New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-16
fRr Cable 20 Tie Trlbun. !

London, Dec. l5.--All along the line
| from Flanders to the Vosges the Allies
began to-day to move forward with the
immediate object OF driving the Ger
mans back out Of Belgium. The pres
ent onslaught against the German in
trenchments is heavier than any Of
fensive assumed by the French, British
and Belgian forces since General Won
kluck was turned on the Aisne. II IL
the result Of a complete change OF
plan by General Joffre and Field Mar
| shal Sir John French, and means that
the campaign which was to have been
begun in the spring is now under way.
According TO information that has
reached your correspondent from a
highly placed parsonage in touch with
the War Office, the Ksiser's troops, il
this new movement is successful,
should be thrown back on their second
line in Belgium, on a line from Bruges
TO Courtrai. within three weeks. No
word Of tis momentous Fastening o.
the Allies advance has been spoken
of in the official communiques, and in
the announcement issued this evening
by the press bureau, there is only the
barest hint of the magnitude Of opera
tions just begun, this announcement
reads:
after a period of comparative quiet
the fighting in Northern France has re
commenced. A combined attack by the
Allies was made yesterday on the line
from Hollebeke to Wytschaete. Several
German trenches and number Of pris-
oners have been captured and substan-
tial progress has been made"
(Wytschaete is five miles south
of Ypres. Belgium. while Hollebeke
is about three miles northeast of
Wytschaete. Consequently the line
referred TO above is about three
miles long,
Allies Now Ready.
The authority to whom your corre-
spondent is indebted for the informs-
ton concerning this most importan.
development pointed out that the at
tack thus briefly described is probably
only one Of the last feelIn out move
ments begun By General Jotfre about
ten days ago. From the North Sea TO
the Swiss frontier the allied troops
have been sounding out the Germans
strength by small attacks At various
points, and evidently the result OF this
process has been highly satisfactory.
The commanders in the iield figure
that by the present strategy either
Belgium will be freed of the invader
BY sprins, or the Germans will be
forced TO withdraw so many men from
the eastern theatre of the var ;ha,
the pressure on the Russians will be
relieved 70 such an extent that Their
advance into Germany will be MADE
practically certain. Iney also believe,
according to the same source OF al.
thority, that the duration of the war
will be shortened by fully three months
unless some unforeseen obstacle over
throws their present plan.
In making the change General Joffre
and Field Marshal French have been
actuated largely by the discovery that
their estimates Of the number Of ef-
fectives under their command erred or
the right side; that is, that they were
too conservative. The French ii-st.lae
regiments needed far less time IN
which 20 recuperate from the first
months of the war than General Jofre
had allotted to them. and the men OF
Earl Kitchencr's new army and the ter
ritorials have shown themselves 10 be
ready for the firing line months before
Kitchener had intended to send them
20 France.
Although the offensive movement
runs all along the front, IL is doubtful
If the General staff at present conten-
mates more than a reoccupation OF the
whole or a substantial part of Belgium.
The heaviest part of this fresh attack
is directed against the German right
wing, the object being TO turn the
flank in such a manner that - right
will rest on Bruges and its centre on
Courtrai. At present the Germans hold
the line from Nieuport TO Dixmude and