WHY ANTWERP FELL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1329, 26 November 1914, Page 4

WHY ANTWERP FELL.

The defence of Antwerp, especially regarding the arrangement of the outer torts, were not planned to cope with such artillery as the Germans used, says the Loudon times. The early days ot the siege showed that the outer forts were helpless against modern great guns. The weight ot the attack was primarily directed against Forts Waelhem and Wavre St. Catherine. These were defended with conspicuous gallantry. Many incidents were truly heroic in a defence which, from the first, was absolutely hopeless. When these forts had fallen the defence was concentrated on the line of the River Nethe. With anything like approximately equivalent artillery the river might have been held indefinitely, even though the biggest German howitzers could have bombarded the city itself without crossing the river. The Belgians bad not equivalent artillery. The experiences of the Belgian troops occupying those trenches were terrible. The British Marines on their arrival were immediately sent to relieve the Belgians and occupy the same trenches and they had to submit to the same experience. Nevertheless both British and Belgians showed great pluck, and, when a chance came to use their rifles, beat back repeated attempts of the Germans to cross the river on the nights of October 5 and 6. Neither Belgians nor British need have any feeling but pride in the courage with which a desperate and forlorn hope was clung to. Many of the Belgians troops defending the city had been almost literally continuously under fire since Namur. The British troops were placed suddenly in a most trying situation. Both failed only because their task was beyond human capacity. Both deserve nothing but honour and admiration.