HEAVY LOSSES

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 51, 28 August 1914, Page 7

HEAVY LOSSES

THE CASUALTIES AT CHARLEROI BRITISH TROOPS DO WELL SUPERIORITY IN BAYONET CHARGES • S- I ,»* * RUSSIAN ADVANCE ANOTHER PRUSSIAN TOWN TAKEN ITAITS READINESS

Further details of the desperate fighting between the ' French and Germans at Charleroi show that the casualties were very heavy, the battlefield being described as being blocked at many points by masses of killed and wounded, so that the cavalry found a difficulty in charging. The French would appear to have achieved a great deal in face of the desperate attacks made by the Germans, whose disregard of life, in order to secure victory, is said to have been stupendous. 'At Mons the British, as might Tiaye been expected, fought splendidly Against a superior force. Their dogged resistance has' had a great moral effect on the whole French line, for if the Allies' left had been, turned a retreat might readily have been converted into a rout. In artillery fire, and also in the effectiveness of their bayonet charges, the British are reported to have ■ been superior to their enemy. The Anglo-French lines . have been moved back a short distance, and a battle is now raging between Douai and Maubeuge. The Belgians are far from being disposed of. A fierce battle at Malines, half-way between Antwerp and Brussels, raged all day between them and fresh German troops from the eastward, the Belgians showing great^ gallantry. On the French southern frontier a three days' sanguinary battle would seem to have closed in favour of the French. An item of news that is pleasing, and should be heartening to our Belgian ally, is the announcement made by Mr, Churchill, First Lord of ihe Admiralty, in the House of Commons, that a strong force of British marines has been landed at Ostend, and is now occupying the town and surrounding districts. ' In East Prussia the Russians continue their advance. They have now occupied the town of Tilsit, on the left bank of the Memel, 65 miles north-east of Konigsberg by rail. It is said that Germany's idea is to withdraw slowly • west to the Biver Oder, in order to afford time for the Germans to deal a deathblow to the French and British and then march to Paris. Paris is still far away, but the B-ussians are getting nearer to Berlin! Italy is still calm and unmoved by the progress of events, but the feeling in Rome is that "everything 1 is ready for the most popular war since 'the unity of the kingdom. 5 ' BRITISH FORCES STRONG BODY OF MARINES LANDED AT OSTEND TO OCCUPY THE TOWN & SURROUNDING DISTRICTS (By Telegraph. — Press Association. — Copyright.) (Received August 28, 9.10 a.m.) LONDON, 27th August. Mr. Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, speaking in the House of Commons, said a strong force of marines had been landed at Ostend, and had occupied the town and surrounding districts. [Ostend is a very important seaport on the coast of West Flanders, and is, from its great popularity among tourists, particularly well known to English travellers. It has existed since 1072, and is notable for a protracted siege it underwent, from 7th July, 1601, till 20th Septembor, 1604, by the Spaniards. Twice since then it has been surrendered — to " The Grand Allianbe " (England, Holland, \ustria, Portugal, Denmark, and Sweden) in 1706, and to the French in 1745^ But its fortifications were demolished in 1865. Ostend has a sea wall three nriles long, affording a remarkably fine promenade, and its popularity aa a seaside resort is indicated by the fact that in the season (July to September) it has anywhere from 16,000 to 20,000 visitors from all parts of Europe. . It is an important fishing centre, and has a very large traffic in butter, eggs, rabbitß, oysters, and other foods of the kind, Its position makes it an important railway terminus, and a regular mail and passenger steamer service runs between Ostend and London, which is only three or four hours away. The population has grown rapidly with its popularity, and is about 25,000.] AGAINST A SUPERIOR FORCE SPLENDID FIGHT GREAT MORAL EFFECT PRODUCED t (Received August 28, 8.30 a.m.) LONDON, 27th August. Mr. 4squith, in the House of Commons, 'said that Field-Marshal Sir John French reported that the British yesterday engaged against a superior force and fought splendidly. (Eeceived August 28, 8.25 a.m.) LONDON, 27th August. The British resistance to the Germans has had a great moral effect on the whole, of the French line. If the Allies' 'eft had been turned a retreat might readily have been converted into a rout. It was difficult to hold the Tommies back from pursuing the retiring Germans, but the commander decided that a forward movement would be highly dangerous. The order for a general withdrawal intensely irritated the British, but they showed coolness and steadiness in retreat. The Turcos (Algerians) wore next to the British in the firing line.

