Milford chronicle., 1914-12-18
Cain Along Line in Belgium
and France
GENERAL ADVANCE NOW ON
Offensive ope. . ons Drive Back Ger
mans at Many Points Along the
Long Line.

Inc offensive movements Oh the
French and British has become gen.
eral and is being pushed with strong
forces, principally in Flanders, the
Argonne, the Woevre and Alsace.
While the French claim to have
been successful at all points, except
at Eteinbach, in Alsace, the German
official report says that the allied at
tacks have been unsuccessful at sew.
eral places.
On the whole, however, it would
appear that the allies, who now have
a superiority in numbers as well as
in artillery, have succeeded in max
ing some progress and have withstood
vigorous counter attacks delivered by
the Germans.
The fact that the allies are in pos.
session of Hollebeke, in Flanders, and
that heavy fighting was going on
again, shows that they have made an
appreciable advance during the past
two days, as last week they were be-
ing attacked by the invaders two
miles to the west Of St. Eloy, which is
on the Ypres, Armentieres road.
In the Argonne region the French
simply say:
I'VE have made progress and main.
tanned our advance Of the preceding
days"
The force which has been checked
at Steinbach is the left wing of the
army which for some time has been
fighting its way toward Muelhausen
and which has cleared a considerable
part of Alsace of the Germans.
It is evident that while the Ger
mans are prepared to offer stubborn
resistance to attempted advances in
the regions mentioned in the official
communications, they expect the main
attack of the allies to be made in an.
other direction or are themselves pre-
pairing for an offensive, for they have
gathered considerable forces at COur-
trai, from which point they could be
quickly transferred either to Flanders
or southwark across the French from
tier.
During the past forty-eight hours
the French have been bearing the
brunt of the fighting at both ends Of
the great 300-mile battle front stretch
ing over Belgian, French and German
soil. Further progress has been made
at a number of points, according to
official dispatches from the front, and
many German prisoners have been
taken.
While the French troops led the
assaults near Hollebeke, Belgium,
where the Germans are reported to
have lost a gool position, the British
are still under fire, with the German
artillery keeping up an incessant bonn
bardment of the English trenches.
On the heights OF the Meuse there
are further indications of German
retirement from St. Mihiel soon. The
artillery has been shifted northward
along the Meuse, because of the dan
gerous increase OF pressure on the
part of the French.
In Alsace, particularly near Alt
kircke, a severe artillery duel Is pro-
ceeding. The French have succeeded
in getting an enormous number OF
heavy guns through the snow-filled
passes of the Vosges, their object be-
ing to get as much artillery into Al
SAGE as possible before the midwinter
storms could block the passes entire
". It is indicated that there has been
no appreciable change in the position
of the French troops lying to the west
of Metz, Strassburg and Muelhausen
during the past twenty-four hours.
The following are the official bulle'
tins: