Fighting in France

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 121, 15 October 1914, Page 5

Fighting in France

RETREAT UNDOUBTED. GERMANS HOPELESSLY SCATTERED. CAVALRY PUSHED OCT OF FRANCE. Calais, October 13. Thero is a great movement of the Germans from Lille in the direction of Owirtrai. They are also increasing their activity between Lille and the coast. Strong German columns are passing Bailleul in the direction of i'prcs. where the Germans are concentrating in large numhers. There is no doubt that the main body is retreating east and north-east-Civilians who passed through the German lines repeatedly passed columns uu.ving in the direction of Bailleul and Armentieres, who acknowledged that .hey were retreating. Paris, October 13.

Messages from Northern France on Sunday state that the Germans are neavily massed in the triangle Douai-Bethune-Arras, but the force is hopelessly scattered. Germany's vaunted cavalry army between Armentieres and Tourcoing, which was to ensure the miliLiiry promenade into Lille, has been thrust back, chiefly at the point of the bayonet, out of France, past Wameton and Merin. A confused mass of Germans between Arras and Douai is being slowly hepherded in ft north-eastern direction.

The forces menacing Uazebrouck are :eing driven northwards. Paris, October 13.

A communique states that there were .violent attacks on our front at many points, but we gained ground and nowhere lost any.

Le Matin states that Germans and Austrians in Casablanca, including the Austrian Consul, will be court-martiallcd for planning the assassination of Europeans in Morocco and arming the natives.

German business men are imploring their clients in Switzerland to give them orders so as to enable the families of workmen to exist.

German aeroplanes to-day dropped six bombs without doing damage. One fell in the Gare du Kord (railway station). New air squadrons are being organised ito chaßc hostile aeroplanes. .

j GERMAN ENERGY EULOGISED. BIG REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE. i Times and Sydney Sun Services. Received 14, 5.25 p.m. London, October 14. The Times' military correspondent writes: —"Information from various sources suggests that during the last ten days the German armies in France have been heavily reinforced, and arc <letP to vm h( ?-W c(r°rta again Ito'TtflJw ftt the enemies' ground Lad west simultaneously, and | family men are together ' n the line, if i the conduct of the Go'mans had not been 1 so abonijnablej .OHQ could afford to adI wire the energy with which they are -nducting the war. 'T£ere is evidence that o r* and a half million German, ■ aK engagei in tu * W6Bt ' and now that Antwcrp has fallen thc\ <treate . r P art of «'<* c will be available for offei."" 1 "' 0 °P ora t'on3. !The Allies still retain a marked Btuneri-

cal preponderance, and there is no reason' Ito suppose that the serious conflict now developing in North-west France will not turn to our advantage."

| x AN OFFICER'S FAIRY TALE. 1 THE KAISER E\ T PARIS. Timw snd Sydney Sun Services. Itm-ived H, 5.25 p.m. 1-oudou, October si. A Vremh rificer states that the Kaiser owned * l'lotol in the heart of Paris, where Ire stwrwl motor-cars, petrol, anil a ton- of aumwwnittion. The Kaiser liail ■hoped' to wsteli' from the balcony his troops psMsmsj (town the Champs Elysee-*.

GERMAN Ot'CUFATIOX OF .UF.LE. BeeviiTwl If, 5.55 p.m. Lemlton, October 11. A Grnmtir army eo-rps has occupied Lille.

FIERCE BATTLE. OX FRANCO-BEMJUX FRONTIER. GENERAL VO.V KLUttK REPULSED. Received 11, 10.25 p.m. Osteml, October 1-1. A fierce battle occurred in the triangle between Dixmmle 1 ; Yprcs, and Dunkirk'. A determined effort by General von Kluck's right to cut the. Allies' lines was frustrated.

ALLIES TAKE THE OFFENSIVE. MAKING MARKED PROGRESS. LILLE APPARENTLY UNIMPORTANT. Received 14, 10.30 p.m. Paris, October 13. An official communique reports: "Our left wing has resumed the offensive at Ifar.ebrouck and lictlnme against cavalry coming from the Raielleur-Estaires-La Basse front. "A German army corps attacked and occupied Lille, which was held by a Territorial detnclunent. "We made marked progress between Arras and Albert, and appreciable progress at other points. - '

UIILAN RAID REPULSED. STRENUOUS FIGHTING ABOUND LILLE. Received 15, 19.15 a.m. Paris, October 14. On October 4th, 300 Uhlans on an armored train from Belgium endeavored to carry out a coup de main at Lille. A railway pointsman detected the occupants of the train, and diverted it to a siding, where it was greeted with French rillu lire. Most of the Lilians were captured next morning. Meanwhile three thousand Germans approached the opposite side from. Turcoing, and trained their artillery and machine-guns upon the town, some shells striking the Hotel de Villc. The French infantry replied so quickly that the Germans retreated. Tiie following day the battle was renewed in greater force, hut all the efforts to bring Germans into Lille by railway were repulsed. The retreating Germans, in anger, entered Fives, which is a suburb of Lille.

BATTLEFIELD STORIES. GERMAN BARBARITIES. I ' Times and Sydney Sun Services. London, October 13. The Press Bureau states that a British subaltern, when cut off from his men, hid in a wood. Shortly afterwards he saw an unsuspecting armed German soldier patrolling the road. He-'could have shot him without warning, hut felt it was akin to murder to kill in cold blood. In order to instil a little spirit into the combat, he crept behind the German and gave him a ferocious kick. Instead of showing fight, his startled and pained enemy emitted a yell and ran for dear life, leaving the subaltern laughing too hard to shoot.

A story is told that 50 Uhlans with cycles boarded a train at a wayside station at Gorra. The driver, at the bayonet's point, was compelled to take the train to its destination. The Uhlans were courteous to the passengers till they reached Hazcbrouck, wlien they leaped on the platform and bayonettcd the officials at sight. They rushed into the buffet, and the driver immediately started the train and left the Uhlaifc, who wantonly slaughtered the inhabitants. One German thrust a bayonet through a baby girl sleeping in its mother's arms, and inflicted a gftKJnjJ wound in the mother's thkft., French pursued the Uhlas* Sffyin tho town and killed most; $| s,Wrti Cfl.4 captured fifteen.

The Daily M»tf"s eowspondont kl Villiors.attx.YMts, JW "trdun, says that jor (^ me timc the Crown Prince . 3 Headquarters were in a church, all the Uioiiaeg having been destroyed. The Crown Prince had elaborate excavations at the back of the house with a tunnel running into a thicket some distance away, in case of a sudden attack. The excavations were five feet deep, covered with boards and lined with straw.

Paris, Octets 13. An aeroplane dropped a at Darnetal stating tha.^' JfCTieJUM were being deceived, Thtt'fs— ; victorious. ThOY BhO»'\ , ~' mans English and thoi* - J beware of the Five mot*- , .P«B*y- . , „ rjpitjjj, - r lorries, belonging to the p, ■ . Ordnance Corps, were recently at off. The men escaped after destroying the ammunition. One soldier hid in a wood. Tho Germans, finding that the lorries contained no ammunition, departed. The soldier got one motor going and towed the other four into camp.