The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-09-05


near Rouen. under Wednesdays date:
ssThe German army has gradually mar
roved its principal attack point until II
has hecome an arrowhead or V-shaped
mass. pointing directly for Paris.
when left the scene the southernmost
end of the enemy's line was near Criel,
which Is less than four hours run from
paris by train. In front of the enemy
was the river with its bridges waiting to
be blown UP, and still further in front
was the army, ready for a stubborn re-
sistance. On the enemy's TANKS were
other armies of the allies, numerically in
ferior, but full OF fight
Last night Tuesday, the enemy's cav
airy patrols were in action at Senlis, in
/ the department OF the Disc.
Battle ut CompieRne.
Previous to the German advance TO
Criel there was big battle Of Com
piegne, in which the British took heroc
part.
This battle took place Tuesday morn
ing.
the southwark on Monday. The head
quarters of the left wing was at Aumale,
under French General Damade, the No
roccan hero. On Tuesday the left wing
was well to the north of the line from
Gournay- to Beauvis, and it has
arrowhead."
Having in mind these details as to the
early fighting, II is clear what followed.
Aumale where the headquarters OF the
allies was established on Monday, is fifty
miles northeast of Compiegne, and rep
resents the extreme left wing of the allied
army. Less than fifty miles further east
is Dieppe and the coast, with communi-
cation with England. Seventy miles east
of Aumale is st. Quentin. where the Ger
mans were victorious on Sunday.
Gave Way slowly.
With the advance of the Germans south
ward, the allies gave way slowly and are
found on Monday at Gournay. fifteen
miles south OF Aumale and in line with
Beauvis, where the German advance cav
airy was operating.
Then the N-shaped formation OF The
Germans began to work Pointing like
an arrow at Paris, the German advance
swept forward, but instead of retiring IN
a straight line back on Paris, the allies
gave way on lines parallel to the legs
of the on the left, maintaining a line
that protected their flank, which rested
on Gournay.
Falling back thus, the center of the
allies met the Germans at Compiegne' |
gave way, and in rapid succession the
Germans swept through Creil and Creepy |
en-Valois, all within a radius of twenty /
miles of Compiegne. and finally began
their bombardment OF Senlis, twenty-five |
miles from Paris. That was last Satur- |
day, when the German guns broke the
window panes in Chantilly.
The position of the allies now was
around both legs of the German V.
Piecing together the dispatches of CORE |
spondents from various parts of the field, |
it appears that the allies, save at the
open end Of the V, had surrounded the
Germans.
Battle still Raging.
And then at this stage there was pre-
Rheims and Verdun, which is now wag-
ing, and is described as the greatest
battle in history
A glance at the map will show the po-
-sition OF the forces, with the German V
pointing down toward Paris on the left
Of the battle line and the French forces
driving the German right back.
In this situation, it appears, the French,
who had been heavily REINFORCED began
between Rheims and Verdun. And at
the same time, the allies on the left be-
gan an offensive movement against
the V.
Apparently the Germans gave way.
From three separate and Independent
sources there are circumstantial details
of a fight between the Germans and the
allies at Compiegne on Thursday, show
ing that the Germans since Saturdays
bombardment of Senlis had been driven
back at least to Compiegne.
Details of the fighting beyond that point
are lacking, but with the allies on their
flank, and great pressure being brought
to bear on their center around Verdun,
it is easily comprehended that there was
srra nf ha /
driving a wedge through the German V,
and cutting of from its communications
the German advance on Paris. The re-
treat upon st. Quentin, accordingly, was |,
the only resource left.
Russians at Ostend.
From Antwerp and Amsterdam corrob-
Grafton has been received of the report
that 1000 Russians have been landed
at Ostend by British transports, joining
a force OF 1000 British marines The
Russians were said to have been sent
from Archangel, the northernmost port |,
of Russia, through the Arctic Ocean ant
landed on the east coast of Scotland |
From there they were sent by rail t.
Harwich and embarked on transports.
There is a possibility that the check
to the Germans may have been due
to the sending of these Russians with
a force Of Belgians into a rear at
TACK ON the Germans which haQ been
forecasted before it was known that
a Russian force was on the way to
Ostend.
Germans Claim Victory.
According to a disptach from Berlin,
the German war office claims a vic
tory over tho French in a three days
battle. ending last Wednesday. between
Rheims and Verdun, in which more
than 10000 men were engaged. The
statement says that the French oppo-
sition was strongly maintained, but
that eventually It was crushed.
From another source ii was reported
that the Kaiser himself and the Ger
man crown prince were on the field and
directed their troops in the fighting.
If the Berlin statement prove correct,
it will explain much that has happened
To bring into battle anything like 10000
men means that the French forces must
have been concentrated between Rheims
and Verdun at the expense of the French
left, which according to the first reports
this week had suffered so heavily and
had allowed the Germans to get so near
the Paris forts.
Though the Germans claim a victory,
their reports does not go into details.
That nothing further should have come
out about the greatest battle in his /
tory" though il ended two days ago Is
considered remarkable
The official press bureau Of the war Of
fee announced tonight that the situation
a, +ba French fheafer Of war Is sub- |