleroi, and reached a triangle formed by the Rivers Sambre end Meuse. It is supposed that the British force-is marchine eastwards imm Mln-nz ■ The War Office adds: "The Allies' forces have be&K* <«T Seme . left to cop with eventualities. "o»<o The Allies'jdan of carrying out the field operations methodically, especially on the right, m woody country, is difficult. J 1 The huge extent of the front and the number engaged render it impossibk to follow tho movements step by step, therefore it is necessary to await the result before a conclusion can be arrived regarding the first phase of the battle. BRITISH SHOW USUAL 'COOLNESS UNDER FIRE, The French Embassy, describing the battle, says: "The were admirable under fire, and resisted the enomy with their usual coolness." .The Embassy states that two army corps attacked the Germans and drew « murderous fire, but held their ground until the Prussian Guards, by a counter-attack, compelled a retreat, after the French had inflicted enormous losses, in Ivhich the Gorman corps.d'elite were seriously tried. (\ .The French east of the Meuse advanced over, very difficult country, where ' they vigorously attacked on the outskirts of a forest and were forced to retire south of Semoy River, near the Franco-Belgian frontier. General Joffre then ordered.the Frdnch and British to retire to the covering lines, which they only left because of the brave Bolgian effort. 'The Allies' cavalry,did not suffer. The French artillery proved its superiority. i

EYE-WITNESSES* NAR RATIVES OE THE BATTLES. - . , , Ostend, August 25. Eye-witnesses of tho figliting state that the Germans descended on Ohar- ' loroi, preceded by swarms of scouts. They readied the. upper town of Oharleroi on Saturday morning, owing to a khaki detachment of the "Death's Head" Hussars being mistaken for Englishmen. The French had machine guns in a viadnct commanding the Gemappo Road, and others commanding the Fleurus 'Road. Tile Germaais captured ton miners coming from work and marched them at tho, head of, the column, still carrying their safety lamps. In Other places they forced six civilians to he marched at tho head of a column. Tho German artillery was posted on the outskirts of the upper town of ' Charleroi, and it shelled tho railway station and salient points of'"the lower fm! n try ' n S to f° rco a , passage across the bridges of tho. River Sambre. There was street fighting throughout Saturday morning in Charleroi and .many were killed by quickfirors, the bodies lying in heaps. ! ■ North of Charleroi the Frenoh artillery opened fire from a wood. 'Fresh forces of cavalry charged and drove the Germans out of tho wood. Half-way between Namur and Charleroi a battery of four French Rims shelled the Germans out of the wood. When they came to the open rifle fire from right and left shot them down. A whole column was .swept down. It was a terrifying : spectacle. Paris, August 25. . ' .An eye-witness of the fighting at Charleroi was hidden in the wood "in the neighbourhood of Erquelines, fifteen miles south-west of Charleroi. He saw column after column of German infantry defile in an endless procession. The French artillery mowed the Germans down in scores; but they still marched on. At Solfe-h>ollateiiu, nine, niiless south,of Maubeugo Chateau, he saw a German aeroplane brought down by a shot, and was told that another had been similarly dealt with at Neres. ■ , GERMANS AGAIN KEStIME OFFENSIVE. (Rec. August 26, 9.30 p.m.) Paris, August 25, evening. The War Office announces that the, Germans seem to have resumed the offensive where it was 'suspended yester day* They are being held by the FrancoBritish forces. • ' Official communiques show that the mass 'of the French troops never reached the Sambre, as the greater part of thd French forces had been originally 'directed to Alsace-Lorraine, until it was found necessary to transfer them north; '..'"''•'' , An. Official announcement states that after yesterday's counter, attacks the French left fell back. The French, repulsed several counter-attacks at Colmar, a 6inall town in Luxemburg. , . . THREE FBENOH ARMIES MASSED. (Rec. August 26, 9.30 p.m.) - ■ ' \ /: Paris, August 26, morning. Details published in Paris show that there are three French armies between Charleroi ,and Longwy, a distance of eighty-five miles, in addition to the British. The African Zouaves and Tirailleurs occupied the front line, and . at one time they wercTmastcrs of the situation west of the Meuse, and broke the German line, forcing the summoning up of the Prussian Guards. In the fierce hand-to-hand fighting the African troops were weakened, after heavy losses, and retired upon the : obmmander's .orders, but the Prussian Guards ti-ere decimated. It appears that the French took the offensive under