HUGE GUNS ROLLED UP IN COVETED ALSACE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14124, 17 October 1916, Page 8

HUGE GUNS ROLLED UP IN COVETED ALSACE.

GERMANS yRBPARE.^O MEET GIGANTIC OFFENSIVE PLAN- . :-..,- voNEID- RY^ FRE_WH. n-- ;- \ ALTKRIOH LIKELY 3PL_\CE FOR .':,:'::: THUST. \ FRANCO-SWISS FRONTIFJR, August 40. Beyond the obbasional mention Of unimportant encounters N between patrols or .outppsts, the official communiques say very- little at present abppt- the Alsatian front. l And yet it ,^*rbuld be : an . error to_ conclude that this part of the front had grown to. be. of /only sec-, ondary interest.- It is tliat, some day hi ther more! or less , distant , future,, the Allies' 7 offensive will extend „ along the western"' front. , Alsace represents too muclV hi . the eyes 'of the French for . them to attempt nothing important m "this directibn.'! '-.-.•■<■ . /Both adyersarie_ are"^^^ engaged lm sub- , duedi but 'incessant, activity 'ii*^ Upper [ Alsace.*.. -Reinforoeriients' : ore ' heing I brought; up; .old iritrenchinents are be- , ii*ig ' strengthened arid new ones prepar- ,: ed j railroads 'are behig laid and plats' forms installed for, 'heavy . cannon.. A duel between the tAvo aSj/itleries is ali bf daily, occurrence,' 1 especially m l the upper valley; of the LArgiie, betWeeri t|i4 .'respective, lines of , ; PfetterhouseLargitzen^ and Morriaoh-HeiTrierdorf--. Al- ;-. most iiivaj-iably ,,;the, cannoriiade is stai-t-L 0 by the^FSfelich/ 'Recently 'their canripri botobardedythe lo6alities ;^of Moos, ;Ri^el'' and Moeruach'; soon the . cannon- ! spread oyer 'the, entire line. From ;: /several. paiHs 'of ' Ajoie rockets andt J. flashes of the cannon could be seen. The Swiss.: jpopulation. m the surrounding, region, as' far as JPorfentruy, wci-e -much disturbed. 1 ' .. ;. still Filing up guns.* ; , At "Rbhfol one : could Hear the noise I of the heavy cannon tractors' rolling ( ! uhiiiterruptedly , along the neighboring , Alsatian roads, arid 'the crackling! of iri- ; numerable machine gyms was' audible m , Borifol and Bottrnevesin. The French '• irijfaritry make' Ifreqiient incursions into ' the v Germari trenches. ' Everything leads ;• one tb believe that the French, liave m ' Anew the ihyestment of Altkirch, which sinee 'the war has : beeri trahsForriied' by 1 the Gerhians intd- a powerful^ fortress. ' Butit'is hardly possible fbi* the latter ' ; to use the Altkrich-Waldighbferi Rail- , road, for it is - doriiinated hy \ French ; ranrion. The French s^eni to be erideavourihg to adv&nce - to- the north of • AltkiTch, against AspiatJh| ! :Walheirii', : so • as lto intercept the': rajlroad from. Mul- ' "hod_e. ' Iri the region bf Dannermarie ' they are setting up- heavy pieties' bf large ;• calibre and recerit mahiifacture, ajad' it is believed that some of' these pieces are ;■ .eVeii'ridw m action. It can be-affirmed, > contrary to the Tassertion bf' 'severial '' German, rie'wspapers, ; that 7neither- : the f 1 Somme offensive ■ nor the 7Verdun defen- • sive Thave necessitated' the ''withdrawal '■'■ of troops, from the French ' frbrit; bf ■ Alsace. •' Indeed'; the'- nu_ibeir.* ; pf c : linattacheu trbbps have enabled the 1 French^ to reinforce [their effective force and "cqrisiderably increase ' their material. ;0n ' ; this\, part of; the front at least the ! ' French artillery ia distinctly superior '" to the. German. . I MAY ADVANCE* ON v ALTKIRCH. ! - Infantry actions 'are ythdre intense; m i- front' of Aspach, to the north, ;.. than- m ! the direction of Cia_spa'ch,'to; the south, i a fact explained by the position of Ithe present front77 : Sirice''the" French are nearer Altkirch iri the' south than iri the "■ north; it seem^ natural that they should j' erideaVor. to; stratighteri: their hne of ad- • vaiice. *7Tlie towri; of Altkirch is a very > irtiportant point m the., defence of Siini Should 'the Germans lose ' it, 'all ' Upper Alsace,! would, he threatehed, for thia French would drive on from Altkirch'*to Saint-Louis With nothing m the way to oppose' their mach, and the only .-lttoiative. for - the Germans would ; be to»>withdraw their : ! troop:, froni the HI Valley and the Swiss frontier. The; Germans are even now taking precautions ' against a possißle". retreat in -Upper Alsace. ' We learn from a're-liable'-'-;source 'that day and* night- they are * fortifying - the -'Ferrette : mountain and installing , numerous heavy -pieces. . This position; .-which i_ greatly elevateH!, and flanked by rocks, Constitutes a n_tural,foi?midablei bastion which might retard the advanoe of the aggressor . for a considerable tima "':'■> . '•'.' The^ villaige'bf. Niederlag ha_ been:en-\ tirely ' evacuated and the civil population 'remainiitig .tfiefb,: which' consisted of seventV-foui" old riien, woriien arid ohil'dren, v ha-Ve been sent to Courtavon and Levoncoui't. •. •' ' '