South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-01

Italy and AIbania). No details
are given.
PARIS, Dec. 31.-Omcial news O.
the capture by storm OF part OF thd
village of Steinbach. i'm upper Alsace
marking a further advance in this
section and indicating that the French
drive against the German defenses o
the Rhine was being persistently fol
lowed up. was the cheering informa
tion which today's communiques gave
10 Paris.
The French success at Steinbacf
was not easily won. Even the usual,
terse official phraseOlogy emphasizes
the desperate nature Of the comba L
which resulted finally in half the Vii /
lage falling into the hands Of the
French invaders. by speaking OF theI
terrific house to house combat
Steinbach. commanding the roadsi
leading TO Altkirch and Nuelhausen
is conceded TO be the key position ii
the Alsatian theater Of activity
Should the French succeed in drivin /
the Germans entirely out of the town
their further advance would be pN-
pedited 10 say the least.
Germans Strengthen Place.
Realizing this the Germans had
taken every precautiOn 10 strengthen
the place.
The French literally had to bate
their way from one house 10 the mex;
in dispossessing the defenders who
from machine guns on the roofs am
in windows kept no a calling ere Il
the last possible moment
In Flanders and along the Franco
Belgian frontier the situation Of tn
allies apparently continues TO I'M
prove. despite the terse announcement
in the official communiques thatl
there IS nothing 20 report from tn
quarter
one of the most notable successcs
of the DAY is reported from the vil-
I large Of st. GeOrgeskapele. which the|
1 French troops have finally occupied
after several days Of stubborn fight
/ ing In this they have been material
/ ~ aided by the Belgian troops.
! The occupation OF the village had
been impossible for days although the
/ French and Belgians had repeatedly
forced the Germans TO abandon ID
they had i'm turn been driven ont
( themselves after each partial victory
! GERMANS ACCEPT REFUSE.
/ PETROGRAD. Dec. 31-Tho Ger
mans have accepted with the best
/ grace possible their repulse from tho
/ river Bzura. Their attacks on tne
/ Rawka are also Weakening especially
!
/ been turned against their own.
! Their last attack on the Bzura was
made from the village OF Miodayzin
! on the left bank on a dark night.
/ The Russian army ON the opposite
/ bank maintained a dead silence with
Iall bivouac fires and lights eXtin-
/ guished The Germans with carts
| laden with pOntOons drawn by horses
whose hoofs were wrapped in rags.
/ moved slowly through the village TO-
wards the river Meanwhile new Ger
man forces were gathering with ma
chine and field guns.
/ The complete silence continued on
the Russian side and the Germans be
gan 10 cross. the machine guns first
and the infantry following.
4 Just before dawn they oeployeu
considerable forces on the rient BANK
! Suddenly a salvo met them from the
/ Russian side followed bv Others and
soon the whole bank was one mass or
fire.
shells sweep Enemy.
The Russian shells swept down the
enemy by tens and then ny hunoreu-
and soon were smashing the pontoon
\ bridge and sweeping the confused and
panic-strickeu masses OF the German
/ infantry into the river some tried 20
/ swim across but were drowned ~ the
swift current By . O'Clock nothing
/ remained but heaps of German
/ corpses-
1 Their final attack upon the Raw ka
, was made one frosty night when theF
4 forded the river from the snaliqW
sandy banks They were allowed 70
I cross and advanced about two-thiros
/ Of a mile. When They came upoE lhe
Russians. the Germans started %
charge with their bayonets. hut ~ 2
distance Of 100 yards from the Rus-
sian position they we're met with a
terrific machine gun and rifle IRE
The German ranks recoiled lm-
I mediatelv bu1 it was tno tate Inc
Russians had got behind them. The
Germans. surrounded on an sioee
! fought furiousIy. the battle lasting
/ several hours. The Germans lost hers