Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-09-27
Germans Say Batteries
Hit Three Ships Off
Belgium.
BERLIN is CONFIDENT LINE
WILL HOLD AGAINST DRIVE
Declares No Deep Impression
Has Been Made on Vest
ern Front.
BY the United Press,

BERLIN, Sept. ~, by wireless to
Tuckerton, N. J.-One British warship
was sunk and two others were dam
aged in the attack by a British SQUAD
ron on German batteries along the
Belgian coast, especially at Zee
brugge, simultaneously with the
launching of the allied new offensive
movement ON land, according to the
German official statement of Septem-
Der 26 After these losses the British
ships withdrew
The official statement enumerates
the capture of more than 5000 Brit
ish prisoners and n number of ma
chine guns in the land fighting at va
rious points along the front
The foregoing claim of losses in
fiicted upon the British naval forces
attacking the Belgian coast was
omitted from the German official
statement as cabled through London
yesterday, doubtless having been
struck out by the censor,
BY the United Press.
BERLIN, via The Hague. Sept 81.
The heaviest blows the allies have
struck since the battle of the Marne
have made no deep impression on the
German line, officials of the war
office declared today.
After weeks of artillery preparation,
the allies hurled countless infantry
divisions against the German works
in what is believed to be the begin
ming of the great Anglo French often
sive. The Anglo French gains in
forty-eight hours of consecutive as
saults oil along the front do not equal
in importance the crown princes re-
cent successes in the Argonne. it was
stated here today, though the crown
prince used less than 1000 troops.
Crowds gathered Sunday to await
the posting of the official bulletin.
the war office having made it known
late Saturday that the allies had be-
gun n concentrated attack. There was
no feeling of apprehension. Berlin
knows the strength of the German
positions on the western front and
has no fear that the mightiest efforts
of her enemies can shatter the Ger
man lines.
Allies's Losses Enormous.
No official estimate of the allies
losses have been given out here, but
it is known that they were enormous.
To offset these losses, the allied on
slaught bent the German lines on only
two sectors.
The British objective apparently is
Lille. But in the first two days OF
fighting English troops have been
checked and thrown back with the
heaviest losses. Near Loos German
troops who occupied an exposed
position we're forced to retire to their
second-line trenches when shelled by
British artillery. Elsewhere the
British have fallen back when eX-
posed to German machinery gun fire.
French artillery, il is officially adj
mitted, made the remaining positions
held by the Germans at Souchez I'M
tenable, and landwehr regiments re-
tired to their trenches. German gun
ners, however, are playing such
current of fire across the Souchez
ruins that the enemy has been unable
to move forward and occupy the
evacuated positions.
The most important net result to
the allies OF the forty-eight hours
attack was recorded in the Cham
pagne by the French. A several
hours cannonading with shells of all
calibers wrecked German advanced
trenches in the region of Perthes and
forced the retirement of a German
division to second-line positions
mile and half behind those
previously occupied. But counter
attacks are under way. and today's
dispatches indicate that the position
may be recaptured before many
hours.