Evening star., 1914-09-25
Sir John French Describes
Operations of September
18, 19 and 20.
GERMAN ARTILLERY FIRE
CONSTANT FOR 8 DAYS
Many Interesting Items in Field
Marshal's Account Made Public
by London Press Bureau.

LONDON September 25.-The official
press bureau last night issued re-
port from Field Marshal Sir John
Fnench's headquarters, suplementing
the dispatch of September %, on the
British operations in France. The
text follows:
The enemy is still maintaining him
self along the whole front, and in or
der to go Is throwing into the fight de-
tachments composed of units from
very different formations, the active
army. reserve and landwehr, as is
shown by the uniforms of the prison
ers recently captured
Our progress, although slow on ac-
count of the strength of the defensive
positions against which we are press
ing, has in certain directions been con-
tinaous. but the present battle may
we'll last for some days more before a
decision Is reached, since it now ap-
proxinlates somewhat to siege warfare.
Germans Using Searchlights.
The Germans are making use of
se&fchlights. This fact, coupled with
their great strength in heavy artillery,
leads to the supposition that they are
employing material which may have
been collected for the siege of Paris.
'SFhe pature of the general situation
after the operations of the 18th, 18th
and goth cannot better be summarized
than as expressed recently by a neigh
boring French commander to his corps:
Having repulsed repeated and violent
counter attacks made by the enemy,
we have feeling that we have been
victorious
so far as the British are concerned,
the course of events during these three
days can be described in few words.
During Friday. the 18th, artillery fire
was kept up internationally by both
sides during daylight At night the
Germans counter-attacked certain por-
ttons of our line. supporting the ad-
heavy .bombardment. But the strokes
We're not delivered with great vigor
and ceased about , am. During the
days fighting an aircraft gun of the
sd Army Corps succeeded in bringing
down German aeroplane.
News was received also that body
OF French cavalry had demolished part
of the railway to the north, cutting
at least temporarily, one line of COM
munication. which is of particular i'm
portance to the enemy.
Artillery Activity Routine.
Saturday, the 18th, the bombardment
was resumed by the Germans at an
early hour and continued intermittent
fy under reply from our own guns
Some of their infantry advanced from
cover, apparently with the intention
of attacking. but on coming under fire
they retired Otherwise, the day was
uneventful, except for the activity of
the artillery, which is matter of nor
NAL routine rather than an event.
Another hostile aeroplane was
brought down by us, and one of our
aviators succeeded in dropping several
boEabs over the German line, one in
cendiary bomb falling with considera-
fEaf T
Fere. buried store of the enemy's
munitions of war also was found, not
far from the Aisne, ten wagon loads
of live shells and two wagons of cable
being dug up. Traces were discovered
of large Quantities OF stores having
been burned-aH tending to show that
as far back as the Aisne the German
retirement was hurried.
Rain and Wind Hamper Troops.
There was strong wind during the
day. accompanied by driving rain.
This initiated against the aerial recon-
noissance.
Sunday, the Goth. nothing of i'm
portance occurred until the afternoon,
when there was a break in the clouds
and an interval of feeble sunshine,
which was hardly powerful enough to
warm the soaking troops The Ger
mans took advantage of this brief spell
OF fine weather to make several coun-
ter-attacks against different points.
These were all repuIsed with loss to
the enemy. but the casualties incurred
by Us were by no means light
In one section of our firing line the
occupants of the trenches were under
the Impression that they heard a mill
tary band in the enemy's lines just be-
fore the attack developed 1t is now
known that the German infantry start
ed their advance with bands playing.
The offensive against one or two
points was renewed at dusk, with no
greater success. The brunt of the re-
sistance has naturally fallen upon the
infantry. In spite of the fact that they