The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-10-15
ENEMY RETREATS
ON WIDE FRONT
Flanders Front AfIame With
BattIe-Gigantic Crash
of Allied Assault.
HUNS PAY H EAVY TOLL
Retreating Forces Burn Towns
and Destroy Ammunition
Stores in Flight.

With the British Army on the Flan-
ders Front. Oct. 4.-(Night.)-The
whole Flanders battle front was afiame
with battle tonight. and the Germans
were retreating over a zone of twenty
miles. burning villages and exploding
stores of ammunition as they fell back.
| One of the most gigantic crash"
bombardments of the war accompanied
the great allied assaults this morning,
with thousands of great guns roaring.
The German batteries along the
North sea coast were completely ST.
fenced by the hurricane Of steel rained
upon them from allied cannon on land
and the guns on British warships.
The British, Belgians and French
were still going ahead at last reports,
while the Germans were sullenly falling
back. putting up desperate resistance.
Resistance Weaker.
The German resistance grew weaker
as the allied attack progressed. Much
of the material that the boches had
moved up to the front three months
ago had to be abandoned or destroyed
as they retired. Throughout the day
, the sky was clouded with great vol
umes of smoke that arose from the ar
tillery, and tonight IL was illuminated
with vivid glares from the firing guns
The German losses throughout the
whole fighting have been extremely
heavy. Thousands of prisoners were
taken. despite the fact that some of
the best divisions of the kaiser's army
were on this front.
Heavy Barrage.
The Germans, at the opening Of the
battle, put down heavy barrage fire,
hoping to stop the infantry onrush,
but French. British and Belgian guns
replied, and a tremendous artillery duel
developed.
At 8 o'clock tonight 1t was reported
that the Belgians alone had captured
5000 prisoners and taken Gitsberg,
Boveren and Haagebrooke and were
advancing southeast of Roulers. -, ]
Tie Britieh --wesesrePese ~ osoGvGb
taken 1000 prisoners. II field guns and
anti-tank guns.
The towns of Boschmelin and Wevel-
CHEM fell into the hands of the British.
The British are now within bonn
harding distance of the Valenciennes-
Metz railroad in the north.
Resistance Broken.
With the British Army in Belgium,
Monday, Oct. 14,-(9 pm.)-Enemy re-
sistance in Flanders, which at first ap-
peared to be exceedingly heavy, Is re-
ported to have been broken. After the
British, French and Belgian advance
today. there were indications that the
enemy was withdrawing the remainder
of his material from the coast of Bel
GUM.
AS is customary during the hours
following the launching of an attack in
his dltticnlt COnDtrV oil
coming in, but most significant of all
the features of the battle was the fact
that the German coast batteries were |
not firing.
The enemy artillery reacted heavily
south of Roulers, after the allied at
tack was launched. but north of the
city this fire was very slight, indicating
that the German guns had been with
drawn or were being taken back by the
enemy. The German rear guards were
overcome, and further north the enemy
resistance gradually grew lighter as
the assault progressed. Among the
prisoners was complete regimental
staff and battalion commander.
Blow Up Material.
The enemy has begun blowing up
which he could not remove,
and the torch Is being applied to the
towns that are being abandoned by
the Germans. There have been four
explosions near Beerst.
The fact that the coast batteries are
not firing has given rise to the rumor
mat the British naval forces are op-
erating off the coast.
Ostend Menaced.
One report even went so far as to
'ay that Ostend which seems bound
% be evacuated by the enemy, has
n peen entered by the British monitors.
There is no confirmation of these ru-
nors.
only thin enemy barrage was en-
'ountered by the British during their
lttack. South of Lchtervelde, the
3rltish have driven well to the east.
Chey have passed through Roulers and
ire still advancing. They are also op-
rating quite a distance east of the |
Ienin- Roulers road.