Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-10-27

september 20 the French advance was
virtually checked along the entire line.
The French left wing has finally become
too attentuated to continue its envelop-
ing maneuvers. A further extension Of
the line might lead to a break, and In
that case tables would have been turned
completely. Other German reinforce
ments had meanwhile reached the vicini-
ty Of Bapaume, and the German right
wing began to bury itself in entrench-
ments.
On September 80 the German right wing
again rested on Albert where on that day
it defeated a large French force accord
ing to report of the German headquar-
tiers.
The bombardment of the forts between
Verdun and Toul continued with unabat-
ed vigor in the meantime, but ground
gained by the Germans on the right
bank OF the Mouse had to be surrendered
again, according to French official, re-
ports.
While the French gained some ground
in the Vosges they do not seem to have
penetrated az far as the SUBMITS of the
range. as has been asserted in the French
and English official dispatches. Nor is
it possible to find confirmation of the re-
port that the French had again invaded
the Sandgau in Upper Alsace. That an
other invasion of German territory was
attempted from that direction seems like
ly In the face of the German reports, but
that it was effective is denied by the fact
| that no operations of any Importance
have been recorded from there. On Octo-
Der the Germans repulsed frontal at
tack on their right wing at Roye. The
Germans gained considerable ground in
following up the retreat of the French.
| While the Germans made every effort to
break the Epinal-Toul-Ve line, the
French were equally concerned with
breaking the German center north of
Verdun. whose strong entertainments
have SO far def1ed every attempt of that
character. French, English and Italian
observers have combined in saying that
no field works of such an elaborate and
extensive character have ever been laid
out by a modern army, and the French
operations of the last few days have in
] dtcated that 1t has abandoned as hope
less to further attack them. From Ger
man sources 1t has been learned that
these entertainments were laid out behind
the advancing German forces by working
columns of the German 'landsturm
without arms as the organization is
known. This instance of remarkable
foresight permitted the retiring German
forces to fall into a position which had
been carefully selected and prepared, in
which in fact, everything was ready for
a most stubborn defense
According to French and German off,
cial dispatches fighting in the vicinity of
Arras. northwestern France was in full
progress on October and 4. while there
was lull in operations in the Peronne
district. Slight gains were made by the
French in the neighborhood of scissors,
where several German trenches were car
ried. In the Woevre district. near Apre-
mont on the Mouse the French claim
several successes. with German dis
patches claiming the very opposite.
Several sharp attacks were made by
the Germans on October and on the
French positions between Craonne and
Argonne forest. Some of the ground
gained by the Germans was lost again on
the fourth. but on the whole the opera
ton appears to have been advantageous
to them. On October 4th fighting on the
German right and French left subsidized
considerably, the attention of the various
commanders being occupied with an ex-
tension of their forces beyond Arras,
where on the following day the intermin-
able series of attacks and counter at
tacks of the two opposing wings were
continued without decisive result. West
OF Lille and west of Lens collisions be-
| of he
occurred. but these like the fighting on
the Arras-Albert-Roye line led to nc
defininte Developments
Meanwhile the situation. on the French
and German centers had remained the
same. no fighting being reported from
either the Oise-Meuse or Verdun+Belfort
lines The claim of the French to have
made slight advances in the Mouse hills
is indirectly supported by the German
dispatches dealing with the situation on
October 40
/ On October new general engage
ment had begun on the French left and
German right wings. French cavalry
penetrated as far as % kilometers north
east of Arras, but was driven back, the
Germans succeeding in re-establishine
their line. Contact between French and
German cavalry was established west OF
Ryssel and Lens, but the Germans sue
ceeded in holding the ground they had
gained. Several attacks by the French
on the German positions at Arras-Albert-
Roye were wthstood successfully
though counter attack of the Germans
at Lassigny was met by the French with
equal success Collisions between the
French and German thanking cavalry
troops occurred Immediately north OF
Tourcoing, Infantry and artillery bodies
following the mounted troops added an
other few klometers to the ever-growine
line. Some ground was lost by the
French. however. Though the German
dispatches made no mention of such q
gain the French official dispatches OF
October 7 announced that the ground lost
by the French between Chaulnes and
Roye had been re-taken.
On October another attempt was made
by the German cavalry to outfiank the
French cavalry northwest of Arras, but
1t appears that the Germans were thrown
back. Attacks made by the French or
the German positions in the Roye dis