THE GENERAL SITUATION.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 4943, 17 September 1914, Page 5

THE GENERAL SITUATION.

CONTINUING THE ADVANCE. | I ENEMY FALLING BACK. | * Ml - Paris, Last Night. Official.— The Germans facing the Allies’ left made a stand on Monday , north of the Aisne, on the line from Galonne to Gracune, and th< ; ll ,/ tre resisted on a line north of ( Rheirns from Camp de Chalons to , Viennelaville. The forces in the , southern Argonne have furthei fallen back on the Allies’ right and fallen back to Etain, Metz, Delme and Chateau Salins. The situation in the Vosses and Alsace is unchanged. Paris says the whole German line is intact and in fast hut orderly retreat. The strength of its resistance is problematic. The battle now in j progress is probably only a leal , guard action to cover the mam re- ; tirement to the Meuse. Offical. —Our left is closely contacting with the Germans centre and our advance continues. The right is j unchanged. On our left the armies ; are contacting with the enemy s whole front and have masked the heights north of the Aisne and north j of Rheirns. CROWN PRINCE’S ARMY. SCURRYING IN RETREAT. j TO ONLY AVAILABLE GAP. London, Last Night. The Press Bureau reports that the Germans still occupy a strong position north of Aisne, and fightingis proceeding along the whole line. Ine Crown Prince has been driven further back on a line from Varennescons to Senvoveornes. The Allies have occupied Rheirns, and six hundred prisoners and twelve guns were captured by a corps on the right of the British.'Rain is making the roads heavy and increasing the difficulties of the German retreat. There is no truth in the German statement that the Crown Prince is besieging Verdun, which will never be attacked, except Fort Troyon, which is really part of the Meuse defences. , , Paris, Last Night. The Crown Prince, after frantic attacks on the French Aine of forts between Toni and Verftnn, is scurrying in retreat through the only available loophole in the gap between Argonne and the Meuse.

ENCIRCLING MOVEMENT

London, Last Night. The Central News correspondent at Dieppe wires that it is reported that the Allies’ extreme left, advancing , through Roye and Ham after junoIHicning with fresh troops from Boulogne, encircled General von Kluck. EVACUATING BRUSSELS. A DESPERATE STAND. Paris, Last Night. The Germans are reported to be evacuating Brussels under cover of a Tetreat to defend their oommunications. They are preparing to make a desperate stand along the Meuse, and are constructing heavy fortifications at Liege. GERMANS SURPRISED. IN TWO DISTINCT PLACES. BY FRENCH AND BELGIANS. Ostend, Last Night. A thousand cavalry surprised three thousand German cavalry who were encamped at Rousbrugge, and routed them after two hours’ fighting. They took 110 prisoners, and captured many machine guns, ammunition, and supply waggons. The French lost rtriirty men. Ostend, Last Night. A Belgian battalion blew up the railway between Alost and Termonde, and then surprised a German battalion, killing fifty and capturing a number of waggons and other material. ROBUST IMAGINATION. London, Last Night. Befilin advices admit partial repulses in France and attribute these to being enormously outnumbered. They assert that the general advance of the Germans was not affected. They also claim that they have destroyed the Russians in East Prussia, CAPTURES FOR THE WEEK. London, Last Night. It is estimated that the British and French captured sixty cannon, and thirty mitrailleuses during the week. CONDITIONS ALTERED. London, Last Night. The “Daily Chronicle’s” Antwerp correspondent reports that on Tuesday the military conditions were completely altered. There are now 100,000 Germans around Brussels and 80,000 Belgians sheltering in the Antwerp forts, where they retreated in good order after four days’ fighting, wherein the Belgians lost about 1500, and the Germans 1000. TIMELY ARRIVAL. Paris, T,a»st Night. The Germans, during their retreat, occupied Ooulornmiors and arrested the Mayor and public prosecutor and demanded a 100,000 francs. The Ma anil Prosecutor refused, and fIV Germans took them outside the town to be shot, playing Chopin’s Funeral March a.s a last threat. The

arrival of the British saved the Mayor’s and prosecutor’s lives. FULL OF GERMANS. London, Last Night. A Belgian officer who has reached London says there is a deep well at Termonde full of the bodies of Germans, which reach within two feet ot the top. KAISER’S DREAM BLASTED. London, Last Night. The New York Sun describes the battle of Marne as the Gettysburg of the war. Like Napoleon, the Kaiser has gambled desperately, but the dice have gone against him, and his dream of a German world-dominion is blasted. A LITTLE PREVIOUS. London, Last Night. A' German general, when crossing the Grand Morin, told the French women, “The French are done for. They are absolutely decadent. We will take the best of the men to marry our sturdy German women and to have healthy children. The rest we will send to America.” Later the general, with his troops in full flight, passed over the same crossing. AN ANONYMOUS. WAR. London, Last Night. The Times’ Paris correspondent savs: —“This is an anonymous war, The names of Generals and troops who won the battle of Marne are unknown. Not a single casualty list has been issued in France since the war began. France is in a darkened room. With grea,t appropriateness the Minister of Post and Telegraphs is lodged in a deaf and dumb institute. ’Die newspapers, in their despair, fill their empty columns by reprnting their rivals’ leading articles.”