The War News.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 4 September 1914, Page 5

The War News.

SATURDAY j 4Pt Russia has practically completed her .mobilisation of eight million men, divided into four armies, which are lo follow each othor into the field. A St Petersburg cablegram says t-.e inhabitants of East Piussia are fleeing j towards Berlin, and that the Russians j expect to reach the German capital i V" in three weeks. | British marines have landed at j Ostend in order to prevent Germany I obtaining a position on the English [ Channel. . i Five ships, including Danish and i /""" Norwegian vessels aurl two British J trawlers, have been lost through { shakiLg mines laid in the North Sea wßjfjg^'Germans. "2 le final interview between the j British Ambassador in London and : the German Chancellor and Foreign Secretary was dramatic. The German j rhaucellor was overcome by thenews j of Britain's action. Speaking in the j House of Commons, Mr Asquith said | Britain could not, without undying shame, have declined the issue. He described the war as a struggle of j civilisation against brute force. I Particulars of'fighting between the British forces and the Germans at '-^...Mons are now becoming available.! A 'description of (Sunday's battle ! between the two airnios states that! the shooting of the English artillery whs magnificent, but them was not enough of it in comparison with the j enemy's* The shells of the allies j buist without fail, but the Germans, who found the range smartly, failed to make their shells burst, while they frequently fell short. The Germans bombarded the entrenched Berkshire? for 24 hours, but there were very f-)W British casualties. A German areoplane came toj close to the gunners, who brought it down -when it was 2000 ft. MONDAY High Commissioner's cablegram states that 160 trains carrying Gem.an soldiers have gone through Belgium. It is als> reported that an Alsatian army under Grand Duke Frederick of Baden ' has gone to meet the Russian advance. The Russians are still advancing in East Prussia They have completely invested Konigsburg, and have occupied Alk-nstein, further south. Refugees arriving in Berlin from East Prussia have created constornas tion in the German capital. A battle is waging in Galicia over a front of about 180 miles, The Admiralty's account of the naval fighting states that " ail the „.- German cruisers engagnd in the light were disposed of," New Zealand's gift battleship participated in the fight. About 400 German prisoners have been landed on the English coast They state that the British guns were used with terrific force and -*-' accuracy. >lost of the men on the decks of the German ships perished. Seveie fighting continues in the North of France. The High Commissioner says it is estimated that the Germans have lost 200,000 since the beginning of the carrpaign. Several accounts are given of the magnificent fighting by comparatively small parties of British troops against heavy odds. S9VPn hundred British troops had to resist an attack by 5000 Germans, who galloped np to their guns. Only 300 of the British survived. At another point about 3000 British resisted a desperate attack, the stand of their gunners being likened to that at Rorke's Drift. The Germans left a wall of dead and the British reached a safe base without * heavy loss. British warships and transports are j pouring marines into Ostend, which has bee*n transformed into a military camp. Several of the Liege forts are still holding out. The news of the sinking of the New Zealand Shipping Company's steamer Kaipara has been confirmed. Her crew has been landed at. Las Palmas. TUESDAY .^ The German progress recorded !** jjpKjm day to day has bnen made at •^/enormous sacrifice of life, while the British," who lost between ,§OOO and gbOp in four days, liaye received re jrifqrcenaen'ts equal to double the losses. Every lost gun has been replaced, and the army is ready for its next encounter with undaunted spirit. Fuller details are now to hand of the naval action in Heligoland Bay. * Five German ships—three cruisers and tvyo destroyers---were sunk. 'Jhere were about 20 German destroyers in the action, and most of them were "well punished" before they got away f>orn the British guns. The five Cjerman t,hi;)s sunk in action V. carried rresvf, aggregating 1200. Of ~" these 3-30 were saved. ISonie were intentionally shot when in the water by German uilio-is. A British deal loyer. when picking up wounded Germans, was driven off by Geiciaa cruisers. The British casualties in the action were 29 killed, H) severely wounded, and 18 slightly wounded. Japan has commenced the bombardineut'of Kiau-Qhau: ' The first New Zealand expedition • ai'y force is now occupying German Samoa.

A WEEK'S SUMMARY.

WEDNESDAY The abandonment of the Belgian campaign by Genmny, and a successful off en jive movement by the Frenoh in Lorraine, are the features in war news. A distinguished neutral di^l jmatisc says there is a multitude of evidence that the Germans have been forced to abandon the campaign in Jielgium an:l withdraw troops from that zone. He adds that in the allies' darkest hour great things have happened which have distinctly changed the outlook. From another source it is reported that th.6 Ghent district and a great part of Northern Belgium is> already clear of Germans. The possibility of an early extension of the war involving the IHlkan League on the one side and Turkey on the othei is indicated by tho latest cablegrams. It was stated a few days ago that JRoumania would probably fight against Austria. Now it is annouueed that Bulgaria has intimated to Servia that if Eoumania abandons her neutrality Bulgaria will do likewise and take a place in tho war with Britain, France and Kussia. The German oruiser Leipzig, which inconvenienced merchant shipping in the Pacific on the outbreak of Avar, is reported to have been captured. A German trawler has been sunk in the North Sea while laying mines. A (Janadian contingent which had left for England was recalled to port owing to a temporary danger of German warships in the North Atlantic. A safe convoy is to be provided. American newspapers are thanking the British Fleet for keeping the Atlantic sea lanes open to United States commerce. THUKSDAY Fightitng continues in Northern France and in Eastern Prussia and Austria. The British, who still form the allies left, have been reinforced, and there v eveiy reason to believe they will be able to check the attacking Germans. The British reinforcements arrived in jtime to participate in the latest action. They marched to the front in great spirits. The Austrians have suffered a heavy defeat in Gtuicia. Their loss is estimated at 20,000 men. A force of Austrians had a temporary success [against the Montenegrins at Mount Lorchen, but the timely appearance of an Anglo-French fleet from the Adriatic resulted in the Aus trians being repulsed. FRIDAY The results of the desperate battle fought in Northern France on Sunday and Monday are clearly indicated in latest cablegrams. The Germans gained a few miles, but at enormous cost, and their loss was apalling. Whole divisions of infantry disappeared. At the close of the two days demoralisation was apparent in their shattered ranks and several times thej fled from the final assault. Details of the Russian success in Galacia show that after a fight lasting seven days, the Russians carried heavily-fortified positions 10 miles east of Lemburg, and advanced on the principal -forts. The Austrians fled in disorder, and were pursued by the Russian advance guard and cavalry. ;The Russians buried. 48000 Austrians on the battlefield, and captured entire batteries of artillery. Captain Halsey, of H.M.S. New Zealand, in a message to the Prime Minister, states that the while ensign presented to the gift battleship by New Zealand women was flown during the successful fight against Gorman cruisers in Heligoland B,ay.