The midland journal., 1914-08-28
LovaIn and Aerschot Vie With
Diest and TirIemont
IN HeroiSn
GERMANS OCCUPY BRUSSELS.
Thronss Flee Belgian Capital as
Forces OF Kaiser Approach Story
Of How TeutonIc Army Took
the City.
By ERNEST SMITH.


Correspondent Of the London Daily
NeMs.)
Ostend After the heroic defense Of
Diest and Tirlemont 1t was the turn
OF Louvain and Aershot to try with
handfuls OF troops to keep the invader
at bay while the main Belgian army
was reforming its position.
The battle Of Tuesday before Tirle-
mont had gone on till ten o'clock at
night, and even after that, during
the few hours before daybreak, rifles
snapped out the notice there would
be no sleep In the land that night.
Under the cover Of darkness the
Belgian general stan and army was si-
lently moving to its new position To
have fought where it was at that
moment would have given away all
the advantages of the allies and
would have been to risk heavy loss,
and perhaps defeat.
Germans Charge Trenches.
It was, however, not to do military
experts work that / started to write
this, but rather to follow the fortunes
Of the plucky rear guard Of Belgians
left behind to harrass the oncoming
Germans.
At dawn on Wednesday, saw the
Germans hotly attacking the trenches
that had been filed up during the
| night with fresh men. Part Of them
were of the famous Liege field force
that had decimated the Germans who
approached the trenches before the
Liege forts. They had begged to be
sent back to Liege to meet the en-
envy again there. This could not be
done. but they had their opportunity
now, a desperate one, it is true, for
each Of those men knew he was
marked down to be sacrificed il nee
essary In the interest Of the plans of
The defense.
Air Scouts Get Range.
Two German aeroplanes flying auda-
ciously low swept over the trenches to
see how they were held. Almost Inn
mediately afterward the German ar
MlIery got the range Of the trenches
and commenced bursting shrapnel
over them. Infantry and machine
guns were quickly at work and the
little band Of defenders settled down
to keep the enemy's masses of troops
at bay as long as possible.
BY six o'clock the attack was gem
eral along the whole line, but 1t was
particularly violent in front Of Aer-
shot There was a pitiless and deter
mined onslaught In which the German
commanders showed the same disre-
gard for the loss OF men as elsewhere.
Two of the heroic regiments from Liege
bore the brunt of the attack In the po-
sition northeast Of town. They were
outnumbered by ten to one, but they
stuck to their positions with the cour-
age Of desperation and inflicted q fear
kul loss on the Germans. Their own
losses were terrible.
Germans Enter Louvain.
BY 10 O'Clock the Germans were in
Louvain. They had brought their In
fantry and machine guns up by motor
cars, moving quickly. As the civil
guard already had been disbanded,
there remained only the rear guard In
the town to harass the enemy as long
as possible.
It was the same story at Diest,
Tirlemont and Aerschot. A brief hero
ic resistance was followed by the in
eyitable development Of the vast
Fforces the Germans were pushing for
ward. There were desperate combats
at Corbeckloe and Lovenjoul and the
honorable retreat had been sounded
once more.