Imperial Valley press., 1914-10-20
Ro CALIFORNIA, TUESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 2o 1914
Allies Gain Advantage In
Neighborhood of Ostend

der than charge was ordered and
the counter attack soon turned into
ront with the Germans in full re-
treat.
Nieuport is ten miles west of Os-
tend 1t occupies a position on the
! coast about midway between Ostend
and the Franco-B Belgian border. Across
the border and along the French
coast to the westward lie Dunkirk
and Calais, against which the Ger
mans are attempting to advance in
their effort to establish themselves
in series of coast positions before
starting their second drive upon
Paris.
Also Nieuport is the northernmost
Point on the allies line, which
stretches south to Ypres along the
Ypres canal and then turns west
ward past Lille to Armentieres and
thence to Arras and southwark to
Roye and Lassigny, where the line
again swerves to the eastward, past
Rheims to Verdun, the Vosges, Lor-
raine and on toward Metz.
The German line confronting the
Nieuport-Y front extends south
from Ostend through Torout and Rou-
lers to Menin.
Between the Ypres canal and the
German line lie twelve miles of rug
ged country peculiarly adapted to ar
tillery and infantry operations.
While the Germans were trying to
hammer their way through the Bel
gian line in the north, other corps of
King Albert's army, assisted by the
French and British troops, drove
southwark across the width of the bat
tlefeld and routed in their advance
the German troops who had bivou-
acked for the night (evidently con-
templating an attack themselves) and
swept the expansive field clear of the
invaders, pushing them back with Sc
position at Roulers. i
Official bulletins record still fur
ther gains for the allies in the region
between Arras and Roye, where Cen
eral Won Kluck, reinforced by fresh
detachments from Germany, and the
crack corps withdrawn from the ar
mics of Crown Prince Frederick Will
helm and the center army, is still
battering persistently at the French
and British line in the hope of cut
ting eff the left flank of General
D'Amade.
In the onslaught directed against
the German line in this region the
French and British troops succeeded
in advancing at several points to
positions close to the barbed wire
cntanglements Immediately in the
foreground of the German defensive
line. The allies were able to hold
their advantage, but were assailed by
G deluge of lead and shell from the
German. trenches which made the
maintenance of their position extreme
ly difficult.
In the district of La Bassee, Is
miles northwest of Arras, the allies
left wing army, advancing toward
Lille, encountered the enemy in great
force and severe fighting followed,
which spread to the villages in the
immediate vicinity of La Bassee. In
this region fighting of the most des-
perate character has been going on
for ten days and up to now the al
lies have succeeded in gaining about
35 miles.
In the region of Chaulnes a strong
counter attack by the enemy not only
failed, but the allied troops were able
to advance to ground which greatly
enhanced their position.
Near st. Mihiel, where an often
sive movement of great strength is
being prosecuted by the French, the
latter have succeeded in advancing un-
til they now control much more
ground on the right bank of the
Meuse, greatly bettering the situation
for the reinforcements which are be-
ing hurled to the east in the assault
against the Metz Notifications.
In Alsace, to the west of Colmar,
the advanced French corps have es-
tablished themselves on line from
Bonhomme to Paris and Sulzern, while
to the south the French now occupy
Thanh.
Summing up the situation, military
experts were agreed that the German
drive upon Paris by way of the coast
and the Seine valley was hopeless
with force which was apparently
impotent to hold its own where equal
numbers were in the field.
In fact many go so far as to say
that this is the eve of the German