GERMANS AGAIN SUFFER APPALLING LOSSES

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2246, 4 September 1914, Page 5

GERMANS AGAIN SUFFER APPALLING LOSSES

A FEW MILES GAINED AT HEAVY COST a '

1' UNSTEADINESS SHOWING IN THE ENEMY'S ■ . RANKS '

By Telegraph—Frcsa Association—Copyright (Reo. September 3, 9.40 p.m.) [T London, September 2, evening., i Mr. Martin Donohoe, war correspondent of the "Daily Chronicle, telegraphing from France, says tho Fourth German Army Corps suffered appalling cases in attempting to envelop tho British. Monday's fighting was as desperate as Sunday's. Fresh artillery and,.infantry were sent to support the ' British, who retired under enormous pressure, but are now defying the enemy's concentrated weight in their new positions. ' There has been a merciless combat throughout, but the superiority of the British artillery, and the indomitable pluck ot the infantry, has enabled them to achieve their purpose of delaying the German advance. A fow more eucli days and the Fourth Army mil cease to exist, and already whole divisions Of infantry liavo disappeared. The Germans persist in their massed. attack, and the demoralisation is . increasing in their shattered ranks. The German infantry has lost its elan, jnd j) 0 longer pushes the attack with vigour. It show 9 marked signs of unisteadiness, ana Goveral tinfes fled in Monday's final assaults, despite the officers' efforts to rally the men. The net result of the two'days' battle is that the Germane have gained a \ few miles at an enormous cost, There is now a lull. THREE DAYS' HEAVY FIGHTING. \ l.sf)don, September 2 .Heavily oenwed meswtxs ij a r. a to'that the Germans' great iv!iee\ to the flench left was continued ou-Ftica.v, Saturday, and Sunday, and resulted in a erce encounter with the troops colleoted to prolong tho Allies' line. The Germans gained a success against the French territorials, which was only retrieved by the 1 stand made by a long line of artillery occupying the crest of a gently sloping plateau. This finally forced the German skirmishers to fall backiin disorder to escape the shrapnel. ■■■ The outstanding incident of the battle on Sunday was an attack by the (Algerian infantry. As tliey marched to tho firing line they amused tho townsfolk by making a gesture as if cutting a throat, accompanied by a llourish of Ihe fist m the direction of the firing. ■ ' # , When the Algerians reaohed the front the whole of the French 'Army was engaged in' closing to the right. The Algerians, without forming up. were launched against the right flank of a German brigade. _ While the battalion pushed through to good cover at the rear cf the Algerians from the attacks of the next German co'umii, tho Algerians bounded through the bracken like a pack of houiid's and reai'hed the edge without showing a man. They did execution with their rifles, but tlioii&b they gained upon the retiring German infantry, they were never close enough for a bayonet charge, for which the . Algerians longed; ■>—' Following this success the line pushed forward for some distance, and then came the night. Tho exhausted men snatched a hasty meal and some sleep, leavine any fresh troops coming up on either side to continue the bmueelo.

