The Penn's Grove record., 1914-10-23
FIGHTING OF DESPERATE CHAR
ACTER.

London.-Fighting of the most des-
perate character is in progress in
northwestern France. The Belgian
army, supported by the Allies, is hold
ing on stubbornly to the line Of the
River User, despite determined Ger
man attacks, and has thus far sue
ceeded in bringing to a halt the ad-
vance of the invaders along the coast.
Along the remainder Of the 360-mile
battle front, stretching from the
North Sea to Switzerland, where the
defenders and the invaders have been
deeply e~ntrenched for thirty-seven
days, the greatest activity noted was
along the Mouse River, principally in
the vicinity of Camp des Romans, and
at st. Mihiel, south of Verdun.
Both sides are bringing up reinforce
ments to the western front, where one
of the supreme struggles of the war
is on. The. Germans are not bringing
new troops from the east, but are
throwing every available mar in Bel
GUM into the firing line. They seem
to have the railroads working we'll, al
though they must have been seriously
damaged during the battles of August
and September. Troops are being
transported over them, and Dutch
sources report that train after train
Of wounded is being taken back to
Germany.
In the fighting in this open country,
where the men have not the protec-
ton of elaborate intrenchments, such
as they have on the Aisne, the losses
must be heavy, especially where eff
forts have been made to carry posi-
lions by assault. I
T%orrential rains have been falling
recently near the scene of the coast
fighting, making the fiat country a
sea of mud, and this, with the network
of canals, makes. the movement of
German guns extremely difficult.
The German invaders in their effort
to shorten their lines and rest their
right wing further southwestward upon
the English Channel are meeting with
a vigorous offensive by the Allies. A
good part of the fighting is being done
in the o~bscurity of fogs.
French marines put forth a fine
effort against the Germans.
A thick fog covered the entire re-
gion and the marines, accustomed to
such weather conditions, crept toward
the German trenches. mo shooting"
was the order, use the bayonet."
The marines got within thirty feet
of the trenches before they were seen.
1t was too late for the defenders, who
were ~bayoneted in the trenches and
beyond the trenches as they ran. Four
hundred German prisoners were taken.
One of the places where the French
had been most harassed is near the
elbow of the western line. The impor.
tant position there had been taken and
retaken' frequently during the last
three weeks. Every time the Germans
had been obliged to abandon the posi-
ton, they returned in greater force
and pushed back the French by weight
of numbers.
The French took the position for
the twelfth time and held it for ten
hours. Then came a shock Of the
human battering ram, and the French
gradually gave way. The Germans
began f~ortifying the place, but while
they were engaged in this task, the
earth heaved and a d~eafening explo-
sion occurred. The ten hours the
French had held the point had been
sufficient to mine every rod of the
ground. 1t is estimated that three
German battalions were annihilated.
The strength of the German posi-
lions north of Roye, which facilitated
their movements toward Lille, is ex-
planned by the fact that they were oc-
cupying an unfinished canal, extend
ino &C far as Roisel. The Germans