Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-01-06
FRENCH TELL Of
GAIN J IN ALSACE
Paris Declares Troops Have Out
fIanked Germans.
ALTKIRCHE is BEING SHELLED
Allies Regain Line That They Lost
Last August-Weather Conditions
Reported Bad Along the En-
tire Front.

Paris, Jan. 4.-The French troops
operating in Alsace have outhanked
the Germans and are now bombarding
Altkirche, according to the official
Paris report At other points on the
300-mile battle front they have made
gains of third of a mile at one point
and fifth of mile at another, hurl-
ing the Germans back.
Draw Eyes to MueIhausen.
The French have been hammering
heavily at the German strongholds
which constitute the advance posts
protecting Muelhausen. Thanh has
been gained, Aspach captured, Cernay
bombarded and Steinbach invested.
So terrible was the demonstration
made on their frontier that the Ger
mans were forced to call for re-en-
forcements to stem the tide of the
French advance.
Just when the French were fighting
for Steinbach as if their national ex-
istence depended upon the taking of
this town, when house-to-house fight
ing was the rule and ground was
gained only foot by foot, consider
able thanking force was diverted to
the southwark, assailing the line of
railway from Belfort through Car
spach and Dierspach to Altkirche.
Germans Are Surprised.
After destroying the German line of
communications by tearing up the rail-
way between Carspach and Dierspach,
to the southwest of Altkirche, the
French advanced along the line of the
railway until they brought Altkirche
barded a German train in which
troops were being loaded. The train
was standing in the railway station of
Altkirche and considerable damage
was done besides throwing the German
troops into panic, the attack coming
as complete surprise.
This brings the French back on the
line which they occupied in August.
Meanwhile the French offense before
Muelhausen was maintained with
great vigor, all the previous gains in
the region of Thanh being maintained.
Weather conditions along the entire
front are officially reported as very
bad. Incessant rains have turned the
battlefelds into mud holes. Operations
everywhere are almost impossible, ac-
cording to the French war office state
ment.
The statement adds: ITO this should
be attributed the perceptible state
ment which can be noted in our active
offensive"
Gain Along the Aisne.
Near Beusejour, farther east along
the Aisne and in the general vicinity
of Perthes-les-Hurlus the French in
fantry again plunged forward, plung-
ing through the mud, stumbling,
scrambling and fighting all the way
until they had pressed the Germans
back a distance of more than three
hundred yards. Serious losses were
| inflicted on the Germans, according to
| the report
The German infantry also attempted
a strong offensive in the forest of La
| Grurie, but without success. On this
front, as along the whole line, at ZOn'
nebeke Tin Flanders); on the plateau
Of Touvent, near the Disc, where the
French guns demolished several forti
| fications from which the enemy had
been harassing the French sappers
to the east and west of Craonne; in
the region of Verdun; on the heights
of the Mouse and near Bande-Sapt in
the Vosges. artillery conflicts have
been raging with tremendous activity
Slight gains are recorded also by
the war Office statement in the Forest
of Rouchon, to the northeast of Troy
on. and in the Forest of La Pretre, tC
the northwest of Pont-a-Mousson. Ir
the Vosges region Infantry operations
in connection with the brilliant work
of the French gunners have given the
French several trenches formerly &C
cupied by the Germans.
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