Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-03-28
CHAPTER ON SIEGE WAR
FROM 0|sE TO vOsGEs
ihird lnstailment of Official French
Historical Review Made
Public
DESCRIBES "RUsH TO THE SEA"
Operations Conducted on Both Sides,
with Idea OF Wearing Down OPP
posing Forces and Thus Influence
ing Later Decisive Fighting.

correspondence Of Associated Press.
LONDON. March 1S.-The third in
stallment of the official French his
'orical review of the war. just received
by the Associated Press here. contains
long chapter on tho siege war from
the DISC to the Vosges. which lasted
from September 10 to November 80.
MOST OF the incidents in this severe
warfare already have been recorded In
the daily bulletins. The operations
were conducted on both sides with the
idca OF wearing down the opposing
troops and the artillery, and thus In
nuencing the later decisive lighting.
The next chapter deals with 1.-THE
rush TO the sea. September IL TO Oc-
tober 30" and says:
General Character or the Action.
AS early as the 18th of September
the COMMUNICATIVE chief had directed
our left army to have as important
forces as possible on the right bank OF
the Disc. Everything led us to expect
German Ranking movement. for the
Germans are lacking in invention In
deed, their effort at that time tended
to renewal of their maneuver Of
August. In this parallel race the op-
ponents were bound In the end to be
stopped only by the sea; that is what
happened about October 20.
The Germans had an advantage over
us, which is obvious from glance
NJ the map. tho concentric form Of their
front. which shortened the length OF
tneir transports. In spite OF this, we
arrived in time. From the middle of
n 10
hshting went on continually, but all
the time we were slipping northward.
On the German side this movement
brought Into line more than eighteen
new army corps twelve active army
corps. SIX reserve corps, four cavalry
CORPSE. On our side 1t ended in the
constitution OF three fresh armies on
our left. and in the transport into the
same district Of the British army and
the belgian army from Antwerp.
when at the end of October the battle
or FLANDERS opened. and the Germans.
having completed the concentration of
their forces, attempted with fierce
energy to turn or to pierce our lef,
they flung themselves on n resistance
which inflicted upon them n comple,.
defeat
Deploynent OF n First Army.
me movement began on our side
only with the resources OF the army
which had held the left of our front
during the battle OF the Marine re-.
enforced on September Is by one army
corps. This Reinforcement not being
sufficient. fresh army was trans
ported more to the left.
From the 21st to the Goth all our
FORCES were engaged in the district OF
i-ass'eh y-Roye-Peronne, with altcra-
ions OF reverse and success 1t was
me hrst act OF the great struggle
which was to spread as 1t went on On
INC Zo'h the whole Of the Sixth Ger
man Army was deployed against ia
We retained all our positions. but we
could do no more
once more re-enforcements. two armv
corps. were directed. no longer on
Beauvais. but towards Amicns Tbn
'front.' was then again to extend.
fresh army was constituted moro IN
the north ~
The Dcployment or a Second ARMY
from September 3Oth onward We
could not but observe that the enemy
ALREADY strongly posted on the Plateau
OF ihieprai. was continually slippin.
his forces from south to north A.
coroinGiH on October two cavalry
corps were directed to make n lean
forward. and operating on both banks
or the Scarpc TO put themselves in
touch with the garrison OF DunIsirk
winch had pushed forward as far "a
Dona!. But on October and 2 tn.
puik or our fresh army was very
strongly attacked In the district or
Arras and Lens a fresh French army
corps Immediately was TRANSPORTED md
detrained In the Lilo district.
hut once more the attacks became
more pressing. and on October 4 it was
a question whether a retreat would
not have to he made. General Jonre
resoiutely put this hypothesis aside
and ordered the offensive to be resumed
thouSh IT was clear our front OK
Tended to the sea as 1T was by a mere
ribbon Of troops, did not yet possess
tho solidity to resist with complete
satety German attack, the violence
or which could we'll be foresecn. It
was at this moment that the trans
port OF the British army to the north
ern theater Of operations began
The Transport of the British 4 rmy.
Field Marshal French had, as early
az the END Of September. expressed
the wish to see his army resume its
initinl place on the left OF the allied
armies. lie explained this wish on the
ground of the greater facility of com
munications, and the impending arrival
OF two divisions OF infantry from home
and OF two infantry divisions and a
cavalry division from India General
Joffre decided at tho beginning OF Oc-
tobcr to meet the marshars wishes and
to have tho British army removed
from the -Aisnc.
But the dctraining took longer than
had been expected. and 1t was not possi-
BILE TO attack the Germans during tho
time when they had only cavalry in the
Lille district and further to the north.
The Arrival OF the Belgian Army
There remained the Belgian army On
leaving Antwerp on October 0 the Bel
gian army, which was covered by 5000
british hluejackets and 5000 French
biuejackets, at first intended to retire
as far as to the north of Calais. but
afterwards determined to make a stand
in Belgian territory. Unfortunately the
condition OF the Belgian troops, ex-
hausted by struggle OF more than
three months, did not allow any i'm
mediate hopes 10 be based upon them.
To attain our end fresh effort was
necessary. That effort Immediately was