25 YEARS AGO

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 282, 26 August 1939, Page 10

25 YEARS AGO

Another Great Battle Raging -

(From "The Dominion.” August 28, 1911.)

With the exception of brief intervals ot rest by troops utterly exhausted by the supreme efforts of the fighting, the protracted struggle on the Franco-Belgiau frontier continues with undiniinisbed fury. Today we are told that a battle is now raging along a front of 38 miles between Douai and Maubeugc, south of Lille and Mous, this new development suggesting an attempt to turn the French Hank. The temporary advantage gamed by the Germans at Charleroi, at enormous sacrifice of life, has been countered by a fresh advance of the Allied line, a distance of 12 miles being recovered. This movement was succeeded by what appears to have been a retirement to a holding position—the message at this point has been censored—-preparatory to a fresh advance. This is in accord with sound tactics. The fighting about this theatre of war has been featured by frightful slaughter in the massed ranks of the Germans", who are stated to be prepared to lose 50 per cent, in casualties in order to advance their line to the desired objective. The streets of Charleroi were littered with the dead. From Antwerp, the Belgians have made a successful sally and thrown back three German divisions a distance of 20 miles. Through Dutch channels comes the suggestion that the German plan of campaign in the Russo-German theatre is to fall buck slowly as far west as the Oder River, where the main line of the defence of Berlin will be contested, leaving the whole of East and West Prussia to the almost certain control of the Russians. The German retirement to the Oder is assumed to bo a move to give the army on the Franco-Belgian frontier time to strike decisively—if il eao.

From Paris comes the news of the resignation of the Ministry in order to create a Miniotry of Defence to replace the ordinary Administration.