Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-15
STRUGGLING ARMIES
BATTLE WITH WEATHER
ers Almost ms Bad as En-
emy'S Bullets.
LITTLE CHANGE IN SITUATION
Official Eyewitness" With British
Forces Finds Little That Is New
in Position of Troops-Thinks
German Resistance Is Weakening.

Especial Gable to The Times Dispatch. J
servations by the official Eyewitness
with the British forces were made pub
lie by the press bureau to-day. The
report is dated January -. 1t says:
The general situation remains the
same as 1t has been for weeks. During
Friday and Saturday nothing occurred
beyond moro or less continuous ar
t!llery and mortar duel, wherein our
superiority was maintained
ON Friday our trench mortars de-
stroyed another house near Neuve
Chapelle, which was being used by
snipers, and stopped the enemy's at
tempts at sapp!ng. Near Messnes our
! guns shelled a detachment of about
800 infantry with considerable effect.
similar satisfactory reports concern
Ing the action of our artillery come
from different parts OF the. line.
on Saturday, the fire OF certain
NUMBER OF our guns was concentrated
upon an area Immediately west of La
! bassee. The bomba rdment was par
ticularly effective. According to the
statement OF a prisoner, IL caused be-
tween $50 and 900 casualties to tho
enemy.
OBSERVATION POST
RETAf<EN by ALLIES
sunday vas the finest day we have
had In some time. In the early after
noon our troops retook an observa-
ton post on the railway embankment
southeast of Givenchy, which we had
evacuated on the LIST of January. We
also seized a machine-gun emplace-
inent, which. owing to its exposed posi-
l!oh. was not retained. The observa-
tion post remained in our hands in
! spite OF three countcrattacks made dur
, ing the night
Along the rest OF the line the Ger
man artillery is more active than II
( mas been for some days. Otherwise
hothihg or interest has occurred except
! some minor successes gained at the
centre by antiaircraft guns, one OF
! winch hit German neroplane and
| forced ii 10 return TO its own lines
ON the 18th our guns shelle6
| Neuve Chapelle with good results, ant
also triangle near Givenchy, In the
centre OF which some direct hits were
obtained on house occupied By
! snipers.
During the last few days n consid
/ cradle amount OF wind has been felt b,
! the aviators, but has not prevented
! reconnaissance. In consequence of the
I continuous rain. the struggle against
the forces Of nature Is almost of greater
4 aRalnBl
the enemy. Tho River Lys has riser
Two metres. flooding large areas O,
I dikes, canals and bitches; also in man,
/ places Il has overlooked the river line
/ held by the Germans. Below Armen.
ucrcs II has inundated a considerable
I width north of the river In the Mcnin.
Z Cotrai district the floods are two mile.
I in width.
DESCRIPTIONS CAUSED
ny GENERAL. CnED1TTON
"A certain amount of desertion from
mo enemy's ranks has been caused BY
mo general condition OF life in thu
pad weather. The difference in qualit,
between the men who now make tht
German reinforcements appears yer!
marked The Landwchr units ar,
spoken Of in very high terms. but thu
landsturm men which we have takeI
are said to make very Indifferent sol
diers. Nevertheless. the only signs O
weakening are to be Observed rather
IN the general situation, in the con
tihued pressure by the allies and in tn
failure OF nearly all the German coun
lie