St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 14, 1914

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Pip ON OR ETS BUN RR ene erences ony angen ae Vee Fi 4 APP 4 — ———————— ——— OO EE ‘Official ‘Account of the Seven Days of Terrific Fight ost-Dispatc 1237 Peidie's Cnet ‘Wents : Yesterday, Sunday! 2403 More Than the Globe-Democrat | | _—— — wre en ting J. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH Only Evening Paper in St. Louis With Associated Press News Service. —_—_——- | a ee Along the Mame in This: Tempe NIGHT EDITION FINANCIAL MARKETS me a eee {' and Republic COMBINED. | GE A Ilies — ee eee —— - ee emer ee wee ee VOL. 67. NO. 25. ST. LOUIS meee =e — _ seem ec in Alot Pursult ross » MONDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 14, pele! PAGES. ot PRICE ONE CENT. ‘SPORTS | CL IL A OLD LOLI AL D a MAN ARMIES IN FRANCE CONTINUE TO RETREAT the Aisne Under Heavy Fire Invaders Abandon Many Works Prepared to fom Retirement —7 + ae ‘BRITISH REPORT OF HOW INVADER TURNED Al GATES OF PARIS German Gene Fight Whe posed— Field Deeds. _Ignored British as Fac/sr in e Left His Right Wiag Ex- Headquarters Tells ot Gallant BY ASSOCIATED PRESS. LONDON, Sept. 14.—The official Press Bureau issued the fol- lowing statement this afternoon: *‘The following report is complied from information from the headquarters of Field Marshal Sir John French, Commander in Chief of the British expeditionary forces on the Continent, under date of Sept. 11: ‘‘A summary of the operations of the British army in France was issued by the War Office on the 6th instant and an account from the buréau on Saturday night, the 12th instant. ‘Today it is possible to give more complete reports of ‘the | movement of the British force and of the French srmies in im- mediate touch with it. This account is complied from data re- ceived from the front and carries the operations from the 4th to the 10th of September, both days inclusive. “*It will be remembered that the general position of our troops on Sunday, Sept. 6, was stated to be south of the River Marne, with the French forces in line on our right and left. **Practically, there had been no change since Saturday, Sept. 5, which marked the end of our army’s long rétirement from the Belgian frontier, through Northern France. Germans Tried to “‘Create a Sedan.” “On Friday, Sept. 4, it became apparent that there was an alteration in the advance of almost the whole of the first German army. That army wince the battle near Mons on the twenty-third of August had been play- ing its part in a colossal strategic endeavor to create a Sedan for the allies by outfianking and enveloping the left of their whole line so as to encircle and drive both the British and French to the south. “There was now a change in its objective and {tt was observed that the German forces opposite the British were beginning to move in a southeasterly direct!on instead of continuing southwest on to the capital, leaving a strong rear guard along the line of the River Ourcq (which flows south of and joins the Marne at Lizy-Sur-Ourcq) to keep off the French sixth army which by then had been formed and was to the northwest of Paris. Ther were evidently executing what amounted to a flank miarch diagonally across our front. Attempt to Envelop French Flank. s ‘‘Prepared to ignore the British as being driven out of the ; fight, they were initiating an effort to attack the left flank of the main French army which stretcbed in a long curved line from our right towards the east, and so to'carry out against it alone an envelopment which s ofar had failed against the combined forces of the allies. ‘‘On Saturday, Sept. 5, this movement on the part of the Germans was continued and large advance parties crossed the Marne southward at Trilport, Sammeron, La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre and Chateau Theirry. There was considerable fighting with the French Fifth army on the French left, which fell back from its position south of the Marne, towards the Seine. ‘*On Sunday large hostile forces crossed the Marne and pushed on through Coulommiers and past the British right, farther to the east. They were attacked at night by the French Fifth army, which captured three villages at the point of the bayonet. ‘‘On Monday, Sept. 7, there was a general advance on the part of the allies. In this quarter of the field our forces, which had now been reinforced. pushed on in a northeasterly direction, in co-operation with the advance of the French Fifth army to the north and of the French Sixth army to the eastward, against the German rear guard along the River Oureaq. German Retirement Begins. ‘*Possibly weakened by the detachment of troups to the Eastern theater of operations, and realizing that the action of the French Sixth Army against the line of Ourcq and the advance of the British placed their own flanking movement in considerable danger