THE WAR.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 16, 5 September 1914, Page 3

THE WAR.

Ills Siege of Paris

GERMANS’ SPEEDY STRIKE

[United Press Association.] London, September 3

. The Daily Mail’s Dieppe correspondent wrote last night that an unending stream of French troojis was flowing into Paris. The Germans wore pushing forward with amazing speed to strike their blow before the garrison had time to settle down. A fleet of boats is at Dieppe waiting to leave with refugees, who waited on the quay for hours. What England will do with the motley crowd remains to be seen.

THE GOVERNOR WILL DEFEND PARIS TO THE LAST.

London, September 4

The President, Ministers, and the Ambassadors, with the exception of the American, have gone 'to Bordeaux. M. G a'liens, the Governor, has proclaimed his intention to defend Paris to the last.

ALLIES ON THE OFFENSIVE

Paris, September 3

A British officer wounded at Cornpoigno states that the Germans were repeatedly repulsed on Wednesday with heavy losses. The Allies were taking the offensive over a front of several miles.

THE FORTIFICATIONS ROUND THE CITY.

Times and Sydney Sun Services

(Received 8 a.m.) London, September 4

The entrenchments at Paris extend from Chelles to Marby, to Domant, to Palaiseau, while a ring has been formed of outlying forts 100 miles in circumference. The whole of those works are eight miles from the boundaries of the city; therefore it is claimed the Germans will be unable to throw shells into tho capital. An observer upon the third platform of the Eiffel Tower could easily watch the enemy’s movements.

Tho new fortifications for the defence of Paris arc eleven miles from the Louvre and eight miles from tho enceinte. They form a circle of seven-ty-five miles in circumference, and an army which attempted to invest Paris to-day would have to be at least 500,000 strpng, irrespective of all field and covering forces. The actual defence of tho works, apart from troops temporarily collected in tho fortified area, would need some 170,000 men only. The entrenched camp falls into three sections—the North, the East, and the South-west. The forts have from 2-1 to GO heavy guns and 600 to 1200'W(W each, the redoubts, batteries, and annexe batteries generally 200 men and 6 guns each. In tho northern section a ridge crosses the northern extremities of the St. Gorman-Argenteuil loop of the Seine after the fashion of a horseshoe; on this ridge (about 560 ft) is a group oi works, named after tho village oi Cormeillos, commanding the lowei Seine, the Argentenil peninsula am! lower ground towards the Oise. At an average, distance of live miles from St. Denis lie the works of the MontlignoinDomont position (about 600-700 feet), which sweep all ground to the north cross their fire with tho Cormeillos works, and deny the plateau of Monk moreuoy-Mory-sur-Oise to an enemy. At Ecouen, on an isolated hill, arc a fort and a redoubt, and to the right near Fort Stains, and two batteries on tho ceintnro railway. Tho important eastern section consists of the A am jours position, the salient of the whole fortress, which commands the countryside as far as Dam martin and Clayo. crosses its fire witli Stains on the one hand and Villiers on tho other, and itself lies on a steep hill at the outer edge of tho forest of Bendy which allows free and concealed communication between’the fort and the inner line of works. The Van jours works are armoured. Three miles to the right of Van jours is fort Chelles, which bars the roads and railways of tho Marne Valley. On the other side of the Marne, on ground made historic by the event* of 1870, arc Fort Villiers and Campigny, designed as a bridge-head to enable tho defenders to assemble in front of the Marne. To the right of these is a fort near Boissy St. Leger and on the right of tho whole section are the . armoured works of tho Yilleneuvre-St, Georges position, which command the Seine and Tores country as far as Buo and Corheil. Tho left of the southwestern section is formed by the powerful Fort Palaisoau and its annexe batteries, which command the Yvette Valley. Behind Fort Palaisoau, midway between it and Fort Chatillion, is tho Vevrienes group, overlooking the valley of the Bievro. To the right of Palaisoau on the high ground towards Versailles are other works, and around Versailles itself is a semicircle* of batteries right and left of the armoured Fort St. Cyr. in various positions around Marhy there arc some seven or eight batteries. Since 1870 Paris lias grown exceedingly fast beyond the seTond ring of forts described and sometimes in- suburbs about the outer ring. In some cases it lias been j found that buildings mask the lire ol

Uio fzuiiK of the forts or otherwise af ford protection to a possible besieger and these are accordingly being demol is lied as rapidly

s possible