INCESSANT FIGHTING IN AISNE DISTRICT, London, Swtowhor 2. A Boulogne telegram states that there has been incessant fighting sir.co Thursday in the Aisne district, which extends -north from the fortresses of Le Fere and Laon. Neither side' obtained much advantage, but after two days' fairly even fighting tho French forced the enemy to retire, leaving heaps of (load and wounded. The French losses were also heavy. The Germans are still bringing hu go masses from their base to fill up the tremendous gaps made iu tho advance line. FRENCH LEFT REMAINS UNBROKEN. 1 Washington, September 2. The French Ambassador anuounces that a battle, continuing three days, ' was fought in the Ham-Verviers (? Vervins) district, with alternative progresses and retrogressions. The French left yielded somewhat, but remained unbroken. In the Vosges the French continue to gain ground. Ham is a small town on the main line between Amiens and La Fere, from which latter place it is fifteen' iu'lps distant. .Vervin? is 26 miles north-east of La Fere, and is forty miles from Ham. -V ! GERMAN ENVELOPING MOVEMENT. FAILS. (Rec. September 3, 11.40 p.m.) i Paris, September 1, midnight. It is officially stated that the Allies' left wing has fallen back towards tho south-west in consequence of the continuation of the German enveloping movement. The retreat wasdue to the necessity of avoiding the acceptance of a decisive action which might be engaged in under unfavourable / condi- ' . SEVERE FIGHTING CONTINUES ALONG LINE. (Rec. September 4, 0.15 a.m.) Havre, September 3, morning. _ The British' rested on Sunday, though the French on the British right were fiercely attacked throughout, particularly before , where the Germans were in muoh superior streiigth. • ■ The" French accordingly retreated beyond , where the Germans renewed the attack, but twp desperate onslaughts failed to make any impression. There was severe fighting on Monday, all along the line, except at , Hear which the extreme left of the Germans made no progress. The troops state tho striking power of the Germans is weakening. The terrible rushes such as they made at Mons, Charleroi, and St. Quentin were lacking, and t!he frontal attacks on Sunday and Monday were not nearly so determined. NO REST FOR GERMANS DAY OR NIGHT. I (Rec. September 4, 1.5 a.m.) London, September 8, morning. By constant feints, skirmishes, and alarms, the Allies seek to keep the Germans on the alert day and night. The Belgians, French, and English are taking .turns in preventing the Germans from sleeping. The lull on Tuesday was possibly due to the Germans having expended their rifle and artillery ammunition. The Germanß have insufficient animal and motor transport. ENEMY PUNISHED AFTER FEIGNED RETREAT. (IWc. September, 4, 0.30 a.m.) London, September 3, morning. On Monday a mixed British and French force, by a feigned retreat, drew forward a considerable German force in the La Fere region, when entrenched riflemen and maxims punished the Germans severely. Tlie Germans retreated, leaving six hundred killed and wounded 1 . Elsewhere a British gunner, in charge of a maxim, found himself facing a German frontal attack. The foremost section consisted of nine hundred men, every one of whom got something, but from tho flanks others, closed up, and at .last the British gunner had to run, leaving the maxim behind. Fortunately a German shell knooked l it to bits before it was actually captured. BRITISH DIVISION EQUAL TO GERMAN ARMY CORPS. (Rec. September 3, 6.15 p.m.) " . .. " Paris, September 2. A British officer states that for every foot of groundvthe British lost the Germans paid with hundreds of lives. A British diyision proved itself equal to a Gorman Army Corps.—("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services."). A British division consists of 18,600 men, and a German army corps of 43,000 men. BRITISH FIGHTING IN FINE ■ SPIRIT, ■ London, September 2. Newspaper correspondents Btate that the spirit of Lord Kitchener pervades the whole Expeditionary Force. , ' ' ' , The ammunition is supplied without a hit-ch. Of a thousand motor vehicles only one traction engine has been lost. Tho Germans are firing with their rifles underneath the shoulder, relying on the volume of lead rather than on accurate shooting. _ •' The "Daily Chronicle" says that an Irish battalion reached the front on Wednesday after a hard night's marching. , When they were breakfasting German cavalry suddenly appeared. The men took cover in perfect order, but were forced to retire after thrice repulsing a greatly superior force.' , British cavalry gallantly ; drove tho enemy from an excellent position. Paris, September 2. It is officially stated that the English captured ten German guns in a forest. BRITISH TAKE GERMAN GUNS AT OOMPEIGNE. (Rec, September 4, 1.5 a.m.) Paris, September 3. It is officially stated that the German cavalry on Tuesday marched upon the Forest of Compeigne, where the British captured their guns. Compeigne lies forty miles north-east of Paris, and the forest covers an area of 35,000 acres. lie chateau of Compeigne > was the favourite residence of Napoleon III; The fortress of La Fere is thirty miles north-east of Compeigne. ' HARD PRESSED FRENCH RELIEVED BY BRITISH. \ ' (Reo. September 4, 1.20 a.m.) 'Paris, September 3. While the Allies were fighting at Bapaume, thirty-four miles north-east of Amiens, a French Territorial division, supported b,v four batteries of regular artillery, was attacked by the Germans on Thursday night. Tho Territorials retired home in disorder. The Germans on Friday brought up many-, machine guns in a dense fog, and there was a six-hours' engagement. The Territorials suffered severely, but a British force came up unexpectedly; and occupied the French positions, allowing the wearied Territorials to escape. The English fought a brilliant rearguard'action. . In the same fog two French batteries fired at each other for sometime. ■HUGE GERMAN LOSSES IN ALSACE. x (Rec. September 3, 11.40 p.m.) London, September 3. From Copenhagen has been received the thirteenth Gornj n n casualty list, which shows that the whole of an infantry regiment stationed at Zabern, in Lower Alsace, was lost, while more than twenty thousand Mecklenburg troops were also lost. BRITISH TROOPS INDIFFERENT TO'GERMAN FIRE. . (Rec. September 4, 1;5 a.m.) _ London, September 3. Correspondents state that' the British troops are now almost indifferent to German rifle fire.. An army doctor states_ that of five hundred wounded under his charge only one was suffering from rifle bullets, and all the others from shrapnel or bits of shell. MANY DEAD" AND WOUNDED NEAR LILLE. Paris, September 2. Forty Red Cross automobiles have 1 left Lille for the neighbourhood, where there are dead and wounded in exceptionally large numbers. A LONG WAR PROPHESIED. (Rec. September 3, 6.15 p.m.) . London, September 2. "The Times," in a leader, says: "The war is going to be long, and should the Allies keep their enemies at bay, tho German Army will still take a great amount of dislodging from France. Should tho Germans make good their advance towards Paris, wo and our Allies must doggedly enter,upon the task of wearing them down. France knows full well that if she yielded she would bo crashed, never to rise again, but she will never yield."—("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.) SEAT OF GOVERNMENT SHIFTED TO TOURS. (Rec. September 3, 9.40 p..m.) Paris, September 2. Cabinet has decided to shift the Government to Tours, and later to Bordeaux. . The seat of Government was shifted from Paris to Tours and Bordeaux during tho Franco-German War of 1870, On Soptember 13, 1870, Gambetta, vrho had escaped by balloon from beleaguered Paris, established at Tours the Delegation of the Government of National Defence, which remained there \intil compelled by the advance of the Germans to Tomove to Bordeaux on December 21, 1870. Tours was occupied Vy tho Germans from January 19 to March 8, 1871. Bordeaux was for tlir.eo months tho seat of the Provisional Government, and then of tho National Assembly, which here accepted the preliminaries of peace with Germany. Tours lie? 125 miles south-west of Paris, and Bordeaux is 185 miles eouth-iouth-east of Tours.