Evening star., 1914-11-27
Objective Point Disclosed.

those documents agreed that it was a
question Il decisive action against the
French left.
Objective Point Disclosed.
ut was necessary to penetrate to Dun
kirk or to Ypres for the reason. accord
ing to one of these orders, that the
decisive blow yet was to be delivered.
And this blow must be decisive. de-
livered with all speed and carried
through at all cost. 1t was desired to
obtain a decision in the western arena
CT operations before again turning to-
ward the adversary in the east.
These various orders recited, fur
thermore, that Emperor William was
there to animate his soldiers by his
presence. He had announced that, ne
wanted to be in Ypres November l..
on that date there could be proclaim
ed the annexation of Belgium.
I'm short, everything was provided
for. every single thing except the vic
torious resistance of the allied army.
To make this resistance possible it was
necessary for us to oppose to the enemy
forces if not equal to his own, at least
sufficient.
What was then the situation of the
beginning of October?
The Belgium army had come out of
Antwerp intact, but too exhausted to
take part in any maneuvers. The Eng
Aisne for a field of operations in the
north Transportation and the move
ments of supplies occasioned long de-
lays. The army under Gen. de Castel-
nau did not extend its left wing beyond
a point south of Arras. The army of
Gen. de Maudhui extended from this
point to the south of Lille. Further
on we had cavalry, territorials and
sufficiently strong to enable Gen.
Foch. called by Gen. Joffre to take COM
Inand of the armies in the north, to
break the will of the enemy. Rein
forcements were therefore sent him.
Reign of Railroad and Automobile.
Then for three weeks we saw the
reign of the railroad and of the auto
mobile. Day and night troops were
being moved by these methods of trans
portatien, and they arrived in time.
Divisions and army corps, not so strong
numerically as those of the enemy,
but sustained by an admirable spirit.
moved into action as they disembarked
from the train. For thirty days these
divisions were at the front.
About the goth of October our front
was outlined follows: From NieVport
to Dixmude, one of our divisions of in
fantry and our marines held the rail-
road line. while the Belgian army was
reorganizing itself in the rear; to the
south of Dixmude We were Installed
along the canal. and from here our line
extended to the east, making in front
ow Ypres a vast semi-circle held by
four corps % the French army and one
corps of the English army. The line
then dropped to a point to the south
of Messines and Armentieres, forming
two segments, the first held by the re-
Inainder of the British army and the
second by ourselves.
THE German attack was an effort
first to occupy Dunkirk and reach
Calais or Boulogne. They tried to
flank US, and to cut the direct COM
munications of the British army with
the seacoast.
All the heavy artillery of the enemy
brought from Antwerp was there ready
to be used again.
Beginning the 9TH of November the
attacks We're repulsed From the rail-
road we marched toward the User,
rolling up the enemy who had sue
ceeded in crossing to the left bank of
this stream. and drowning his rear
guards in the floods one can still
see near Ramscappelle German can
non half buried in the mud and the
corpses of German soldiers half sub
merged. 80
Then the enemy, finding It impos-
sible to get around our flank endeavor-
ed to cut through. This was the bat
tie of the fpres. an engagement des-
perate. furious and relentless, during
which the German army hurled its
units forward in dense masses without
counting its losses, sacrificing every
thing in a fierce endeavor to Obtain.
its object. but the effort was in vain.
Resist Repeated Assaults.
For close on three weeks we stood
up against repeated frantic assaults
Every one of them was repulsed. Our
front with @
not easy to hold, but nevertheless we
We're successful in keeping it intact
on the Goth of October the British
troops. particularly the cavalry had
been obliged to withdraw for several
hundred yards before a powerful on
slaught OF the enemy. Our troops at
tacking in conjunction and at the same
time with our allies, We're successful
in re-establishing the impossible bar
rier which closed the approaches to
Ypres. That which was done here by
our army corps. working in close har-
mony with the English corps. which
it encircled. Is worthy of place in the
finest records of military history
'"The 18th of November the enemy
had succeeded at point north OF
Ypres in crossing the canal over two
bridges. BY the 18th he had beer
driven back to the other bank Also
on the 18th the enemy succeeded ir
occupying a certain territory in the
region to the south of Ypres. Thi.
territory was recaptured from him
the 18th the attacks of the enc.
my were less intense and our
position. already strong. became i'm.
pregnable. This result was OBJ
tanned by the Belgian army, unde.
the orders of Gen dUrbal, together
with the participation of the armies o.
Gen de Maudhui and de Castelnau
These three armies constituted, the
group of armies under the commane
0f Gen. Foch. The two last mentioned