Pursuit continues

Nancy region evacuated

Plight of the assailants

With considerable enterprise the newspapers continue to publish maps with the positions of the contending hosts therein, unfortunately for those who study them no two maps agree. What is clear from the weekend messages is that the allies still have the whip hand and that despite heavy rearguard fighting the enemy has been able nowhere to put an effective check upon his pursues.

There must have been hard fighting before the passage of Aisne was forced but once the attack got home the enemy was so well beaten that he had neither the power nor the inclination to make use of the defensive position he had prepared.

The same story applies to the German centre North of Rheims. Entrenchments had been thrown up but they do not appear to have been used and the important junction of railways and roads at Rheims is lost to them. The Crown Prince’s army constituted Germany’s last hope but the pressure was too great and to save being cut off the retreat at length commenced. Chalon and Rheims are once more in French hands and the headquarters of the Crown Prince have been withdrawn to Montfaucon.

We have had official assurances that the retreat has been disorderly in character and the phrase routed enemy has been employed. One imagines when the complete story comes to be written that all along the line not complete demoralisation was in evidence.

Yesterday an attempt was made to indicate where the Germans might make a stand. In this morning’s papers the area suggested to find favour is the line Peronne, St Quentin, Mexieres, which would give them a line of retreat through Luxembourg which is known to have been prepared by sappers for a determined defence.

We may expect some news of an important character later today and this may put a different complexion upon affairs but it is hardly likely that anything will happen that will materially improve the position or prospects of the enemy.

We are facing about a million and a quarter men, for the Belgians (evidently considerably reinforced although we are not supposed to know by whom) have kept employed two army corps which would have been found of some considerable assistance to the harassed main armies, and losses have probably accounted for many thousands of men.

There can be no doubt that the German armies are in a position of grave peril and it will take some wonderful generalship with a large slice of luck to extricate them.

A word remains to be said of the good work done by our Russian Allies. Naturally our eye are focused on the western theatre of war where our own soldiers are engaged but it would be impossible to praise them too highly or ever under estimate the importance of their great victories secured.

The Fleet’s compliments From Admiral Sir John Jellicoe to Field Marshall Sir John French: “the officers and men of the Grand Fleet beg that you will convey to their comrades of the British Army, their intense admiration of the magnificent fight they made and their warm congratulations on their recent successes.”

To General Joffre: “the officers and men of the British Grand Fleet beg to send their warmest congratulations to their comrades of the Allied French Army on their recent successes.”