Germans in Poland

Immense losses

Little news from the west

Mystery of Alsace

We are still awaiting evidence than has so far been supplied that the Germans have entered upon a last desperate effort to hack their way through to the coast.

Our Dutch friends have apparently mistaken early symptoms for disease at its height and developments are yet to come.

The centres of austerity in the western area of war appear to be on the line from Ypres to Roulers on the Argonne and in the Woevre and Lorraine.

In Belgium a somewhat lively intermittent cannonade was the preliminary to an unsuccessful attempt to advance on the part of the German infantry, in the Argonne the French claim to have repulsed German infantry attacks while cannon adding is only reported from other quarters.

The German account of the days proceedings differs of course and they claim that French attacks on their troops were repulsed and considerable losses were sustained by the French near Alsace.

The official and unofficial telegrams are at variance over the happenings at Alsace for while Paris states that there is nothing to report a Berne message alleges that the German forces there have been heavily reinforced and that after some days scattered fighting, a serious engagement began on Thursday.

From our usual a sources comes information which may to some extent account for the lull in the fighting along the greater part of the front. The weather has been very bad and some of the trenches are like brooks.

Reports are that the losses of the Germans in the Vistula have been appalling and beyond anything elsewhere experienced.

Experts apparently estimate that they have lost two thirds of their army to Poland . The fact that large numbers of them escaped from the trap North of Lodz is accounted for by the late arrivals of the Russian army corps.

Two of the German Emperor’s sons Prince Oscar and Prince Joachim are said to have escaped by taking flight in an aeroplane.

The marching powers shown by the Russians are described as immeasurably superior to those of the Germans. One corps is reported to have covered 56 miles in two days and then to have gone into battle at the end of the march with an ardour greater than that shown by the enemy whose attack they repulsed.

The German offensive if Poland, according to the Germans is said to be taking the normal course.

Despatches relating to the operations of British naval brigades in October were published, General Paris states that on October 8 it appeared evident that the Belgian army could not hold the forts any longer and to avoid disaster he retired under cover of darkness.

The roads were crowded with Belgian troops, refugees, cattle and vehicles, and partly for this reason on account of fatigue and partly from unexplained causes, large numbers of the naval brigade became detached and crossed the frontier into Holland.

The main body however safely effected their retreat the rear guard of the Royal Marines lost as missing more than half their numbers through Germans derailing a train.