WAR NEWS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1315, 24 October 1914, Page 3

WAR NEWS.

The reported sinking of the British submarine E 3 by the enemy is confirmed. London, Oct. 22.

The marksmanship of the monitors Humber, Mersey, and Severn utterly destroyed Slype, four miles inland from the coast, between Ostend and Nieuport, which was strongly held. They succeeded in blowing up the house occupied by the German headquarters staff.

The recent movements of the Allies in the western field of operations have resulted in a pronounced modification of the German programme. During the past week the German line has daily undergone totally undesigned variations. An official communique from Paris, dated October 22nd, states that there was a violent all-day battle on the Allies’ left wing from the North Sea to La Bassee, and that the Allies are holding their positions everywhere in that region.

The situation elsewhere is unchanged. The destruction near Lille is said to be terrible, scarcely a stone of some of the villages being left standing. The inhabitants, unable to escape, died shocking deaths.

At Dixmunde the Germans abandoned thousands of dead and wounded. The enemy’s position on the Belgian seaboard is declared to be critical, and it is said that the Germans appear to be exhausted.

The re-taking ot Roulers, au important railway centre, by the Allies, will handicap the enemy’s despatch of troops to the front.

The German inhabitants of Brussels have been notified to leave within forty-eight hours. The Daily Mail’s correspondent in France states that the German’s rapid retreat to the south of Western Flanders is thought to be the-prelude to a general retreat. He stales that this has been a glorious week of heroic deeds against big odds. A few day ago Belgium was wholly German; now even the most pessimistic are counting the days until the enemy’s crumpled forces have been herded back into their own country.

An official communique, dated Paris, October 22nd, evening, reports that the Allies have again repulsed violent attacks, particularly at Dixmunde, Warnetou, Armentieres, Reninghelst and La Basse, while in other parts isolated attacks were also repulsed, and in the Argonne and Southern Woeuyre slight progress has been made.

There arehalf-a-million wounded men in France. The German army advancing upon Warsaw was forced into precipitate retreat on Wednesday. The Russians are in pursuit of the enemy, who is abandoning positions which had been organised for defence, the Austrian forces in the south failing. The Daily Mail states that Germany has assured the Portuguese Royalists that Germany will restore the monarchy if Portugal does not intervene in the war and if the Royalists promise Germany a base at Lagos Bay.