The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1914-08-13
PASSES ARE
FORCED BY
The FRENCH
They Gain a Commanding
Position Ia AISace
BREAK THROUGH
GERMAN DEFENSES

Can Not Attack Strongly Fortified
City Which Has Been Refuge For
German Troops Driven Back From
Cities Which Have Fallen Into
Hands of the Enemy--valley Is
Flooded, but Fails to Check In
vaders-situatlon at Liese Re-
semhIes Drawn Game OF Chess
London, Aug. 1l.--lnterest in the
war has shifted abruptly from Bel
GUM TO Alsace.
The French advance, regarded at
first as a mere feinting movement,
is developing with extraordinary ra-
pidity.
II the messages received In Lon
don can be believed, and it must be
remembered that they come from
sources unfriendly to Germany, the
French movement has now become
fully as menaeing to Germany as the
German advance through Belgium and
Luxemburg has been to France.
The penetration into upper Alsace
OF the French colored troops Will pro-
woke German wrath. These troops
have been an irritant to Germany,
principally because she has been un-
able to do anything in this line with
her own colored populations.
The check at Liege was apparently
a severe shock to the invaders; the
overwhelming success of the French
in their attempt to wrest back his
toric Alsace has been equally sur
prising.
Not only have Mulhausen and Col
mar fallen into French hands, but an
other French army, hitherto unsus
pected, has broken through the Ger
man defenses in the Vosges noun
tains and is now menacing Strassburg
from the southwest.
Mountain Passes Forced
The seven mountain passes through
the Vosges were supposedly strongly
closed to invaders. But news came
to Paris that in a desperate battle
Saturday two Of the passes were
seized and further French advance
Sunday morning gained for the French
a commanding position overlooking
Markirch, northest of Colmar.
The Importance of the new attack
is shown by the fact that the French
can now attack Neu Breisach from
front and rear.
This is one Of the strongly fortified
German cities Of Alsace and has been
the refuge for the German troops
driven back from Altkirch, Null
hansen and Colmar.
The battle Saturday night on the
high ridges Of the Vosges for the
first time brought the much Wanted |
French aeroplane force into a. real
engagement. They were not of much |
service in the night, but the next
they were able to spy out the
German position and to prevent any
surprises OF the French positions.
One officer was wounded, but the
pilot planed quickly down to the
French lines and the officer was hur-
ried to the hospital at Epinal, where
the wounded soldiers of both armies.
are being cared for.
Desperate Fighting
The fighting was desperate, but the
character of the country, broken hills
and great forests, made it quite un-
like the battling at Liege. The
French advanced by sharp dashes
from one advantageous spot to an
other, dislodging the enemy by ac-
curate firing.
Partisan dispatches report that the
German craftsmanship was poor, but
L is impossible to say how much.
credence can be given such reports.
When Sunday morning dawned the
French held the passes OF Bonhomme
and Saint Marie, both OF them suit
able for the passage of all sections
II an army. II is admitted that the
osses on both sides were heavy, al
.hough no estimate Of the number
'lain and wounded has been sent out
The French advance from the south
although headed by General Joffre,
vas not regarded seriously by the
ierman defenders OF Alsace, who
Mulhausen and Colmar
Utmost without struggle. Neither
u the cities is OF any strategic i'm
,ortance.
Aid Hurried Forward
But when dispatches were re-
eived Of the daring break OF the
french through the vosges, rein
orcements we're rapidly sent from the
.rmy OF the Rhine, and over the two
aptured passes other French columns
we're hurried.
No news OF the fighting that must
ave since taken place there has
cen received at London, but IT ie