The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-06
E NO CHANGE IN WAR
 SITUATION ON THE
 FRENCH FRONTIER
tContInued from Page One,
Allies Take Offensive


 resistance will at the same time. weaken the French east army
 Allies Take Offensive
 From the Battle Front, October 5.-(Via Paris, Il :36 D. m.)-The allied armies, after having permitted their adversarIes. as they thought, to exhaust themselves by continued attacks, today took a most vigorous offensive. The British and French encountered such a strong re- sistance, however, that their most ad- vanced attachments on the western wing were compelled to fall back.
 Only at this part of the long battle line did the opposing troops actually come into close contact.
 Many picturesque villages, around which hundreds of thousands of men occupy positions, have suffered severely in the recent fighting and probably will suffer still more before the struggle is over.
 The country where the chief fighting is going on is flat and under cultivation In many places it is boggy and there are scattered coal mines.
 The allied armies are extending con- tinually toward the north and bending eastward toward the Belgian frontier. thus compelling the Germans, in order to prevent the crumbling up of their smain army, to move large forces from the center and so keep pace with the diiitS NHOSt poSlllOIl lntUdtcS lne lnNdu- CTS along the whole line. The allies plan, 1t is thought, may compel the Germans to release the pressure on the Belgians.
 French Rapidity Remarkable
 The rapidity with which the French change position is considered remarkable. Two entire divisions of infantry marched nearly 30 miles Saturday and 2S miles Sunday. The Germans, however by means of their aviators who are Hitting continually over the lines despite numer- ous casualties discovered the move mcnts and brought up reinforcement to meet them. As the Germans occupy the inside of the circle, they are able to reach an appointed spot with much shorter marches.
 It was this that enabled them to force the advance guards of the allies to cede a small portion of ground until further assistance came.
 At one point the allies front, a French regiment. after three days in the trenches, on being ordered to the rear for rest, sent a petition through their colonel to the commanding general ask Ing permission to remain until the Ger nan position facing them was taken.
 This was granted and the men ad- vanced. Although they met with such a terrific fire from the machine guns that an advance of 800 yards took eight hours they captured the position and number Of prisoners. They themselves suffered severely.
 A Daring Raid
 French cavalry executed d daring raid back of the German lines where they blew up railroad tunnel and escaped
 British lancers and French troopers per- formed a brilliant exploit at another point Getting between the Imperial Guard and their artillery and ammuni- tion train by a long, dashing ride, they cut off the supplies. destroying them so that the guards big guns were rendered temporarily useless.
 General Jean Rousseau, of the French cavalry. died today of wounds.
 Audacious espionage carried on by the Germans has caused the stan of the allies to deal severely with all strangers found within the lines. When two curious Trishmen, arrested yesterday, had proved their identity to the satisfaction of the