Imperial Valley press., 1914-11-12

Germany army at Dixmude have
caused great rejoicing today. This is
heightened by the arrival of 1000
British and French prisoners and 4
detachment of captive Indians, all of
whom were paraded through the
streets. The press states that the
German land and sea forces are on
the threshold of new era of achieve
ment.
Germans in Ascendant.
London, Nov. 12.-Todays news
from the battle front in France and
Belgium hits London with shock Of
surprise, so different is it from what
the dispatches of the last few days
had led this capital to expect.
The widely -heralded triumphantly-
welcomed announcement of yesterday
that the German retreaS from Bel
gium was becoming general and that
it was only question of days until
the Kaiser's armies would be in full
retreat, is followed by the report that
not only have the Germans rallied all
along their front, but have succeed
ed in driving the allies out of Dix
nude and the town of ElOi, south of
Ypres, and have won a distinct ad-
vantage in the battle around La Bas-
see, capturing all told about 5000 of
the allied soldiers and nearly a score
of machine guns.
The hundredth day of fighting sees
the battle of the canals drawing to
the close of its fourth week and from
today's dispatches it is difficult to
imagine longer that the Germans
have suffered complete defeat in their
movement against Dunkirk and Ca
lais, inaugurated Immediately after
the fall of Ostend on October 13.
Official reports from both Paris
and Berlin agree that the Germans
have won successes in the last few
days of fighting. That the serious
ness of the situation is realized in
the French capital is indicated by the
release after "a hours Of the news
of the fall of Duxmude. 1t is as
sumed that the French war office,
when apprised of this disaster to the
allied arms yesterday, held it back in
the hope that today's developments
would be more favorable. In this they
were disappointed.
One ray of hope that London holds
tonight is that the allied lines have
fallen back at the different places
mentioned in the official reports as
part of their established strategy. 1t
has been the policy of the British,
French and Belgian commanders ever
since the battle was joined, to re-
treat when the only other alternative
was the useless sacrifice of life. The
German policy, on the other hand,
has been to pour overwhelming masses
of men against shellfire, rifle fire or
hayonet 1t is pointed out that no.
where is mention made of a piercing
of the allied lines and that consequent
ly it may be assumed that the front
opposed to the German advance on
Calais and Dunkirk remains as effec-
tive to check the actual advance as
it ever has been.
The determination of the Germans
to reach these two towns on the
French coast, however, appears to be
as firm as ever. The advices tell Of
resumption with great ferocity of
the tattle around Nieuport and the
River Lys. This is the first time
Nieuport has been mentioned in the
official reports since the cutting of
the dikes flooded the surrounding
country and caused the German artil-
lery to stick fast in the mud.
The German successes at Lange-
marck, La Bassee and Armentieres in
dicate that they have almost restored
the straight north and south line
from Ostend to Lille by way of Ypres.
The first notable break in this line
came when the allied powers drove a
portion of the German army as far
east as Roulers. Langemarck is north
and east of Ypres, but considerably
west of Roulers, from which it is in
ferred that this, detachment of the
enemy's forces is meeting with some
success in fighting to regain lost
ground.
East and south of Ypres the Ger
mans were driven as far as Menin
according to advices of week or two
ago. There was battle on the line
from Menin west to Warneton and
along to La Bassee and Armentieres
and the present successes of the Ger
mans about the latter two towns "aft.
er several days of fighting" seem te
indicate that this is another point Of
the German line which has been ef'
fectually reinforced.
The battle continues to rage about