, 1915-07-14

Sir French. They inspected the grounds of
the Flying Corps Cadet School, where the
officers are trained, and the machine-gun
school. They visited the Second Army, saw
the troops, gun positions and trenches and
went into shell torn Ypres. They also met
King Albert and were shown the inundated
area before the Belgian lines. They paid a
visit to the First Army, reviewed the Indian
cavalry corps and saw the French troops in
position in the region of Arras. The party
returned to London on Thursday evening.
Field Marshal Sir John French reports as
follows: ''Since our successful enterprise
north of Ypres, as reported on the 9th, the
enemy has made repeated attempts to retake
the lost trenches, but all his counter attacks
have been stopped by the successful CO.
operation of our own and the French artil-
lery. Yesterday morning, after a bombing
duel which had lasted for two days and
nights, the enemy fell back along the canal
enabling US to extend our gains. In addi-
ton to the prisoners already reported we
have captured q machine-gun and three
trenches, and all reports indicate that the
enemy's losses, particularly in his attempted
counter-attacks have been severe"
Successful operations in three of the thea
tres of war have produced an unusual degree
of optimism in London, military observers
seeing indications of a general breaking up
of the Teutonic resistance. The days most
important item is the surrender of all the
German military forces in Southwest Africa,
unconditionally, following an ultimatum by
General Botha, which expired on Thursday
evening. With the exception of the necessary
army OF occupation, the Citizen Army will be
brought home as quickly as possible and be
released for service elsewhere. The final dis
position of German Southwest Africa has
not been announced, but it is believed
that territory of three hundred thousand
square miles, or larger than Germany, will
be annexed to the Union of South Africa.
Military writer's consider General Botha's
operations among the wars most brilliantly
planned and conducted.
Dispatches from Paris state that a victory,
apparently the most important on the West
ern front for months, has been won by the
French in the Vosges, where they retook
the trenches captured by the Germans on
June 22nd and continued the advance for
seven hundred yards along q six hundred
yards front.
A German statement admits that the hill
top trenches, having been destroyed by the
French artillery, were necessarily evacuted.
The French also report the recapture of
part Oh Tue TencneS recently taken by the
Germans between Fey-en-Haye and the for
est of LIE Pretre, but concede the German
claim of advance in the same neighbour.
hood, where heavy fighting has been taking
place for several days. The Germans claim
the repulse of the French attacks on Sou
chez and assert that they have progressed
in the Woevre region, where they state that
they have captured trenches and $50 prisoners.
According to official statements by Berlin
and Vienna the attack upon Warsaw has
completely halted.
Unofficial dispatches from Petrograd state
that despite military distractions along the
northern and western fronts, which include
ftful activity between Suwalki and the Kali
vari river and the feint at Warsaw from the
west, the main efforts of the forces arrayed
against Russia are still concentrated between
the Vistula and the Bug rivers and are aimed
at Lublin. In this region the Russians are
beginning a new offensive between the Wis
tula and the Vieprz rivers, striking south
from Lublin against the German positions
near Ourxendoff, Buchava and Krasnik. The
front marked by these points is about 20
miles south of Lublin and about 80 miles
northeast of Sandomir. The German forces
have been held for several days at these
points without any particular change in the
situation, the movement which for nearly
two months had made steady progress hav-
ing now been stopped.
A Berlin official despatch, giving q sum-
mary Of Germany reply to the United States