Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-10-15
GERMANS IN R0UT,
FLEE BELGIUM,
BURNING TOWNS
King Albert Leading Attack, Cap
lures Roulers and Many Towns
With Prisoners.
FOE DESTROYING STORES
Nv Associated Press to Every Evening


With the British Army in Belgium
Monday, Oct 14.-9 p. m.-Enemy
resistance in Flanders which at first APP
peared to be exceedingly heavy, is report
ed to have been broken. After the British
French and Belgian advance today there
we're indications that the enemy was
Withdrawing the remainder of his material
from the coast OF Belgium
As it is customary during the hours
following the launching of an attack IN
this difficult country, reports were slow
in coming in, but most significant ot all
the features of the battle was the fact
that the German coast batteries were
not firing.
The enemy artillery reacted heavily
south of Roulcrs after the allied attack
was launched. but north OF the city tins
tire was berry slight, indicating that the
German guns had been withdrawn or were
being taken back by the enemy. ihe
German rear guards were overcome
and farther north the enemy resistance
gradually grew lighter as the assault
progressed Among the prisoners was
complete gimcnta staff and battalion
commando
GrRM.N- BURNING TOwNs.
The enemy has begun blowing up
material which he could not remove and
the torch Is being applied 10 the towns
that are being abandoned by the Ger
mans There have been four explosions
near Beerst
The fact that the coast batteries are
moi firing has given rise 10 the rumor
that the British naval forces are oper-
ating off the coast One report even
went So far as to say that Ostend, which
seems bound to bc evacuated by the
enemy. has been entered by British
innntor~. There i no confirmation Of
tho>e rumors
Onl, thin enemy barragc Was rm-
tolrtcrc9 III the British during their
attack south .! lirhfcrvcidc The
Rritl-h have driven well IA the east.
rh,- haly passed through Roulers and
~iiii are advancing They also are oper-
:,liuI cas- Il H. Nenin- Roulers road.
londaa Ngndar Ocl Il The ext
fiji the oficia ~ta.cmcnt ISSUED u the
Var office tonlgh, relative Il thr "ffen-
i've in Belgium follows;
The EIand,r~ group o. arnnc~ under
the King q Belgium attacked II : ~
" clock this morning The second Brt-
i~h arn,- advanced about t"ur and
haif miles in the direction 81 Coartra!
capturing the lIHlfoItf Nl'4a@'N -
E.cdeghcm and Moorsellc and reaching
he northern outskirts q Mrujn
The Belgian army advanced also
nearly five miles toward Thoroui and
captured the villages Of Rumbeke. lseghe
Cortemarck and Handzaeme
RoULERs OCCUPIED BY ALLIf~.
"The French army attacked With
the Belgian troops OH both fianAs and
occupied Roulers * we'll as the villages
of Devren Hooglede. Gifts and = Joseph
They also captured the plateaus ol Gits.
Hooglede and Gibbete
The prisoners counted exceed 5000.
Thirty three hundred were taken by the
Belglans, $500 by the French and 220 Q
by the British
The exact number of guns taken +
unknown. but ~lN complete batteries
with their teams were captured just q
they were about to withdraw
''1hc British Belglan and French
sviators played great pari IN the battle
'rhcv bombed enemy concentrations and
trains and fired their machine guns on
cnem, infantry Brush monitors also
assisted materially in tho operations