SUPERIORITY IN ARTILLERY : ALSO IN BAYONET CHARGES PARIS, 27th August. Refugees who have been wounded state that 150,000 of the best German troops were" brought against the British. / The Germans' disregard of life is stupendous. ' Orders were apparently given to forfeit, if necessary, fifty per cent, of the army to secure victory. As one German regiment was driven back its place was taken by fresh troops. The German artillery fire was less efficient than the British, whose position was in the hills behind Mons. The German artillery was regulated by signals from an aeroplane flying over the British position. The British showed superiority in bayonet charges. PROSPECTS SATISFACTORY (Received August 28, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, 27th August. In the House of Commons, Mr. Asciuith added that Sir John French had reported that the prospects of the British in the impending battle were satisfactory. FIGHTING IN CHARLEROI ENEMY USES THE SAME METHODS ALWAYS ANGLO-FRENCH LINES MOVED BACK LONDON, 27th August. For three hours four French machine guns held up two thousand of the enemy who were coming into Charleroi by the northern road. French infantry came to their assistance, but not in sufficient numbers to make pursuit possible. Later, a reinforcement of Zouaves arrived, and soon disposed o£ German incendiaries within the town, while others crossing the Sambre at Thuin (seventeen miles south-west of. Charleroi) pursued the enemy as fax as Fontaine l'Eveque, ten miles northwards. The battlefield is described as being blocked at many points with masses of killed and wounded, so that the cavalry found it difficult to charge, while the perpetual flight of shells and shrapnel, especially during the night, made a wonderful but terrible spectacle. Some of the British wounded have been taken to the base hospital near Boulogne. The French wounded state the Gerrtians at Charleroi always used the same methods. They mounted Maxims on the ridges and dug deep trenches. The French carried the death-traps at the point of the bayonet. PARIS, 27th August. An official announcement issued at midnight states that the Anglo-French lines were moved back a short distance to continue the resistance. The name of the place has been deleted by the censor. . * NAMUR FORTS STILL HOLD OUT TOWN OCCUPIED BY THE ENEMY ' ________ * ■ IN LARGE NUMBERS (Received August 28, 10.50 a.m.) OSTEND, 27th August. An officer from Namur states that the forts are holding out with the exception of Marchoveletteand Cognelle. The Belgians fought without assistance for two days previous to the arrival of French reinforcements. A large force of Germans was befor> Namur when the Belgians retreated southwards. The Germans occupy the town. A large number of the inhabitants were killed. _________________ ANOTHER BATTLE RAGING . BETWEEN DOUAI AND MAUBEUGE PARIS, 27th August. , A battle is now raging in the region between Douai and Maubeuge. • [Douai is a town of 36,000 inhabitants, twenty miles south of Lille, and is unfortified. Maubeuge, which is thirty-eight miles east and a little south of Douai, is one of he great French fortresses. It is the southernmost of the three which guard the Belgian frontier, Lille and Valenciennes being the other two. Maubeuge is on tha Sambre, and has 22,000 inhabitants. It is only a few miles from the frontier, and its ring of forts has a perimeter of eighteen miles. About five miles north-wesU of it is Malplaquet, where the famous battle was fought by Maryborough on 11th September, 1709.] UHLAN RAIDERS ACROSS THE FRENCH BORDER ALL KILLED OR CAPTURED, AFTER BEING GUILTY OF CRUELTIES LONDON, 27th August. Uhlan raiders from Mons crossed the frontier on Monday evening, and rounded up the women, children, and convalescents with revolvers, and forced them to march all night through French villages, thus strikitg terror into the peasants. They burnt the Town Hall at Somain (seventeen miles west of Valenciennes), and tore up a length of the railway. At a canal close to Bouchain (fifteen miles further on), at four in the morning, they met a French artillery regiment, which annihilated the Uhlans after a fight lasting four hours. PARIS, 27th August. A German column marching upon Valenciennes, under threat of instant shooting, compelled a number of women and children to walk before them. A battery of artillery concealed in a wood ambushed' them, and all were* killed or captured. BELGIANS PUT UP A FINE FIGHT AN ALL-DAY BATTLE HEAVY LOSSES ON BOTH SIDES AMSTERDAM, 27th August. A fierce battle al Malines, half-way between Antwerp and Brussels, raged all day between the Belgians and fresh German droops coming from the eastward. The enemy was repulsed on the southern side of the canal. The Belgians made desperate bayonet charges; and at several places the bodies were piled to a height of five or six feet. The greater part of Malines has been destroyed. The Belgians blew up a part of the town to enable the fort to use its guns effectively. It is estimated that the Germans lost two thousand men. The Belgians also suffered severely. The Louvain station has been transferred into a huge repair shop, and elsewhere great bakeries, kj^diens, and slaughter-houses have been established. The Germans leave no troops upon the lines of communication. WHEN ONE OF THE LIEGE FORTS FELL COMMANDANT BLOCKS A TUNNEL LOCOMOTIVES COLLIDE (Times and Sydney Sun Services.) (Received August 28, 8 a.m.) PARIS, 27th August. When Fort Chaudi'ontaine at Liege was reduced to a heap of ruins 'ty the German bombardment, the commandant, judging that further resistance was impossible, blocked a tunnel on the railroad from Aix-la-Chapelle, by making several locomotives collide. He set fire to the wreckage. Not wishing to see the German flag floating over the rums of the fort, he fired the powder magazine and blew up the remains. (Press Association.) ON THE FRENCH SOUTHERN FRONTIER OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS BETWEEN NANCY AND THE VOSGES THE GERMANS RETREAT __________ _ PARIS, 27th August. An official bulletin issued states that the offensive operations between Nancy and the 'Vosges progress, though the French right fell back too quickly. In the Saint Die district the Germans sustained considerable casualties, fifteen hundred corpses being found in a small area. The French shells mowed down an entire section in one trench. Three days' bloody battles near the Mise ( ? the Mease) appear to have closed in France's favour. The Germans have a^so retreated near Woevve, fifteen miles east of Verdun, after desperate fighting for several days.