The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-25
RAGING CONFLICT
MOST DESPERATE
| OF PRESENT WAR
Battle Along Front From
Lille to Belgian Coast
Greatest of All.
CRITICAL STRUGGLE
OF WHOLE CAMPAIGN
Outcome Likely to Decide Flu
ture of German Operations
in France.
REINFoRCEMENTs NOW ON Way
Supreme Effort OF Invaders to
Break Through Allies
Lines.
REINFoRCEMENTs NOW ON WA,
Supreme Effort of Invaders tt
Break Through Allies
Lines.

LONDON, October 24.-Superlatiyes
have been SO frequently used In at
tempts to describe the enga gements of
the present war that emphasis Of such
terms as most desperate "violent,r
and Crucial has been weakened; but
to-day. az IL by mutual agreement. both
German. and British newspapers char
acterize the conflict along the front
from Lille In France to the Belgian
seaboard as the greatest struggle OF
all. .
London newspapers were quick to
seize the suggestion of n German mill
itary expert, cabled here from Berlin,
that this is the critical conflict of the
whole campaign. Whether this be so
or not. 1t is contended that the out
come Is likely to decide the future OF
German operations In France. Rein
forcements of 100000 men are ssid to
have been rushed to the German right
wing, and 1t seems no exaggeration to
say that these operations are the SUI
preme effort of the invaders to break
through the allies line.
GERMANY THROWS AIRCRAFT
MORE AND MORE INTO FRAY
Being denied the use of swarships.
which have been rendering good serS
vice for the allies, Germany is said to
be throwing her aircraft. and parttc-
ularly' zeppelins, more and more into
the fray. News dispatches relate that
the operation of zeppelns have been
n marked feature of the fighting to
the southwest of Ostend to which sea-
port the troops Of France, England
and Belgium are said to be working
their way.
/ This. in brief. is broad view OF the
situation In, France and Belgium from
the English standpoint. , Which side
had the advantage when dawn broke.
or which had 1t tonight, is not known,
except to the general stats of tho ops
posing armies All the public wiz
know, barring something unforeseen
in the nature of aScatastrophe to ono
army or the other. will be that the teri
rife artillery duel near the Belgian
coast has continued, and that one side
was pushed back here, only to advance
there, as was explained In the official
communication Issued in Parts last
night.
To HOLD UPPER HAND
That the Russians. generally speai.r
ing. continue to hold the upper hand
in the eastern arena of the war Is the
gist of most of the dispatches reach
ing London. and, accepting this as true.
England thinks that the putting of
Germany on the defensive in this ter-
ritory will prevent her from trans
ferring any forces to the western
arena.
The French forts at verdun. which
have been more or less lost sight OF
during the days the line of battle has
been making it's way slowly ncress
Nor ihern France and Belgium. came TO
the fore again to-day. as n result ~
news from German sources TO the eff
feet that German forces are drawing
closer TO these positions. and that the
French sorties are failing.
London newspapers are treating as
significant the withdrawal of German
troops from Antwerp and Brussels. but
these movements would appear to be
only part Of Germany's plan OF, rein-
forcing her lighting line. The dragnet
for Germans and Austrinrs In the Britt
ish Isles Is still spread out. but there
has been a temporary lull In these eff
forts, duo to the lack Of adequate de-
| tention camps.