South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-11-26
Mantle of Silence is Drawn
Over Operations Between
YpreS and La BaSSee, But
RumOrS Plentiful.
GERMANS IN DESPERATE
ATTEMPT IN BELGIUM
Are Centering the Most DeS-
perate of All Their Attacks
to Clear Pathway to Calais.
Gain Some Ground.

PARIS. Nov. 25.-A mantle Of
silence has been drawn over the ope-
rations between Ypres and La Bassee.
Neither OF today's official cOmmuni-
ques issued by the war office made
any mention OF the developments on
this line, although Paris hears unoh-
cially that here the Germans are CEN
tering the most desperate of all their
desperate attacks, apparently in
last effort to break through the allied
lines and clear a pathway 10 Calais.
THE day has been quiet There
has been no modification upon the
front as q whole" reads tOnights Off
cial statement. That issued this aft
ernoon, while more vOluble and
chronicling certain French and allied
successes, was equally significant IN
that IL ignored entirely this section OF
the line of battle.
From the North sea TO Ypres there
were no infantry attacks yesterday,
81 said Between Langemarck and
Zonnebeke we have gained ground"
Five Miles From Ypres.
Iangemarck and Zonnebeke are
each about five miles from Ypres but
in a northerly and nOrtheasterly di-
-ection Unofficially q big battle is re-
ported TO be raging along the front
from Ypres to La Bassee, which line
is far from these two towns, but the
communfque skips over all this inter
vening territory and in It's next para
graph says:
I'm the neighborhood of La Bassee
the Indian troops have retaken from
the Germans some trenches that had
been captured the previous evening
From La Bassee to scissors the
lull in the fighting was almost total"
1t is known that the GeEmans have
II
the largest guns in their artillery be-
fore beginning their new drive in the
direction Of Calais. Tt is supposed
that the attack centers somewhere
about Arras. but II is impossible for
anyone TO forecast what the results
or the fighting have been since it be
gaa on Monday.
No News Good News.
The silence of the war-Office is not
regarded as ominous Paris is grow
ing accustomed TO the vagaries of the
official mind and is clinging to the
motto that 'no news is good news, f,
waiting patiently in the meantime for
some definite and official tiding from
the new battle field.
From other points on the allied
front there was much news in this aft
ernoon's official communique. After
long silence In regard TO the force
making its base at Pont-a-M -MOusson,
the war office announced that this
body had succeeded in bOmbarding
Arnaville. a village on the LOrrain
frontier only ten miles from the Ger
man base at Metz.
There is room for speculation on
this sudden activity in the direction Of
Metz. Military experts COncede the
possibility that il is a counter often
sive undertaken with the idea of
forcing the Germans TO withdraw
Npres and LaBasSee and throwing
them into the lines that are guarding
the important base that is furnishing
food and supplies for the German
army which has Nerdun for its OBJ
jectiye.
Germans Arc Strong.
That large proportion of the Ger
man troops in the western arena is en-
gagged below Npres is generally be-
lieved. Reports today from LOuvain
by way of Rotterdam say that as late
as today continuous streams Of troop
trains have passed through the cap
tured Belgian city, en- route for the
German armies engaged in the move
ment toward Calais. For q week past
similar reports have been current and
make it seem probable that the Ger
man force on the new battle line is
the largest which the kaiser has as
Vet thrown into the fighting at any
enc point.
Another French success is men
TONED bv the afternoon official state
meut a repulse OF a German attack
at Bethiucourt. northwest OF Nerdun,
where the French are reported not
ONLY 10 have repulsed "a vigorous Ger
man attack. but 60 have refused 10
agree to an armistlce solicited 10y the
defeated Germans
Tn The Argonne also the French
have successfully resisted an attempt
OF the Germans 10 break through their
lihes Apparently this was calculated
in such "a way that II IL had. succeed
cd. general French retreat between
Rheims and the river Aisne would
have been necessary.
Artillery Is Active.
Artillery activity was reported today
from nearly q dozen separate zones
along the great battle line from the
Nosges to the North sea. with The
most vigorous operations under way
in Flanders, where the Germans are