THE RETREATING GERMANS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 93, 15 September 1914, Page 4

THE RETREATING GERMANS.

The retreat of the Germans from Franco J bids fair to become a complete rout. ; Everywhere the invaders are being' hard \ pleased by the victorious Allies, ami 1 obliged to abandon strong positions, j their wounded, and their material. Num- , bors have been forced to surrender, still i greater numbers have been killed; and it is quite possible, so rapid are the movements of the Allies, tliat their right wing may be captured or annihilated. General Joffre, the French Com-mander-in-Chief, in his report, characterises the results as a complete and in-contestab-ie victory. All the German armies are retreating precipitatively, The change in the situation is as dramatic as it is welcome. Up till Sunday week, tiie Germans were carrying all before them, though every foot of country won was severely contested and dearly paid lor in life. Then the Allies put In their counter-stroke. Just where the enemy thought the Allies were weakest, the greatest strength was revealed. li> the centre, which the Germans vainly ! attempted to pierce, the British were in | considerable numbers, ai>d, according to 1 ft wounded British officer, "for the first time on a largo scale they showed the Germans what a British frontal attack was like."' It was fierce anil deadly, and the losses 011 both sides'tremendous. Each side was told to win through or die, and many of the Germans obeyed the behest with their lives. Just then the Allies' left swung round and began crumpling up the enemy's right, thus hastening the retreat of the whole line. The Allies gave them no respite, notwithstanding they had been lighting

hard for days, sans food and suns sleep. The Germans wore further discomfited I Ijv the loss of their supplies, of which the übiquitous General Fail and his merry men' had taken heavy toll. The details are fragmentary and somewhat conflicting, but there can be little doubt that the Battle of the llarno his proved a great victory for the Allies. They have turned the tables completely on the confident invaders, who will be lucky to withdraw from Franco with whole skins. Their losses in any case i must be enormous. Furtlw, their mor--1 rile has gTeatly suffered, It may be that they will, on their retreat by way ! of Xamur and Liege, have to deal with an Anglo-Belgian army, on their Hank. A Belgian army is reported to have met with some striking successes during the past few days on their way wards, and it is quite on the cards that this force, which may contain a stiffening of British troops—probably Canadian and Indian —have the cutting oil' of th»? retreating Germans as their objective. As we write, word comes that the Germans will tie unable to retreat along the lines of their advance, and l that they will be forced to go by way of Luxembourg. But should the Allies succeed in their present plan of driving ' a .solid wedge into the enemy's position, only a part of the great host will be able to make good its, escape. The outiobk for the Germans, who were going f inn to enter Paris within a month from the declaration of hostilities, is decidedly un- '" promising. Jjj point of'fact, the tide '' has turned, and t)|jj final issue will be fought not on 'French or Dolgian soil, but on German, and its nature is not difficult to foresee, Germany, as surety as night follows day, will be soundly deL " foaled and left in a condition that will for many a decade prevent licr from ' again wantonly provoking a breach of the world's peace and inllieting huge losses in life and treasure on ncighbor- | ing nations.