South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-10-28
BATTLE IS MOST
VIOLENT Of WAR
No Doubt That Germans Have
MasSed Their Best Troops
Al -ng Rivers in Belgium.
Allies Force Sufficient.
BY ANDRE BEAUFORT.


DIEPPE. France. oct. Is The
battle OF the north. along the canal
OF LaBassee and the rivers Iys and
User. which has now been pushed
with unusual fury for seven days and,
one might say seven nights. is one OF
the Eiost violent that has been fought
in the course Of this war.
There is no doubt that along this
line the Germans have massed their
best troops All that remains 30 the
guards are their latest recruits VINO
came to I'M heavy losses in all the
regiments which i'm some cases. ] am
told, reached 20 per cent of their 81
1ecuVe.
This entire mass of their best fight
ing strength is engaged in desperate
effort TO break through "a line which
CuriOusly enough was. so to speak,
omen 20 them four weeks ago, having
been left undefended because at that
time the German effort was directed
toward breaking through the French
line at f.assigny. ROye and Albert in
the direction OF Amlens.
The forces of the allies are more
than sufficient 10 meet this new on
slaught. The Germans are wearing
themselves out by constantly extend
ing their line OF battle. Already we
learn that they have been losing or
calculating important positions near
Arras and also along the center at
Rheims, the troops left in those places
being now almost without officers, as
many Of them were called north 20
lead fresh recruits.
Put as they wreaked their ven
fseance on the villages and towns or
the SOmme so now the Germans are
irving 10 leave behind them a waste
in the north. For the last two weeks
they have carried on a systematic
campaign of incendiarism and destruc-
tic~ i'm the villages of GiVenchy. FROM
Giles lilies, Ablain. WarnctOn, Rad
inghem and others through when
they have passed OF out of which they
have been driven.
7 have seen the German frebrandS
20 work As they did at Lille and Ar
l-as their first work is 10 surround the
village with a series of trenches. As
the first OF these is given up the light
ing ~oes on behind the houses, where
they place machine guns. As soon as
they feel the fighting going against
them they set their infantry brigades
10 work to set fire 20 as many houses
as possible. once the village is ahan-
doned and the Germans driven out OF
the last trenches on the other side,
they shell the unfortunate place from
g. distance and try to destroy what
remains OF the houses.
Army is Great ScOurge
Never before was there such ruth
less destruction. If ever there was
sccurge Of God it is the German army
uf 1914. That is what the unhappy
Deorle Of the towns who have fled
their ruined homes repeat wherever
th~ 20 and wounded officers who hear
The tales boil with rage.
ON the other hand we have the sat
isfaction of knowing that the German
lines are being driven back. Ihey are
defeated and their offensive war Is be-
ing converted again 10 their utter dis
gust into defensive one. German
officers who have been captured do not
hide their disa~~ointment. In vain
they have tried TO carry the German
flag as far as Dunkirk, Calais and
lsoulogne and raise il in defiance of
the opposite shores of England.
That hope has now gone and In
spite of their furious charges of the
last few days they have been unable
To advance.
The French cavalry has achieved
wonders. Following the roads between
1tstaires. FleurbaiX Niellechapelle,
\ acquire and ReichebOuru as de-
scribed by the correspondent OF the
petit Parisienne, crossing rivers at
night Nv swimming, they surprised the
Germans everywhere ana invariably
defeated them In every caVary en-
counter.
AT ViellechapeTe there was an eX-
4raordfuary fight between a uhlan and
q French chausSeur. Both had lost
tbeir horses and the uhlan had taken
refuge in a hC se where he found the
chausseur and enga ged him IN a sword
combat. The night began IN the
kitchen and continued in the yard al
the back where both finally fell NOR
tally wounded They were buried
side by side in a field near the neat
little church OF Niellechapelle.
Battle i'm Cemetery.
The cemetery Of this church was
also the scene of a furious hand to
hand encounter between French and
German troops. The church was
finally bombarded and it's pretty spire,
roof and half its walls were blown
away.
There is not a house in Richie
l,ourn which has not been shelled and
riddlcd with bullets Many of them
were set on fire by the German bombs.
The fsst building they burned was a
factory i'm which many old men and
women were employed.
Here is where the numerous vii
lagos begin which extend all the way
TO Lille and form vast suburb and
here Is where the fighting was carried
on from house 10 house.
As they were driven ont OF Richie
bourn the German defense became
more furious and desperate than ever.
M was tl.en that they took vengeance
an that rich and populOus district
which stretches 20 lille and extended
their work Of incendiarism TO Lille it
self.
The Germans are making huge sac
rifces 10 hold the heights around la
Bassee which constitute a sort OF