South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-10-26
Invaders Keep Up Furious AS
SauItS in Northwestern Bel
gium But Defenders Force
Maintains Its Line Intact.
ALLIES CLAIM ENEMY
HAS LOST SEVERELY
AngIO-FrenCh-BeIg Front
Extends From Nieuport and
Dixmude to the Region Be-
tween YpreS and RouIerS.

PARIS, oct 26. Despite their
furious attacks the Germans who sue
ceeded in crossing the User in north
western Belgium have failed TO make
any further progress. it is officially
announced by the French war office.
During Sunday the allies were able to
maintain their frontal positions, it
was stated.
The announcement in full follows;
During the day yesterday our front
has been maintained.
THE forces of the Germans that
had succeeded in crossing the river
User between Nieuport and Dixmude
have not been able TO make any fur
ther progress.
"Our front extends in a general way
from NieupOrt and DiXmude to the
region between YprGs and Roulers to
the district between Armientieres and
Lille, west of LaBassee and of Lens
and east OF Arras. This line IS pro-
lOnged to the south by that which had
already been indicated in official COM
munications.
Enemy Suffers Heavily.
I'm the battles of these latter days,
the enemy appears TO have suffered
considerable losses.
"In Russia TO the west of the Wis
| tula the Germans have been thrown
back upon LOwicz. Skiernowicz and
Rava which have been taken at the
point of the bayonet by the Russians.
Ito the south of the Pillca in the
direction Of Radon, a vigorous conflict
has been in progress between the
Russians and the AustrO-Germans,
who have lost some prisoners and
guns.
"To the south OF Solec, Russian
troops have crossed the Vistula in a
great onrush, flinging the Austrians
| back upon the San, while to the south
of Przemysl there have occurred stub
born conflicts favorable to the Rus
slams. An Austrian column debOuch-
/ ing from the Carpathians upon Nalna
! has been forced to the underbrush Of
the mountains"
Following up the advantage by
! breaking through the Belgians line
along the User, in northwestern Bel
| gium, and forcing passage or that
stream between DiXmunde and Nleu-
port, the Germans have concentrated q
I q series Of vigorous attacks there and
the trenches of the Belgians have been
under continuous artillery fire since
Saturday morning.
This was the first decided step
! gained by the Germans since they took
Il
northern sphere Of operations. After
tremendous difficulties the invaders
! succeeded in getting heavy artillery TO
the new front and the bOmbardment
4 Of the defensive works from Menin,
! on the border, TO NieupOrt on the
/ North sea has been carried with the
utmost violence.
Dav and night fighting is going on
around Lille and Arras and farther
north the FrancO-B British fleet is she'll
I ing the coast at every point where the
/ Germans are within range of the naval
guns.
Take 5000 Prisoners.
! The French and British have taken
approximately 5000 prisoners in the
northern sphere of fighting during the
/ past six days. Thirteen hundred pris-
oners are held in this city Many or
/ the Germans were drowned when the
! Belgians cut dykes and flooded the
/ German trenches.
A considerable of the lowland of
northeast Belgium has been flooded
nv the dvke cutting operations. Ger
man soldiers caught by the inrush
were drowned like rats in trap. In
some places they were compelled to
, abandon artillery in their fight for
high ground.
Along the western section of the
center the French and British have
beeQ making severe counter -dlbeiChS ~
divert the attention of the Germans
from the extreme north. Northwest
I of the Siossons they gain sIght al
vantage. The German trenches were
i'm such a condition from long occu-
I nancy that they could not be used by
/ the English Along the allies right
an artillery duel is in progress and II
will probably be some time before II
! is ended.
the infantry has been used chlefly ior
the Durpose of holding the entrench-
ed fronts, during the past week while
the actual fghting has been carried
on by hidden batteries of howitzers
Armies May Join.
It is reported that the efforts OF
the German army of the crown
prince and grand duke Of Wurtem-
! burg 10 Join hands in the ArgOnne re-
gion has been frustrated by the skill
ful rnaneuvering Of the French.
The French have gained possession
of the village OF Melzicourt in the
middle Of the Argonne region. com
manding the route OF the valley OF
| the Aisne As long as this KEY posi-
ton is held the German armies in
question can be kept apart
Considering the operations over the
entire western theater Of hostilities
the successes seem about evenly di-
vided in this great conflict which has
been raging since Sept. u. A week
ago the French war office claimed
that the English channel expedition
had been decisively checked: now the
Germans claim that the northern