The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-15
FLOODS MAKE ALLIES
ADVANCE DIFFICULT
English Eyewitness Describes
Artillery Fights and Slow
Work i'm Flanders.
spectal cable Despoteh 70 Tar srs

4
LONDON. Jan it---An eyewitness" ac-
count OF the fighting In Flanders and
northern France. written by member OF
Sir John French's staff. which covers the
operations OF the British forces through
January II. was made public to-day by
the official press bureau
No infantry actions OF importance are
recorded The British artillery has been
active and has maintained It's superiority.
according to the account The River Lys
has risen six feet and has flooded large
area Of low lying country. the width of
the river being two miles In some places
The account follows:
During Friday January s, and Satur.
day, January .. nothing much occurred
beyond The more or less continuous ar.
tlllery and mortar duel. wherein our SUI
per!ority was maintained. On Friday our
trench mortars destroyed another house
near Neuvc Chapelle used by German
snipe-s aud also stopped the enemy's
attempts to sap.
Near Messines our guns shelled de.
tachment Of about 900 lnfantrymen with
considerable effect. Similar satisfactory
reports Of the action OF our artillery came
from different parts OF the battle front
ION Saturday the fire of a certain
number OF our guns concentrated upon
m urea lIllneulaltlA W'Sl OF LII bdSSee
was particularly effective and a prisoner
told ~ that the casualties OF the enemy
Numbered from $50 to 500
sunday, January TO- was one 81 tn
finest DAYS We had for some time. n
the afternoon our troops retook an oh
se.vation poet on a railroad embankment
southeast Of Givcnchy. which we had
eN Evacuated on January / We also seizer
4 machine gun cmpiacement, which ",
ultimately gave up owing 10 its exposed
position. This observation post, however
remained in our hands despite three
counter attacks of the Germans. During
Sunday night the German artillery was
more active than il had been for some
days.
ION the centre one OF cur an;i-air-
craft guns fred upon and hit German
aeroplaue. forcing it TO return to its WI
lines. On January II ou- guns again
chclled NcuVe Chappelle with good results.
and also the triangular position OF tNe
Germans opposite our centre. Some direc.
hits were obtained on houses which Ger
man snipers had been using. Despite ~
high winds our aVIdtors continued 20 g.
l.oft for scout duty.
In consequence of the almost coRtinu.
ous rain We have been compelled 10 strug
gle against natural forces almost of
greater importance than the Germans
The River Lys has risen six feet, flooding
q larIe area OF low lying country bikes,
canals and bitches are also out Of their
banks. In many places the rivers have
overlooked their banks. flooding the Ger
man lines. There are big flooded district
below Armentieres in France. Near Menln
and CougtIHi. on tine Franco Belgian Dor
der, the River Lys has risen until II Il
two miles from bank to bank in some
places.
~ certain amount Of desertion from the
enemy's ranks has been caused by the
hardships entailed by storms, floods and
lack Of food and creature comforts The
difference Ia quality Of the men making mp
the German reenforcements from those
that formerly reached the front is marked
The Landwehr units were spoken OF In
high terms, but the men Of the Landsturm
make only Indifferent soldiers. Nevcrthe-
less the only signs OF weakening amnog the
Germans that can he observed Is in the
general situation and the failure OF nearly
all the German counter attacks.
In one respect the personnel of the
enemy has improved. II seems that sol.
diers under rs years of age were sent tn
the rear some time ago These youth
were used to stop gaps until more sea.
soned troops were available for the ranks
The new formations which took the field
in october contained many such, and right
well did they fight"