The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-11-14
DESPERATE FIGHTING
AROUND DIXNIUDE

The following from the Columbia
State will explain why the allies and
Germans are fighting so desperately
around D:xmude, D;xmunde, FOr Dix
muyden, the quiet little Belgian town,
of which few people ever heard OF
until month ago:
Dixmude and It's Possibilities
In capturing Dixmude, just south
OF the allies base at Newport on the
Belgian coast. the Germans may be
on the threshold of a success that. to
say the least, would tend to prolong
the war by many months.
In the first place, it renders ilnmi-'
nent the abandonment by the allies
of Newport, which, if taken, will
accomplish the German objective Of a
base on the sea. Next, it opens up q
much easier road to Dunkirk, in
France, and to Calais. The posses
sion of these ports would be of the
greatest moral importance and would
possibly result in the long talked of
dramatic raid on London by air.
But important as these results
would be, the possibilities of the
Dixmude success are infinitely great
er as they tend to affect the desperate
assaults which the Germans have
been making along the Ypres-Arras
line. For this is the key which, ac-
curately fitted, would instantly
change the entire alignment OF the
contending forces in Northern
France
Once the grey troops were through
this line, the Belgians and English
would be forced to fall back incon-
tinently along the coast to prevent
/ development and destruction or cap
ture; and the moment this happened,
the German lines in France between
Rheims and the Straits of Dover
would he practically Strengthened
out and shortened by many miles.
The result would be that the Ger
man armies in France could dig
themselves into defensive positions
from which it would be almost inn
/ possible to dis1odge them, and that
thousands on thousands of troops
now going to make up the great
triangle with its nose pointed at
! Paris would be released for action
against the Russian pressure in East
em Prussia. ut is doubtless for this
vital end that. the Germans are
a ~. ,.;f& ~ Isf1A oro,,n.5 vr,rnr or
assault to whose significance the tax
ing of Dixmude, or even Dunkirk, L
incid Greatly as it would heh
, the Germans to he in position tx
make the Straits of Dover periloui
, with mines and to raid the Englfsl
} coast with submarines from a bass
: on the Straits themselves, even sucl
} an opportunity would not begin tt
, measure in Importance with the con
: troll of the great industrial province
of Northern France, together witt
the Strengthening of the present bow
like front and the consequent releas
OF three or four. hundred thousan,
I veteran troops to hurl into the aren
of the East.
5 On the other hand, every day tina
e the allies can thwart such a develop
r ment means continuing and increas
= ing embarrassment for the Germans
1t has become clear that the persisi
: ent and thorough drive in Norther
/, France has been at the cost of
/, weakness in Eastern Prussia. TIL
:, Russian attack has for days been cor
r sistently successful. Reinforcement
/ of the heaviest sort are necessary I
e stem the tide in that quarter. In tn
/ region of Rheims and Verdun and
+. the Argonne section of the operation
It come to a halt and degenerated I'M
T. indecisive siege operations If tt
J. allies hold their present lines in tt
J. North and the Russians continr
l. their advances in East Prussia, II
1T urge for reinforcements may be suf
]. cient to compel a shortening of I'll
70 line by a general and precipitate r
B. tirement like that which marked tt
70 shift of battle from the Marine to Il
ID Aisne.
70 1T is by how far the capture of Di
f. nude may contribute to the ha
4. pening of the contingencies first s
c. forth that its Importance as a r
es verse to the allies must be measure
s. If it causes or contributes to ru
d. ture of the defensive lines betwe'