of being taken in the rear and on its fiank, the Germans on this day commented to retire toward the northeas.t ‘*This was the first sign that these troops had turned back since their attack at Mons a fortnight before, and from reports received the order to tetreat when so close te Pacis was 2 bitter disappointment. From letters found on dead soldiers, “ese is no doubt there was a genera) impression tmong the enemy’s troops that they were about to enter Paris. ‘‘On Tuesday, Sept. 8, the German movement northeastward was con- finned. Their rear guards on the south of the Marne were being pressed back to that river by our troops and by the French on our right, the latter eapturing three villages after a hand-to-hand fight, and the infliction of pevere loss on the enemy. ‘*The fighting along the Ourcq continued on this day, and was of the “most sanguinary character, for the Germans had massed a great force of along this line. Very few of their infantry were seen by the French. : ‘The French fifth army also made a fierce attack on the Germans in Continued on Page 3, Column & a, ad: % Bas i Pt Cee eis ule’ L f | German Field Sathary in Action Behind Foliage Screen From a atts ~ H.W. Koekek. of the Hustpates :t Lon acon aes. v s% os IOC Sr hh nin ie Sih aed . ene ey > Copyright by the Sun Printing and Publishing Association by special arrangement with the Illustrated London News. ——— C ried souvenirs of the great battle. Sunday. roads and lanes. brought to Meaux. Parisians Go on Excursions to Battlefields of the Marne ERTAIN parts of the field of the battle of Marne, in the De partment of Oise, were the objective of a veritable pilgrimage The suburban trains of the Northern railroad car- great numbers of sightseers, most of whom returned with The souvenirs brought from the battlefield were helmets, frag- ments of shells and cartridges, weapons, pennants and equipment. All who visited the battlefield were enthusiastic over the evidence they had seen of their countrymen’s victory. that the fields are still a gruesome sight and that bodies of French and Germans shattered by shell wounds, are lying thick along the Stray German soldiers, suffering from hunger, One British soldier Sunday afternoon brought in five Germans who seemed to be willing captives. PARIS, Sept. 14. They said, however, are still being ah -_ Wounded Turcos Can’t Bear Sight of German Prisoners PARIS, Sept. 14.—The Turcos, or Al- gerian soldiers of the French army, are not only fierce fighters in the field, but even when lying wounded in hospitals they are unable to bear the sight of a German. Because of the hostility shown by wounded Turcos toward German prison. rg under treatment in the same institu- tion with them, a guard has been placed at each door of the rooms in the Ameri- can Hospital which are occupied by wounded Germans, and none of the Turcos is permitted to enter these wards. Rich American Jockey Joins Germany’s Army MOUNT VERNON, N., Y., Sept. 14.— American friends of Fred Tarai, a prominent jockey in Germany, are fearing for his safety. Taral is a for- mer resident of Mount Vernon, where he owns considerable property.. Word was received today that Taral had joined the German army with Willie aw, another jockey in the Taral stables. Both jockeys are American citizens Six Citizens’ Pay Expense of Holland’s Mobilization LONDON, Sept. 14.—Telegraphing from The Hague, the correspondent of tie Exchange Telegraph says that Queen Wilhelmina has accepted the offer of six of the richest men in Holland tv give one-tenth of their fortunes to pay the expenses of the present mobilisa- tion, which is costing 1,000,000 gullder (about $480,000) a day. The condition attached to the gift was that the names of the men be not men- tioned. Count von Rex Says Japan May Take Over U. S. Islands SEATTLE, Wash., Sept. 14.—Counr von Rex, late German Ambassador to Japan, arrived here today from Yoko- hama on the steamship Minnesota. He Was accompanied by the embassy staf: and consular officers recalled from Japan, Korea and Vladivostok. Asked what he thought of Japan's ac- tion in declaring war, he replied: “IT should like to know what the Unit- ed States thinks of it. You have islands in the Pacific that may be taken over by Japan the next time you get in trouble.’’ ’ French Editor Courtmartialed Because of Headline in Paper GRENOBLE, France, via Bordeaux, Sept. 12..—Because h.e announced in large headlines ‘‘The Evacuation of the Mili- tary Zone of Paris,’’ Joseph Besson, the editor of a Grenoble newspaper, must ap- pear before a courtmartial. This de- cision was rendered by M. Millerand, Minister of War, who considered that a reprimand previously administered to the editor had proven insufficient. French and .German Students, Held Hostage, to Be Exchanged LONDON, Sept. 14.