The Battle of Haelen

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 98, 15 August 1914, Page 5

The Battle of Haelen

OUTWITTED GERMANS FIGHT SAVAGELY. BOMBARDING THE FORTS. GERMANS LOSE 2000 KILLED AND WOUNDED. THE COUNTRY DEVASTATED. [Bt Electric Telegraph—Copyright] [Tjniteu Press Association.] (Received 8.35 a.m.) Brussels, August 14. •In the attack on Haelen and Diest, the Belgians allowed the enemy to advance slowly. The Germans hurled themselves against-the barricades and endeavoured to carry the. place by force, but the 1 Belgians shot them down. The attack on the bridges was as savage as that' at the barricades, when they fell rapidly, almost shattered, and retreated in great disorder towards TOiigreS. Meanwhile the Germans at Huy wero bombarding fche'forts, 1 particularly that jutting on the peninsula's north bank, which hampered the crossing of cavalry.. A column on Thursday crossed between Huy and Nainur and readied Eghezee and Jodoigne respectively in the south and north of Ramillies, and captured guns. As already cabled the artillery and cavalry duel was continued on Thursday, when the Belgians brought up fresh troops .to r-'ieve. these lighting on Wednesday. It i • estimated that the Germans last L- killed 1 and wounded in two d:ysV ihe Belgians had few dead, hut a considerable number of wounded. ■' English corre.*:?: "V-nts reported that the country 'at'li-bsuont. St. Trond, which at the beginning n" She weekwas rich cornfields and well-tendered gardens, now fovr.-.s smoking ruins, and the fields are down-trodden. The German staff at Liege occupied Convent Sacrecoeur, and barricaded itself against attack.

FRANCE AND BELCIUM HAVE MILLION MEN ON FRONTIER. RUSSIAN CONSUL-GENERAL MALTREATED. THOUSANDS. OF PRISONERS. EXCITING OPERATIONS OF AIRMEN. (Received 9.15 a.m.) Paris, August 14. , Two German officers with a motor car laden -with sufficient melinite to destroy the biggest bridge in France were arrested at Tours. The occupants of the car were immediately shot. . The French aro bringing an army corps from Algeria, making twentytwo army corps, which, with the Belgians' throe corps, make a million men on the frontier, compared to 25 Ger- . man army corps and two Austrian. The Algerians include the famous Turcos sharpshooters who will be remembered .for their reckless bayonet charges in Upper Alsace in 1870. It is reported that the Russian Con-sul-General at Frankfort was beaten and kicked, and forced to uncover his head and bow before the statue of Germania. In operations around Liege, the Belgians have taken 2000 prisoners. Having insufficient accommodation for them they asked the French to tako Charge of them. The French captured 1500 prisoners in other parts of the frontier. It is reported that a French aviator reconnoitering in Lorraino was pursued by two larger German machines carrying three armed men. After an exciting chase, the Frenchman escaped, A German aviator, carrying the French flag, flew over Vesoul and Lure, near Betfort, and dropped bombs. The "ainage done was not important. The aviator was put to flight by a volley from the gendarmes. GERMANS FIGHT PLUCKU.Y IN THREEFOLD ATTACK. (Received 9 a.m.) London, Atlgtl'sb.\l 1. Th» fhjfof eyent. of Wednesday and

Thursday was an audacious cavalry raid by Von Emmich's right wing, threatening Louvian and Brussels. The Germans fought pluckily, hurling men against strong natural positions. The attack was threefold. A column from Huy attacked Eghezee, another reached Tirlemont as a feint to keep the Belgians busy, while the principal attack on Diest was developed. GERMANS POUR THROUGH THE GAP AT TREVES. IN THE VALLEY OF DEATH. (Received 9.20 a.m.) Brussels, August 14. The Germans continue to pour through the gap at Treves towards France and reached Spitcourt and Arlon, but were repulsed at Bostogne on Wednesday by the French towards Belgium. They are going through the valley of the Ourthe towards Namur, Huy and Nurthe, which being heavily entrenched, will hamper pursuit ill case of a. possible defeat. With Von Emmich's troops at Liege it is estimated that seven army corps (250,000 men) are in the Meuse valley. A French battery iat Spincourt on Thursday surprised the twenty-first German, dragoons, and the gunfire' practically destroyed the regiment.

GERMANS SHOW SURPRISING MOBILITY. A VIRTUAL CUL-DE-SAC. ONLY RIDERLESS HORSES SURMOUNT THE BARRICADE. FAINTING MEN AND HUNGRY HORSES. (Received 9.25 a.m.) Brussels, August 1-1. A German cavalry and infantry battalion with twelve guns crossed the river Gette and flung itself on Haelen and Diest., The attack was so sudden that the Belgian engineers had barely time to blow up the bridges. Only' the bravery of the civic guard prevented a column of Mecklenburg dragoons and six guns surprising Diest. The Germans galloped to a little village 1£ miles from Diest, but suddenly encountered a barricade of farm waggons, the road in front being torn up. A mixed force of Belgians with machine guns defended the barricade with reckless courage. The dragoons galloped into a virtual cul do sac. The dragoons, with revolvers drawn, faced a murderous fire. The only living things to surmount the barricade were seven riderless horses maddened with fear. The surviving Germans sheltered behind the dead horses. The Belgians, believing the resistance ended, rushed out of the barricade and many were shot. Later, a field gun was brought up and forced the German survivors to fly.

In the general attack on Haelen and Diest, the encounter lasted all day. The extreme German right wing failed to 'turn the Belgian position. Many prisoners were captured in a fainting condition, and the horses were dying of hunger. FRENCH TROOPS AT BRUSSELS INSPIRE CONFIDENCE. A THRILLING EPISODE AT GRANDZELCK. (Received 11.10 a.m.) Brussels, August 11. Though civilians in Brussels are naturally anxious, the battle being only twenty-eight miles away, they gained confidence' owing To the presence of French troops in streets. Details of the Diest fight show that the Germans advanced in close formation, their artillery fire being comparatively ineffective. The Belgian guns tore great gaps in the advancing column. Owing to the nature of tho ground the German infantry were unable to deploy. Lieut, van Dooren is the hero of n thrilling episode at Grnnckolok, near Maelen. The Belgian commander was unable to spare 'troops, and be sent Van Dooren in a motor at the bead of a party of firemen to defend Grandzolck. Van Dooren bid behind a dyke, crawled a few yards to a German battery, shot the comraanaer, caught an officer's horse and regained the Belgian lines amid a hail of bullets,