South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-08-26
Allies Beat Back Germans
Resuming Fierce Battle

upon looking upward. saw a German
machine flying over the city. The
British troops opened fire but the
German airman continued his trip.
ctrcling slowly over the English
lines. Suddenly he wheeled his ma
chine and made off rapidly toward
the east. Just then French biplane
cut through the air at a tremendous
height. AS the machines disappear
ed we could see the French aviator
! shooting his machine downward in
an attempt 10 ram the German air
craft"
The correspondent left Mons. going
In the direction OF Peruwelz and Bla-
ton. about 3 miles northwest Of
Mons.
See Havoc of Battle.
After much delay" says the jour
nalist we got started again, passing
many dead bodies on the way. At
one point we saw the corpses OF six
uhlans and their horses, all tangled
together.
"a German force had taken up a
position near Journal, Is miles north
east OF Mons opposite Lille, on Sat
urday morning. They put their nit
railleuses I'm action at once, firing up
on the defenses OF the Pont de MOrel
The first attack OF the Germans was
repulsed, but they were able to ad-
vance afterward."
The newspaperman then made his
way to Lille which was crowded with
/ fugitives and wild rumors. From
/ there ne started toward Valen-
/ ciennes, with the idea OF working his
way back to CharlerOi. He was sue
| cessful in reaching that point and all
4 along the French frontier he heard
reports Of the German advance. At
| Valenciennes one troop train after an
! other was arriving, filed with French
and English soldiers.
Il boarded troop train and
reached Chimay, just over the line in
Belgium, Sunday night" continues
the adventuresome correspondent.
| "Chimay is 40 miles below Valencien-
mes and % miles southwest Of Char
lerOi. From there L went TO hilippe-
vile. in the very heart Of the allied
army All Sunday night between
Chimay and Philippeville 1 could
hear the roar of the big guns.
! (Philippeville is 10 miles northeast
OF Chimay and II miles southwest of
| Charleroi)
News of Big Events.
AT Philippeville there was news
OF big and sensational events at
! Charleroi."
Refugees who swarmed into
| Philippeville on Monday told how the
| TurcOs, who are fighting with the
French, charged a German battery,
bayoneting the gunners. Their losses
| it is believed, exceeded those Of the
| light brigade at Balaklava.
The bravery OF the French and
their African allies. however, was
powerless against the advance Of the
tremendous German forces. There in
| the narrow streets, during the hand
to hand fighting the carnage was in
describable.
Fight for Bridge.
The narrative continues:
Before the Charleroi railway sta
ton, on the banks of canal, the Ger
mans fought for two hours to get con-
troll of the bridge. The waters Of the
canal were crimson with blood and
the narrow channel was choked with
bodies. Once they had captured this
| bridge, the Germans gained ground
all along the line, occupying villages
OF Marchiennes. Landelis and Montig-
, MES and the country nearly as far as
| WalcOurt.
| (Walcourt is on the railway, IA
miles due south from CharleroD.
THE French fell back, then bonn
barded the city, then moved against
1t again, taking 1t by storm, as was
earlier stated in this account
I'm the German bombardment the
kaiser's gunners had directed their
fire against the northern part Of the
city, the French concentrated their
salvos against the southern part
Meet Whitening Fire.
THE French soldiers advanced in
the teeth of q whitening fire which
burst continuously from the muzzles
OF hundreds Of guns" says the war
correspondent They entered sew
| ay.oI xffI 1rCiro ba horeao fo~ no
ricades. Sharp shooters tried to pick
Off the German gunners. The Ger
man artillery men had torn of their
gray jackets and some were working
in their undershirts. Their faces and
bodies were streaked with dirt and
blood and their trousers were torn
and smeared with CRIME of burned
gunpowder. The August day was hot
and the sweat steamed down the faces
OF the gunners. Above them the sky
was obscured by the clouds of white
| smoke that rolled upward from the
batteries in mighty volumes. The
muzzies of the giant Krupps were hot
with the incessant fire and IL made a
picture as awe-inspiring as concep-
lions Of the inferno to see the long
spurts OF flame, splitting the battle
pail which drifted over the field"
| In describing the scenes afterwards
French infantrymen said that the
! streets on the outskirts of Charleroi
became so damned with corpses that
some of those who were killed re-
| manned in a standing position. being
supported by the bodies OF their slain
comrades.
| Artillery Fire Continues.
Throughout Sunday night and Mon
day the roar of artillery could be
heard on all sides OF CharlerOi.
| Charleroi is in the center of an ac-
tive industry and mining district. The
Stag heaps OF the surroundings offered