Milford chronicle., 1915-01-08
Fight Their Way Within Thirty
Miles Of Rhine
ANOTHER DRIVE STARTED
Second Column of Troops Advance on
German Soil to a Point West Oh
colmar-Teuton stronsholds Men
aced.

/ LuGlA AluG VI GulIGuCuueuLS III lnd
region, the right wing of the Frencl
army has begun another invasion o
Alsace.
Already they have advanced far in
to that territory and their progress
now threatens Muelhausen and Net
and other fortifcations along the
river Rhine.
Following the capture of Steinbach
a strategic position as an advance
base, the French troops are being
hurled to the east of that stronghold
and to the north, and official dis
patches from Paris and Berlin tell OF
the heavy fighting to the east OF
Steinbach.
Already the French have made no.
table progress. along the battle front
in Alsace and heavy reinforcements
have been sent to that region to
strengthen the army of invasion.
In upper Alsace the French have
started another drive, and as in the
campaign to the south, Paris claims
that the forces of the republic have
| pushed back the German troops de.
| Tending the positions and are now
near Orberg, fourteen miles to the
west of Colmar, capital of Upper Al
SAGE.
The fighting in that section of the
western war zone has been particu'
larly fierce. Severe losses have been
inflicted by both sides, but the fresh
troops sent to the breach by the
French have turned the tide, for the
time being, in favor of the invaders.
The Germans along that entire front
of the battle line have assumed the
defensive, but are being pressed back
yard by yard and forced to abandon
number of important positions.
The French forces are less than
thirty miles from the Rhine and the
German line of fortresses guarding an
invasion of German soil. The French
are driving forward with the objec-
tive of investing the fortresses of
Metz, guarding the German line of
communication to the left wing along
the front in the western theater and
Muelhausen.
On the other extreme of the line
in Flanders the French official com.
munication claims gains for the allies |
in the region of Nieuport and also at
st. Georges, the scene of desperate |
fighting early last week. At some |
places in the vicinity of the latter
towns gains of from 300 to 500 yards ,
have been made, and in addition some |
German trenches were captured.
In no x,F
ports the blowing up of a French
trench 200 yards in length, and also
the capture of many prisoners. At
other points along the battle front
the heavy cannonading continues, but
there have been few infantry attacks.
British warships have renewed their
bombardment of the Germans on the
Flanders coast, according to officers
who arrived at Calais. The Germans
have assembled a submarine fotilla
at Zeebrugge and Ostend and the
British squadron is attempting to de-
stroy these vessels.
The water tower at Zeebrugge, the
new German base, has been demol-
lshed. Heavy volumes of smoke can
be seen on the Holland frontier aris-
Ing from Duinberge, between Heyst
and Knoche, and it is believed the vii
age is burning.
French Statement.
The following statement was issued
n Paris:
Monday night our troops took pos
session of a quarry situated at the
,rossing of the road from Rouvrois to
st. Mihiel and that from Macy to
st. Mihiel, and also some neighboring
renches.
"In Belgium, in spite of the condi-
ion of the ground and the difficulties
which resulted, our infantry made
in the sand dunes in front of
Newport. In the region of st. Georges
Iur men advanced, at different places,
100, 300 and 500 yards, occupying
ouses and some trenches. At several
ointe there Belgian artillery reduced
o silence the artillery of the Ger
1ans.
"From the Disc to the Vosges no
Infantry activity has been reported. ,
4 the region Of Craonne and in the {
icinity of Rheims there have been
rtillery engagements. Our batteries ,
hectively bombarded the positions of I
he enemy in the town of Suippe, as 8
Tell as in the region of Perthes and I
, the vicinity of Beausejour. There q
as similar activity in the Argonne
nd on the heights of the Meuse. q
"In Alsace, to the southeast of the +
oil (Mount) du Bonhomme, we have 4
ltered the hamlet of Creux d'Argent, r
yo miles west of Orbey, where we 1
re organizing our position. The gains
,alized by us on the road from Thanh +
Cernay have been maintained at !
stance one mile east of Old Thanh. h
the fire of our heavy ar l,
Ilery at a point two miles east Of
1rnhaupt-le-Haut silenced the artil a
ry Of the enemy" p
German Statement. II
The following statement was issued d
Berlin: Fl