IRRESISTIBLE PRESSURE FROM FRENCH TROOPS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15685, 12 August 1914, Page 7

IRRESISTIBLE PRESSURE FROM FRENCH TROOPS.

ENEMY'S POSITION SERIOUSLY IMPERILLED.

GERMAN SCHEME TO CHECK THE FRENCH ADVANCE, Brussels, August. 10.

The Belgian General Staff reports that the position of the German troops has hardly changed since Saturday. .'" v

Their advance cavalry has retreated under irresistible pressure* from French troops, who arc in considerable force in the country, south of the Meuse, which they are clearing of Germans. •.

The French and Belgians will take the offensive simultaneously.

The fact that two of Austria's finest army corps, the.fourteenth", from Innsbruck, and the third, from Graz, are being brought to the Rhine, is regarded as proof that , Germany's position is gravely involved by the failure at Liege.

The Germans arc advancing chiefly through Southern Luxemburg.They razed Merle, 10 miles from the Belgian border. An official message reports that the Germans are trying to inundate the Seillc Valley in order to delay the French advance upon Metz.

Austria is divided into 16 army corps districts. Each army corps district is supposed to furnish a complete army corps of two divisions of the Common Army. Each army corps has about 54,000 combatants. The drafting of two Austrian Army Corps on the Rhine means tho reinforcement of German troops now on the Franco-German frontier by 68,000 men.

The Seillc is a tributary of tho Moselle, which it joins at Metz. Tho flooding of the Seille would delay a French advance upon .Metz from Nancv. Metz is only 10£ miles from the French frontier. It was taken from the French by the Germans in 1871, and is now the capital of German Lorraine. It is strongly fortified, and has a garrison of about 25,000.