Those First Defeats.

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 2600, 8 April 1915, Page 2

Those First Defeats.

France's force centres had to be mobile enough to. allow of the transfer of the chief defence to the Held where Ihe enemy sliould sliow himself most active. "Tlio violation of Belgian neutrality informed us oi" tho intentions of the German headquarters stalk For it was in the north that the big game would be played. Forced to wait before taking np our part for the entry in the line of the English army (which took place before August 20), we immediately made ou>' digpositions for keeping occupied iv Alsace and Lorraine the greatest possible number of German corps. In Alsace, our first attack, which was not well conducted, led ug to Mulhausen; but we could not maintain ourselves there (August "),"' Here «ill be seen the first touch of candour tliat marks the official review. TJie second attack, which was made under the direction oi" General Pan, took the French forces back lo Mulhaitsen; and by August'JO they were holding, alone, the Vosges and the flat, ground on the route Jo Colinar, and tho enemy had buffered great losses. "But. from this moment the unfortunate happenings in Lorraine and Belgium obliged us to restrict tho field and the intensity of our efforts in Alsace (August 26). In Lorraine, our offensive movement had opened out brilliantly: for on An gust 19 we had reached Saarebourg, Etangs, Dieuze, Morhange, Delute. and Chateau Salins: but from the 20th the enemy, strongly entrenched on well-prepared ground, retook the advantage, and on the 22nd, 23rd, and 24 th we had to fall back on Nancy, and to the south of Luneville. But on the 25th, a counter-attack, simultaneously delivered by the armies of Dubail and Castlenau, consolidated n\r position definitely in this region."' Meantime, what was ha [►polling in Belgium? Seven or eight German army corps, with lour divisions of cavalry, triumphing over tho magnificent resistance of Liege, were trying to advance between Givot ;,nd Brussels, and to extend their movement by the west. "But. sine the Englisli army was already *n the Mons region, we took the offensive in Belgium and Luxembourg, ivith the irmiefi of Iluffey and Cari. This i.i'iensive was crushed with Ireniendous 06s to us, For here tiie ground had I

1 ' ill been strongly entrenched by the enemy, and in some of our corps there ■was a. lack of proper orders, whilst instructions were not properly carried out." At the same time, on the left of these two armies, and in conjunction with the English army, the army of "General Lanrezao, anxious about its right wing, fell back (on the 24th) to the Beaumont-Givet line. On tbe 25th and 26th, the English army, checked at" Landrecies and Le Chateau, retired towards Marne. These days were marked by bloody battles, and the enemy of the republic, though suffering huge losses, gained ground all the time. At this point, adds the official review, the situation was as follows: "We had either to fight on the spot under.very dangerous conditions resulting from the throwing back of our left wing or to retire along the whole front until if, would be possible to take the offensive under favourable conditions." And this latter was what Geueral-in-Chief Joffre determined to do.