Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-11-10
GERMAN WAR MACHINE
IN BELGIUM WRECKED
Evidence of It's Crumbling Strcw!.
Through Scvcnty-Fivc Miles
OF Territory.
OLD BLooD-sTAINED TERRAIN
Baltic Fields From Ypres to Brugcs,
Fought Over During Last Two
Weeks, Are Uttered With Wreck
age of Almost Every Description.
BY nonEI,r' wBLLEs I,ITCIIIE.

ID
Copyright. 1918. by Universal Service.)
BRuGES. BELGIUM. November l
(by Courier. via Paris) (Dclaycd). -
The Germans. rctreatihg before the
conuuering Belgians, left behind plen-
tiful evidences of the crunbling Of
their war machine. evidences which
snow that this machine is now failing
apart before the assaults of the allies
between the North sea and the McuSr
ihc stii! fresh ba,,ic hclus n! IN.
way ifoni pres 20 Liuees, iodeht ovei
v.u.i nS the Ask Two weeks. are lit
>crtd wItn WrccknSe OF Ludcniorn :
Dc.i zen ARMIES. .,iniiiuni,ion uInlpa az,
s..!. smoi,inE. 1 here are hagc pics
~ tcrE.Jn supplies, lett intact, n.s..
demolished aerodrones and uncJun.c>
..V..:i.o worth % sheet S,ec. ..acnal;,
..nd fodder.
accompanying some Belgian officers
| rode ,o-Gay through seventy iir,
.u.vo OF territory where me J!u blood
soak.d terrain along me pres cana .
:BcrScs wi,h TIE new Datt.v .;rounus
.ron which the Germans have Deci
,irIvcn SINCE October.
FIRST we p, sseu through some locali-
ties near 81 uses. where German graves
i MRS. NE site OF ,he German s,fo! :.
..ansiiion from tho unscarred ou;-
S@.r,s vi BruGes into the desert of the
new battle fields around Thorout WIS
Il city dump.
Two, ki!ome,ers north of Thorou,.
Shell hoes begin 10 mark the beet
Fields. tcstifying TO the steady drench-
lag by bcig.an guns. with regular
intervals OF twenty feet. stretches "A
line OF the giant foot prints. occasion
ally Squarciy smashing house or
shat tcrirS a huge tree.
Here the German rearguard tried
waves while Bruges was being evacL
otcd. In the outskirts OF Thorout
purity demolished aerodrones mar"
the lying base. whence airplanc at
tacks ae..imst Dunkirk and Calais were
launched during four bitter years
Thorout is only half demolished. In
fore 4 store. where the Belgian Relief
commission il now working. distri-
buting food.
In Langemarck and Poelrapcllc the
war desert grew more stern. t.erc
the track Of the retreat was more
cluttc:ed. There are no trees save
except mounds OF bricks. a name posted
on a sign board ut the cross roads. as
often German as English
stretches Unfortunately, pittcd by water
filled shel! holes aud hummocks. with
iron oGfed dnsonls In h .nn,c n,
them fresh. with unrusicd helmets
hanging from wooden crosses. others
the relies OF battles fought early In
y startling splash of gold in this
man graveyard in which each grave
AS We were approaching fprcs,
which was again under IRE during the
l4..t week OF september, when tn"
great French push began, We SAY
many mud crested monsters rear from
the marsh along the road. They wer"
British tanks stuck IN the mire OF
struck by heavy shells.
Then we reached ItOuiers. Welcome,
Brave Soldiers" reads d roush y atch n
shows the church that was once the
pride Of the town. now reduced TO n
brick heap. The town was bomburdcd
by the Germans and was the scene Of
a heartbreaking house to house combat
in which men dug through the walls
10 get at each other.
Yet lesaw children sliding down the
tipped beams OF a ruined home while
their mother brewed stew nndsr
the only part of the roof that WAS lett
, intact. So life runs again through the
vains Of Roulcrs. even though some
ruins still contain the ghastl? repiicas
Of men who died fighting 20 keep the
town from German slavery