Second Edition. ALLIES LEFT ADVANCING SLOWLY.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14403, 21 September 1914, Page 7

Second Edition. ALLIES LEFT ADVANCING SLOWLY.

WORKING ON HISTORIC GROUND. Press Aistcia.ion. —Telegraph. —Copyright. Received September 21, 2.15 p.m. LONDON. Septc-mb-w 20. The Times’ Bordeaux correspondent states that tha Allies’ lift wing is slowly working round difficult country where Napoleon flung hack Blacker. The Germans are strongly entreucaed. and have received reinforcements Irom Belgium. They are not likely to maite another advance, owing to ilio demands from East Prussia.

The country of lust week’s great battle in France was the scene ot Napoleon’s brilliant but hopeless campaign of 1314—in the opinion of some judges nerhaps the finest he ever {ought. Defeated at Leipzig. "The Bitle <d the Nations,” Napoleon returned across the Rhino with 70,000 men. and the Allies, with their overwhelming resources, followed. One army passed through Switzerland, Hluchrr arrived by Nancv, and a third army marched into Vranco through Holland. In the march Switzerland .°”d Holland were sweat into the Coalition. Napoleon with all his energy set n’>out. rousing Franco, shrewdly laying stress on tlie invasion of French soil. The campaign opened at the end of January, and was all over by the end of March. The scene ot the campaign was the countrv between the Marne the Aube, and the Seine, and part of the Department of the Aisne, and the history of the operations :s full of names made familiar to us in the story of the present war. Th? Allies, though greatly superior to Napoleon in numbers, openlv confessed their fear of Kim and the lightning blows he struck at them showed tha* tho fear was well grounded. He won four battles in four days, at Champauhrrt. Montmiral, Chateau Thierry, and Vauchamns. But the fall of Soissor.s was a crushing blow, and in the battles of I.aou and Crnonne. which followed, bis slender resources were diminished. {-orisons played as important a pert in that campaign as it has don? ia this one. Bluchor. defeated by Napoleon, and open to the attack of Merrier, Marmont and Xnooleon combined, had to fly northwards, and to trv to escape bevond the Aisne at Soisson=. Harassed and overmatched, the Prussian armv was in a situation ef extreme perd. from whrh it was delivered mainlv hy the weakness and cowardice of the French office- in charge at Soissons. Bulow and Wintzin-crode liad reached the Aisne. am), aware of Fincher's danger. surrounded Srissrmv and summoned the garrison to surr -ndcr. threatening to storm it and put the defenders to the sword. Tiie commander o;mm'<vl the gates, and the onlv oassage rf the Aisne was secured W the e-’emv, the result bring that Blucber anti effected a itinc-ian with Bulow tint! YVintzingerodm A hundred veers later a German rearguard a'tion at the same important point saved an army from disaster.