The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1914-09-25
GREATEST OF ARTILLERY DuELs

] 4 F..
On the Battle Front, via Paris
The armies Of the nations became
deadlocked north Of the River Aisne
after the most terrible artillery duel
of the centuries.
Sheer exhaustion and frightful
losses checked assaults and counter
assaults all along the battle line.
The gigantic battle, or more prop
erIy battles, continue day and night
along the entire front from Noyon
to the German frontier.
The fight does not consist of one
sustained and continued movement,
but of several combats proceeding in
cessantly at the strongest points of
the Germans defending line along the
river Aisne.
Each encounter, however, influences
the execution of the general idea of
the commander-in-chief of the Allied
army. Attacks and counter attacks
follow one another in rapid success
sion every hour out of the twenty -four.
The most impressive reports of the
battle of many days, SO evenly bal
anced, are that it is combat of
artillery. Day and night thousands
of German cannon hammer at the
Allied armies, while every gun that
the French and English can bring to
bear is directed toward attempting
to silence these destructive guns. In
lulls Of artillery fighting the Allies
have assaulted the German positions
and have been able here and there
to gain ground, but only at dreadful
cost. The fighting at Reims between
infantry and cavalry followed three
days Of incessant artillery dueling.
The Germans, believing they could
break the French centre by counter
assault, essayed three times to reoc-
cupy Reims and we're each time hurl-
ed back.
Every fragment of news from the
Far Flung line of battle makes 1t
positive that the Allies are facing
b more difficult situation than that
which existed along the Marine. The
Germans have been heavily re-en-
forced. They are strongly intrenched
along vast battle line. Their great
resources of artillery are operated in
many places from wooded heights and
the location of batteries has been
shrewdly concealed. There is every
indication that the armies of the
Kaiser are ready once more for a
powerful offensive movement.
The German artillery was operated
from double lines of enbankment
twenty rods apart. while the German
infantry was protected by trenches
three and four feet deep.
Everywhere from the Disc to the
Argonne the fighting has been pressed
at night, and searchlights have been
used by the Germans in an attempt
to deceive the Allies as to battery
positions.
More than three million men are
engaged in this titanic struggle for
the mastery of Europe.
Strengthened by fresh troops rush
ed to the front from the Rhine for
tresses, the German right and center
made desperate effort successfully
to resume the offensive after their
retreat, but in vain. and the Allies
left is farther advanced than ever in
the hills of the Aisne.
Both sides were so nearly exhaust
ed by the bloody work that then the
battle Gained down a bit.
Three times. the German right at
tackled the English lines and three
times were General Won Kluk's men
hurled back with heavy loss. The
night assault on Rheims by General
Won Hausen's forces was also costly
failure.
Ten times the German infantry
tried to overwhelm the Allies lines.
and each time they were driven back
with very heavy losses. In the last