Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-08-25
BELGIAN S|RAI[Q
DELAYS FITTING
APPEARS TO HAVE kLp GER.
MANS IN CHECK UNTIL
ALLIES WERE RA0Y.
RETIREMENT TO ANTERP
ANOTHER PART oWAR GAME
Not Believed That Maj Belgian Army
, Has Fallen Back to fmporary Capt.
tai But That Main sree Has Joined
French and Briti.h-PIan Of Allies to
Make Stand at Fresh Fortifieatons.
rspecial c,or,spondence.I

Washington. sSo.-DeNeiopfI'ehi'
in the last two or three Gays nave
served to clear up isome measure ZIG
operations in the ESian region.
1t is now clear that the Belgian
troops have been nSaged in hghtlns
DELAYING actions. seeking to gain
time for the perfection OF the prepara-
tons OF the forcesf the allies closer 10
the French fronte -
The German rht continues TO ron
IN heavy force ward the west ana
north II is mahg slow progress Out
nevertheless is trging ahead. brus-
sells has been coupled ny the GER
mans. Belgian loops are retiring OH
Antwerp. Rouely the German hhe
extends from tn region of Antwerp 10
Brussels and viClity and then IN an IT
regularly southland direction TO Di-
nant. The Genans appear 10 be en-
circling Manu- and to have even
reached westwsd as far as Charleroi.
Whore re the Relgians?
The statemets that the Belgians
have retired q a Antwerp can not be
accepted as isral. Unless the Bel
2ians have committed a serious iauil
OF strategy whit has occurred Is inns
a part of the klgian forces is retiring
on Antwerp an sufficient force VIII De
kent there to ef.nd it. Blu, the main
body OF the E-ian troops will DOUBT
less be found here they are iikeiy 70
b. % most usewith the main forces ol
the allies
Ii would lie suicidal Tor the Belgians
to allow more Iroops 10 be coopeo Up III
Antwerp thar actually needed 10 de-
fend it. Andtne able strategy o. the
commander 1 the allied forces does
not warrant ~ belief he would permit
IL For the prnans TO accomplish an
actual diyisiG OF the allies. driving
huge force mo Antwerp and then sep
aratins then from the allied forces
close IL ths Franco Belgian frontier
Would to- iriis results not unlike Whal
happened wien Grant at Nicksb ur2 ol-
vided Penn Srton's army from john
stons and lenned Pemberton up III the
fort:hcatiok OF Vicksburg where NJ
eventual surrendered. Johnston,
wise srrttegist. opposed permitting
PernDertot to b. thus penned up but ne
did aot have his way.
\ fair ass umption is. and one wnlcn
iits bear out. that the Belgian retire
l.e,, is in accord with we'll defined
strategy.
The evacuation OF Brussels and the
drawing back OF The Belgian troops
may b.. compared 10 the drawing back
Of the curtain Back of the curtain the
Germans viii encounter tremendous
forces of the French and probably OF
he British. tho there is a strong be-
lie. in some quarters the British have
been sent iEto -alsace.
Allies to Make Stand.
signs nov point to the fact that 1t IS
the plan OF the allies 10 make their first
great stand along the ring of fortified
lions along the Belgian frontier, close
10 the French frontier. II they are
driven from them. they will fail back
over the French frontier TO the first line
Of French forts. bout twelve or fifteen
miles westward.
The Germans are pushing southwark