Belgium

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 20, 10 September 1914, Page 5

Belgium

RETREAT FROM NAMUR.

BELGIANS' MISTAKES COST THOUSANDS OF LIVES.

[By Elbctbio Telegiuph—Coftm&ht) [United Press .Association.] Ostein!,' September $•

lleuter reports that tho stimrarjp from Namur state that General Michel and staff made two mistakes. They al* lowed the enemy to come too eldf» without attacking, and waited tm long for help from the French, trie Mere unable to send assistance in time.

The Belgians waited on the M«up* for a week for the Germans on tfee other bank to attack, happy in the belief that every day's delay was a jjain on the path to victory, whereas the Germans, benefitting by the lesson ef Liege, instead of hurling, regiments forward, waited for the arrival of enormous siege guns. Screened by a owr.tain of cavalry, and finally covered by a fog, they placed 32 guns at twe points out of range of the Behjiaa guns, and concentrated their ire on a single section. The Germans had bee* accurately informed of the Namnr i§»fences.

A survivor relates that he spent ten hours in a Belgian entrenchment, 'Jy-' ing flat. He stood a terrible unable to see the enemy or fire a sSet. If he had put his head above the ramparts, it would simply hrve been mew-It. off. Whole regiments wore decimate*!. Meanwhile, the guns were turned ujoie i. the forts afc Maigeret and Marchovel-: ette, armed with old-fashioned gnus.. Maigeret fired ten shots, and received 1200 shells at the rate of 20 a minste, and soon surrendered. General Michel and his staf wer#>§* confident that the fortress would koflTout that they had not provided for- like eventuality of retirement. Grqat 00*fusion ensued. The narrow ro»d wite choked with a swirling torrent of «»•**, horses and vehicles. The Germane foL ■ lowed close at their heels. The stei]»f of the fortress, field artillery, a*eV many motor-cars fell into their ha»d».

The retreating force hoped to joim » French reinforcement at St. Garari from Dinant, but the French w»r« overwhelmed at Dinant. and could o»|f send two regiments, which bittrtly fought their way through, with. he»vy losses. The Germans, .moving mar* rapidly, cut off the Frauco-Belgitf* retreat at Bois Lesvilliers,. wfcsr* tk* -, German machine gtiris disabled goin« of the Belgian guns, and made sweep of several motar caii officers. At last the retreating ;' JsH||f cut its way through at terribl*<'eoij^;,-. the regiments being hopelessly int«i*-" mingled., The. retreat was contiuaad, W^i - 'Kaf4ssec3|andipurisußd. Thay tk*fc , tumbled right, into the path, of,,tk.« French retreat •Hrdtti Charleroi, ! ! »Iml thk further demoralised tha Belgian*,. who eventually reached PhflippsviHp, where they re-formed, and from fch»r« reached Rouen in seven days. Tk« Namur garrison and field army numbered 26,000, and only 12.000 escap»«L

GERMANS AT GHENT. 3'/'■; £ ( , Ghent, September t. "The GeiWa 5 !! general informed tie Burgomaster that he had no intwtion, of taking the town, arid no money wart'tixiwould be levied. There are £2,000,000 worth of forage and ante- ! mobiles at Behieghett and on the Alcmji j Gndenarde. road. , . •■-■• : •> .'• p;< THEFTS OF MAPS FROM ANT- '■•'. WERP. ■ }■; :; i (Received 9.5 a.m.) London, September 9. Last year several thousand Belli** maps were stolen from Antwerp, amji the Germans are now using them.

GERMANS NEAR HOLLAND. (Received 10.35 a.m. ) Amsterdam, September f. The Germans are steadily drawingnear to Holland, and the inhabitant* of Belgian frontier villages, fe»rimgj the entry of the Germans, are ahawdonin'g their property and taking v*». fuge in Holland. Three thousand tive Belgians and Austrians arrived a& Oostburg and were conveyed to ingTERMONDE DESTROYED. RUTHLESS BURNING AND MASSACRES. (Received 9.5 a.m.) The German destruction of T«r.m«*it<» was as ruthless as at Lourain. Ot«c 100 buildings were destroyed by pig? tillery or burned, including the towm hall, museum, and palace of justice. Only on one occasion did they beh*T»! in a civilised manner, and that if** when the hospital was blading tk«y carried out the patients and pl*oiKl them in safety. The soldiery pill«siid the wine cellars and rushed about ;'sk a drunken frenzy, killing children and old men. They relitittl those whom they spared. • CAPTURE OF 300 GERMANS. (Received 9.0 a.mO Paris. September 9. Three hundred German's were •ap*tured in the last, engamements in f*» vicinity of Ourcq and Grandnioria.