Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-09-30
Field Marshal French Reports
Capture of 5000 Men and 40
Machine Guns in the RegiOL
about LOos.
FIGHTING IS DESPERATE
Ground Is Gained Foot by Foot
Germans on the Eastern
Front Are Moving Forward
Again-Britain's Attitude Is
Stated to Bulgaria.

Hard and furious fighting still charac.
terizes the united efforts Of French and
British to break through the German
lines on the western front. These allied
forces the French war office announces,
continue to make gains of ground and to
add to their captures of men, guns and
stores.
Foot by foot. as the official communica-
ton reads, the French are making
progress to the east of the Souchez, i'm
portant territory from strategical point
of view, and have likewise continued
their advance in Champagne. 1t contains
the significant statement that among the
Germans taken prisoners We're men Of the
guard corps who had been brought back
from the Russian front a few days ago.
This would seem to indicate that the
Austro- Germans have been compelled
to weaken to some extent their eastern
battle front in order to reinforce those
sections Of the western line which the
allies are attacking with heavy guns, rapid
firers and the bayonet
Field Marshal Sir John French reports
the capture of powerful German defences
around Loos where the number OF pris-
oners taken by the British has now reach
ed 3,On 40 machine guns being taken and
many destroyed. The British have cap
tured the first and second lines and are
heavily engaged in an attack on the third
The allied trenches In the Argonne are
being violently bombarded by the guns II
the German crown prince, but no attack
| by infantry has been attempted. Some OK
| the first line trenches taken by the Ger
| mans from the French on this front Mon
| day have been retaken by means of hand
| grcnades.
| Details from unoffcia! sources Of the
heavy commandment that preceded the
| allied attack Saturday describe the Ger
man lines Is smothered in dust under the
hail of shells: their parapets melted away
and the barbed wire entanglements disap-
peared. So tremendous was the onslaught
| that persons 80 or 40 miles distant were
| awakened from their sleep. When the
French ceased their Smelling Of tho
trenches in Champagne and charged the
| German trenches they found the Germans
stupefied by the effects of the artillery
! fire, gunners being mixed up with infan-
trymen, and all Of them huddled arounl
! the field pieces.
| On the eastern front the Russians near
Dvinsk are declared by Berlin to have
attempted to recapture ground lost to
Field Marshal Won Hindenburg Monday,
but their effort was unavailing. Prog
ress Is recorded for the Germans who
are still driving the Russians from the
Wilma sector and for those who are en-
gagged in Volhynia. In this latter region
Berlin says the army groups of General
Won Lnsingen have crossed tho SGT
river below the fortress of Lutsk and
that the Russians north Of Dubno are
In retreat along the whole front.
Various reports are in circulation re-
lspect!ng the trend of events in the Ball
kans. Ono is to the effect that Greece
has informed Serbia that she will resist
the passage of foreign troops through
Greek territory. Another says that Bull
Caria and Greece are reported to have
agreed to the establishment of neu-
trial zone between the two countries.
The attitude of the British government
with regard to the possibility of Bull
garla entering the war has been plainly
stated by Sir Edward Grey. the British
foreign secretary. Sir Edward has told
the British Parliament that in case Bull
garia assumes an aggressive attitude on
the side of the central powers the allies
will give their support to Our friends
in the Balkans" in a manner that would
be most welcome to them.