unfavourable, condi? tions. They advanced upon entrenched troops ajid merely failed to drive them out. ' . . PANIC AMONG CITIZENS OF LILLE. (Rec. August 27, 0.65 a.m.) ; , ~\ , Ostend; August 27. Fighting at Houscron, a frontier station,, caused a panic at Lille. Thousands of people are crowding the trains and roads southward. German residents in Belgium are assisting the invaders greatly as scouts, and are assisting to oreate panics in frontier towns. ' •■■ The Belgians lost forty killed and wounded when the Uhlans made a raid on Ostend. The latter suffered more severely. A Gorman with a|Red Cross badge was found shooting Belgian wounded, while ostensibly treating them. He Was captured and shot. , ' ' ; ; ' , : The Germans imposed a levy of eighteen millions sterling on the province of Brabant. . , ■ , ' GENERAL SITUATION EXCELLENT. . i (Rec. August 27, 1 a.m.) ' i ' Paris, August 26. Official.—German cavalry patrols have been seen in tho Douai region. They aro/unable to advance further owing to the fear of falling into the English lines, which the' French are now reinforcing. The general situation is excellent, despite the fatigue of tho troops and the losses. ■'■'.' • Prince Aldebret, the' Kaiser's uncle, was- killed.in the Turcos' attaok. o _____ ■ Douai is in France, nineteen miles south of Lille, and twelve miles from the frontier. ' , \ ; \' ■;;■■":;■' '/. -LIEGE'S-HEROIC DEFENCE. ' Amsterdam, August 24. The "Aachner Post" says that General Leiman, the Commander at Liege, was found half suffocated under tho wreckage of a fort which the Germans had battered to pieces. General Loiman handed his sword to General von Emmich, the German Commander-in-Chief, who Teturned it in recognition of. General Leiman's splendid, defence. \ ■-..'. Ostend, August 25. ■When.Fort'Chaudfontaine, at Liege, commanding the railroad from Aix-la-Chapelle to Verviere, was reduoed to ruins, Major Narache, the commander, blooked a tunnel by colliding several locomotives. He afterwards blew up the magazine of'the fort. / 'ANTWERP NOW FREE OF THE ENEMY, \ London, August 25. Antwerp reports state that all Germans who were in the vicinity of the city have bee.i captured or killed, and the district is now free of the wiemy, who are concentrating every: available man towards . Charleroi.—"Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services. Antwerp, August 24. Flying columns have driven out the Germans from the district round Antwerp as far as Malines, halfway to Brussels. Antwerp, August 25. After a fierce four nouns' fight at Malineß, the Belgians repulsed the -Germans and are now pursuing'them towards Vilvorde, halfway, between Malines and Brussels. I ' I•• ■ ■ > ' / ' ?sx\%, August 24. The Belgians have entirely concentrated at Antwerp. ■•'','' . \ • :■'■/'. FALL OF NAMUR DENIED IN PARIS, ' • " London, August 25. Paris messages state that on Saturday afternoon the Germans from Eghezee, nine miles north of Namur, placed heavy 6iego guns in position before the Namur forts, which replied with such murderous, accurate fire that . in less than an hour the German battery was silenced, and half the guns demolished. ,' The "Daily Chronicle" is of opinion that it is impossible for Namur to bo rushed. Probably a breach made in the .Allies', lines either.at Charleroi or near Dinant rendered it impossible, to k,eep the troops .between the forts at Namur.' :■ . (Rec. August 26, 9.5 p.m.) . ■ I • _ \ London, August 25, evening. •' A mystery position of Namur. There is no official news of its fall. .. . i ■• .. A German official announcement published in Copenhagen states that the Germans captured five forts and the town, but that four forts havo still to be taken. , (Rec. August 26, 9.35 p.m.) v London, August 26, morning. Paris, denies that the Germans have captured Namur. . BELGIAN BATTALION FIGHTS ITS WAY TO NAMUR. . " ' Antwerp, August 25. Five hundred men of. the Ist Battalion of the-34th Regiment at Liege arrived at Namur on Saturday from the trenches between the Chaudfontaine and Einbourg forts at Liege. ■ % The battalion had not received any orders to' evacuate ■ the position, which the rest of the Liege army received. They found themselves isolated .amidst the German,army, with a strong fort on either flank.' The Germans were aware of their presence, tat were puzzled as to the actual strength, and.were contented with reconnaissance, which the battalion beat off. . The Belgians hold the position for eight days, sleeping in the trenches and -being fed by peasants, repulsingconstent attacks. Shells showered the camp, but tho battalion was well dug in. When food, ran short tho battalion managed to reach the woods, and, scattering, escaped through the German lines. After failing to enter the Longin Fort tliey reached Namur after twenty days' fighting. ..-.'•