—A dispatch to the Central Agency from Luaicerne, Switzerland, says that an exchange of French and German students who have been taken as hostages wil) take place at the American legation in Berne next Friday. The arrangements for the ex. change were made, it was said. through the American diplomatic rep- resentatives in Switzerland,: France and Germany, Messrs. Stovall, Her- rick ang Gerard, respectively. Sy ee es BRD. RSs Seat Re Eh easlasaaial en eae f peas ete i aah ak Sg ety tang Sea Re Te Seen | evr = ; ee od sen Sa we * a —- 7 ies A 3 4 . - " 2 hy < we aes oct tt 3 J a a oe re . 2 x0 : ite a ee Soar aay * ae - ie 7 aie + . - Sig aie wins bi os R % ” Poe bys es } a ~ : Germany’s Predicament After 6 Weeks of War Discussed by Expert By the Military Expert of the New York Evening Sun. Published in St. Louis Pxclusively in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch by Special Arrangement ith the -— Na- F on the night or Jsune 18, 1815, | poleon, having put the Old Guard in and failed, had been able to extri- cate his army, take it back on the Sam- bre, call in Grouchy’s force from Wavre and stand near the French frontier, the whole world would today be discussing the remarkable parallel between the conditions of 1914 and 1815. For the more one examines the recent campaign, still unfinished, the more completely the Waterloo struggle comes to mind. To begin with, the pfoblem of Napoleon in June, 1815, was precisely the problem of the Kaiser in August, 1914. In Napoleon's immediate path in Bel- gium, one considerable army, Belgian, Prussian, Dutch and English, was on foot, ready for battle. Far off in the East, Austrian, Russian, Swedish armies were gathering. In June he could hurl against the al- lied army in Belgium a force superior in numbers in all that goes to make up a successful army. But in July or August, when the Russian and Austrian armies came up, he would be _ out- numbered, forced back upon France to fight one more such defensive cam- paign as, in 1814, had. after a magnifi- cent struggle, led to complete disaster. Marne a2 Waterloo. Napoleon tackled his problem in pre- cisely the fashion which the Kaiser's General Staff subsequently adopted. He launched his whole military force at the allied armies in Belgium, as the Ger- mans last month did at France The supreme test for Napoleon was at Wa- terloo: for the Germans, at the battle of the ‘Marne. In both cases the des- perate game, the staking of all on a single throw. failed. In Napoleon’: Case the failure was a rout, the utter destruction of his army. In the German case it has been a repulse, followed by a rapid retreat of nearly 100 miles. Yet if the Germans have saved their army, as now seems possible, this should not blind the observer to the extent of the djsaster. The very importance they attached to their terrific, desperate drive at France demonstrated this. To get at France promptly they violated the neutrality of Belgium. Not even the certainty that this ster would bring the British in against them could weigh against the imperious necessity of crushing France before Russia got up. Six weeks from the declaration of war Was the extreme time German military @uthorities believed they would have in which to crush France, Cnrush of the Russians in the 4 Ea before the, ] | would demand the recall of German troops from France, the depletion of the invading army to a point where, it France were nor crushed, the .weight of Anglo-French numbers would throw it back upon the defensive. And so, for six weeks, nearly the whole German army has been driven forward with a speed and a carelessness of life unparalleled in the history of Western warfare. In two weeks the masses of Von Kluck were driven from Brussels tu the Seine south apd east of Paris, more than 150 miles. Battles which in cther wars would seem great were fought on many fields. In that mass formation which. at the cost of thou- sands of lives, by the sheer weight of rumbers broke down all opposition, the German hosts rushed on. But now the six weeks of grace that were allot‘ecd to the Germans have passed. Forty-five days aftcr the decla- ration of war in 1570 Napoleon IIT sur- rendered at Sedan. Today, not perhaps demoralized, but unmistakably exhaust- ed, leaving behind them their wounded, the litter of all trat arinies abando. vnly in precipitate retreat, all the Ger- man armies are :1 retreat, and Paris, from which one week ago the troops were only 17 miles distant at Lagny-- less than five from the vuter ring of forts—is 100 miles away from the Ger- mans, still. retreating. Russie “at the Gate.” Meantime Russia nas come up. in this six weeks she has also had she has crushed the military power of Austria- Hungary. Her victorious armies, now beating down the last desperate resist- ance of the Austrians in Galicia, will tomorrow be on the road toward SBer- lin, with only German troops to reckon with in their pathway. From the west, then. from tne arnves which nave al- ready proved inadequate to the task of crushing the