IN BELGIUM AND FRANCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13572, 28 December 1914, Page 4

IN BELGIUM AND FRANCE.

DETAILS OF- OPERATIONS. PARIS, Dccembev 24. Official : • The progress of the attacks between . the 'M^euse' 'and/thev Argdrinb districts .is almost completely', riiaintaihod. Our front, has 'i^'chjid tlie enehvy.'s wire entanglements 'at the sbuth-west salient.' wh^cli is' poised . on Forgoes and east of Ciiisy, s^id'*rpris along t&O road leading to, the Bois s De !,^ou*renilles'. ' " , "' AMSTERDAM, DecV 24. , The Germans haye A greatly -strengthened all Belgian fortmcatloris north; of Antwerp^ ajfld are ' strengthening ; '"an.d i constructing' new dries between; fieid aiid' Brasschaw- It . is s noteworthy! that, tbjß rirencli^s ■ are bo constructed as to n guard. ragam'3^; attack f roin ' nortlvjeast, - : A telegram' says that while' the Ger•mans ; are r mamtainuig d-jsp-jrato resistance^" 'hevej-theless^ they aye' prepjiring, to ' retreat frori>F4and^rs. 3 It'is rbelieyed the Germai^ " are. 'cp^Cept-L'atirig ! {$ a' fresh attack oh tho' battlefields of FiahceV > One , hundred; - trains of ttoop's passed -iLouvfiin Fi'anceward^ ' ' -. - -- /- ; German soldiers* wet£< shoV at Louyaiii for endeavoring to foment 'an ' !ariti-ihili-tary agitation among .'troopers. PARIS, December 2&Y,j-,.-Official : North b£ t Lys. the enemy has violently cannonaded the apprbapliyßs to, the rpad froni.. Ypres to Comjus and those ' 'of. L.-uigem^pJc,'' but, . has, not; at'., tacked. We have slightly progressed before La Boisell, north-east of Albert. A German night-attack on a wood at Saint 'Mard, east of- Tracylaval was re pulsed. The position is unchanged else\7J_ l A_*P The British recently .concentrated their fire and demolished Englos Fort, ' a few miles west ,oi Lille, This was

followed up by a vigorous attack of sweeping 'fire from hidden machine guns. A thousand Germans were killed and many -wounded. This enabled the British** artillery 'to command the high road and; railway, entering Lille. -The Belgians on Tuesday broke through tb©;Gerinan. position on the banks of : the .Yser, beyond St. George's, and: established a hew position^ notwitlistan'dink a fierce attack. Official'" ." .Wo advanced from the sea. lo Ly^jV sapping the dunes arid repulsing! an attack before Loiriba'ertzde. We also progressed near Zwartelen,. south- east of Ypres. The Belgian arriiy has thrown detachments from, the right bank of the Yser to organise possession of the bridgehead, southward of Dixmude. We took four hundred metres of : - trenches noi-threast of Mesnil les ; Hurjus. - The artillery wrecked ; , and , cleared, several, trenches in the forest.; of Aprement and silenced. Gerniari battenes at Woevrc. (London Times-Sydney Sun-Special.) LONDON, December 24. Tho Times' military correspondent Says there are indications of a* fresh development. '• ' Th'e' r * German' military power is callipg up the' " whole i-, of .the manhood so as to intensify eVe'ry industiy mariufacturing war material in preparation to crush - .thet- Allies, hi the' sprhig otj perislr* in" the ;atte'mrit. Ger•many has two nlillion inCn 'Ori trie westem- lino and*: a million on the eastern. The losses are a 'million. She is now training four million. . Wo have no reason to fear in war numbers, because the Allies' population is double that of Germany and their , resources much greater,' whilst the 'spirit is at least equal. .. ' "- .' ..:.*:..: PARIS, December 25. A correspondent, describes the black days at Lille under German occupation.'" For two months the to tfcn has been bombarded, fired, and squeezed of money like an orange squeezed of its juice. German, generals: gov*jTnjng the city have 'hot Deeh iribved.by tho" appeal to I'ustice. and. are. deaf to cries of i, pity, .levies £280,000 ha\*e been '.-"made. ButteE'and 'milk* are unobtainable.. The Gerriians have ; com'maildeered ', the ilpur and the flour mills; - - . ; -* " /' LONDON, December 25, The. Times' ;^ mUitary correspondent says General , Joff re .*. is- plainly sparring' for*'ffn opening,' his double /adyaiilco enabhng:'hita*to learn '' where it. is -best to strike', arid is taking off the Strain -from the' Rtossiatis, whom ttte Gerad'an press recently asserted were incapable of taking the offensive. ', We must revise our ideas of tho AustrQ-Gernian' forces, which probably do not' reach oiie and a half nlillion, . Russia shpuld • not have ally insuperable 'difficulty, iri overthrpwing such' a, force by superior nuntbersi She ought to enjoy numerical srij^eribiity of over:a niilliori.. Therefore we riius't: not expect General Hiridenburg's success to be lasting." Although a counter-offen-sive .temporarily saved Silesia, 1 it;iias relieved the pressure on Cracow -apd merely postponed the day; of f|ck6piilg.