The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1914-10-15
GHENT CAPTURED
BY GERMANS ON
WAY TO OSTEND
Huge Siege Guns to Shell Region
of VeTdun.
HEAVY FIGHTING AT LENS
Repeated Assaults Of TeutonS Re.
ported Repulsed by AIIles--kaIssr's
Men Said to Have Lost Many
.'. in Battle.

London, Oct. 13.-The whole Ger
man front is preparing to take the Of
fensiVe again along a battle line no
less than three hundred miles long.
German cavalry has advanced with
In thirty miles of Ostend; Client, &C.
cordin8 10 a dispatch to the London
Star from Rotterdam, has been cap
tured by the invaders; Uhlans, screen
ing a heavy Prussian force, have been
encountered all through the territory
west of Lille.
Another report ig that the allies still
hold Client.
These are maneuVers covering the
establishment of the new Belgium bat
tie line reaching out from and con.
Meeting with the German right wing
in France.
Attack Renewed on oise.
Between Arras and the Disc the en-.
| envy has renewed his attacks with in
creasing fury; the plateau north of
| Scissors continues to be the scene of
vigorous offensive movements by the
kaiser's forces, and Verdun, for eight
weeks under almost incessant fire from
the German guns, now is to be made
the target of the monster howitzers
that reduced Antwerp.
Belfort, too. is to be battered by the
monster siege guns. according to Ber-
lin reports. The population of this
city is fleeing in fear OF lombard
ment such as reduced Namur, Liege
and Antwerp.
The results of the series of battles
extending from the Swiss border to
within twenty-five miles of the Straits
of Dover indicated by the fragmentary
reports of activity in France and Bel
GUM are laden with importance.
The fall Of Antwerp was essential to
the consummation of far greater and
more stupendous plan of campaign
being initiated by the German stan, II
for no other reason than that 1t sig
nailed the crushing OF Belgium, making
three-quarters of the kingdom solidly
held by the kaiser; It eliminated Ant
Werp as a thorn in the side of Ger,
many, and lastly and most important.
It released 10000 men and the be-
sieging army's big guns, making them
available for active operations against
the more formidable opponent in
France which the kaiser could not
move.
This force under General Won Bese-
Ter, it is expected, will shortly swing
in the southwesterly direction, seeking
junction with the army under Gen
eral Won Boehm, who Ia supporting Won
Kluck just over the border in north
eastern France.
Signal for General Attack.
The attempt OF this Antwerp at
lacking army to effect this junction in
its westward movement toward the
coast will be the signal, military ex-
perts here believe, for a general at
tack along the whole German battle
front. The concerted attacks at other
points Of the line are designed to keep
the allies 80 busy locally that they
will be unable to hurl to the north
ward sufficient re-enforcements to re-
lieve the threatened wing OF the allies
against which the Germans even now
are directing a turning movement in
the region of Lille.
Allies Concentrate at ostend.
The French general stan has antici.
pated this strategy and during the
past week is reported to have conceu-
trated sufficient troops at ostend, in.
Guiding the newly arrived British
forces, the Canadian regiments who
are reported to have arrived there,
and the Belgians, who have come to
Antwerp, to be ready to meet the new
German front.
In the meantime there are indica-
tons that General Won Boehm, with
Mons as his base, is swinging his
forces, like a great arm, forward in
the direction of the oncoming Antwerp
victors.
Everything indicates that the Ger
mans center and the point from which
the main attack upon Ostend will be
attempted will rest along the Scheldt
river, which as 1t reaches south from
Antwerp swings in q great arc toward
Lille. This will bring the theater of
the coming conflict near the course OF
the Lys river. between Client and
Courtrai.
1t will be the purpose of the Ger.
mans, according to experts, to drive
the British, French and Belgians con-
centrated at Ostend into the North
sea or force them to eyacuate. In THE
event the natural retreat OF the army
! of occupation In Ostend would be
! westerly along the coast toward Dun
kirk and then southwark to fall back
upon the allied left, operating to the
south and west of Lille.
There is growing activity In the VI
entity of ostend. German cavalry pa
trolls we're encountered by refugees
within days march of the coast, and
from Bruges and Eecloo fugitives
continued TO enter the city, fleeing be.
fore the reported German advance.
! II the Germans hold Client, 1t Il
practically impossible for the allies 70