Anglo-French power, more troops must be taken, if Russia is to be held back. As for the French, after # years they have known the intoxication of victory. They have beaten and are pursuing the Germans. The nightmare of Sedan, which has hung over them for 44 vears. has been banished. As the legendary glory of the army. of Frederick the Great perished at Tena, that of Von Moltke’s was blasted*at the Marne. One was a rout, the other a defeat, but mere defeat was destfictive of the reputa- tion the Prussian soldier has possessed for half a century. Today a million and half victorious French soldiers, supported by the British expeditionery force, are clearing France of Germans. Behind this. whole eolonta!l armies of QCentinued om Page 2, Column 5. - CLOIAN FIELD ARMY |S DRIVEN BAGK 10 ANTWERP French Retake Many Towns in Lorraine— Heavy Rains Hamper German Columns— Wound- ed Left Behind in Many Places and Great Quantities of Equipment Abandoned. atti By ASSOCIATED PRESS this afternoon issued the following statement: ‘All day yesterday the enemy stubbornly disputed the passage of the Aisne by our troops, but, in spite of the difficulty of fording the river in the face of a strong opposition, nearly all the crossings were secured by sunset. ‘‘On our right and left the French troops were confronted with a similar task, in which, like ourselves, they were successful. Many more prisoners were taken. ‘It is reportéd from the French headquartérs that the Ger. man Crown Prince’s army had been driven back, and that he has moved his headquarters from Ste. Menehould to Montfaucon.’’ Note—Montfaucon is about 15 miles north of Ste. Menebould on the River Alre, a tributary of the Aisne. This move would put both rivers between the Frince and his pursuers. ee PARIS, Sept. 14, 3:15 p. m.—It was officialy announced this afternoon that the Germans are retiring everywhere. They are abandoning all the positions which they erected to cover a pos- sible retreat. The text of official statement is: ‘‘First—On our left wing the enemy had prepared, to the north cf the Aisne, between Compeigne and Soissons, a line of defense which it was forced to abandon. Some detachments which it had held at Amiens now have retired upon Perrone and St. Queuntin.’’ ‘‘Second—On the center, the Germans had taken up a defen- sive position behind Reims, but were unable to hold it. In the Ar- gonne region, they turned back toward the north beyond the Forest of Belnoue and beyond Triancourt. ‘‘On the right wing, the retreating movement of the Germans is general from Nancy to the Vosges. Yesterday evening French territory in this vicinity had been completely evacuated.’’ In the opinion of the best military observers here, the German ermy under command of Crown Prince Frederick William is in a critical position. | The French have driven the Germans from their positions north of Reins and threaten his line of retreat to the west of the Argonne region, and it is felt that he is liable to be surrounded and forced to capitulate. This would result in breaking the German host in two. The alternative before the Crown Prince would be to try to force his way through South of Verdun, a desperate expedient in view of the imposing array of forts at this point. The Germans have already made two-thirds of the distance The heavy rains of Saturday and Sunday are not likely to facilitate the movement of the famous 420 millimeter (16 inch) mortars that were to reduce Paris and which require 40 horses to draw them. The German left and center will, say well-informed ex- perts, stand along the lime extending from Peronne, through St Quentin and La Fere to Mezieres. The armies of Gen. von Hausen and the Prince of Wuerttem- berg which constituted the center, seem to be headed toward Rethel and Mezieres, though part of this foree is reported as still resisting at the south end of the forest of the Argonne. Berlin Makes Belated Announce- ment of Battle of the Marne BERLIN, Sept. 14, By wireless to the Associated Press, by way of Sayville, L. L—The headquarters of the German army in Berlin today gave out the following official report; “<The garrison at Antwerp bas been repulied. ‘*The Crown Prince’s army is now attacking the forte between Verdus and Toul on both sides. ‘*Prince Joachim arrived today in Berlin and has been Bellevue Palace. ‘‘Last night’s official details of the battle to the east of Paris caunct yet be made public. A new battle is in progress, which up to the present has been favorable to the Germans. Reports from Paris and Lendon of & German defeat are declared untrue.’’ An earlier report today said: ee a, ee Le Ae * : Ps ” Ae LONDON, Sept. 14, 4:48 p. m—The Official Press Bureau ° from Provias in the Department of Seine-et-Marne, to the frontier. , lodged ip “Ta Cert Crowe ‘brace he cantare te sap ads *s * : _ | wed ny. ee Oe NO ee OS ae % 5 Pigs vd oo é Bae ss \ post A ns PLR MRO SE RIES ome 1 me smi ~~