LAND AND WATER 
August -29, 1914 
Frencli forces before them to retire, but included the captm-e of many guns and prisoners ; the Gei-man 
clairn in tliis respect being fifty guns and 10,000 men taken, while the French Government affii-m— as 
is indeed probable under sucli circumstances— that the figures are exaggerated. 
' To sum ui) there was, on the extreme left of the general field of operations (300 miles long), a 
verv distinct German success achieved between Metz and the Vosges Mountains, which had the effect 
of driving the French back across the frontier from twelve to twenty miles south of the furthest 
positions they had reached in Lomine. The success was accompanied by the capture of many guns 
and men and involved the loss of the northern part of the Vosges Mountains with their passes, 
though not as yet of the southern pai-t nor of the plain of Upper Alsace beyond. Pressure was 
removed fi-om the south of the German line, and the communications of Alsace-Lorraine with South 
Germany, were, after this success, seciu-e. , , , ^ , , ^ r „ ^, 
On the other hand, the bringing of such large German forces— perhaps a quarter of all the 
German anny— so far south, made impossible any taking in reverse of the Allies in the northern 
field, that is upon the Belgian frontier, for the moment. 
So much for what haj)pened in Lorraine and in the south between Wednesday, August 19th, 
when the French offensive was still successful, and Monday, the 24th, when the left wing of that 
offensive found itself pressed back upon the Meurthc by the German counter-offensive. This Gemian 
success was followed by the evacuation two days later of all Alsace by the French, and the abandon- 
ment by them of all the passes of the Vosges. From the dotted line which they occupied 10 days ago 
^y^ 
Saarbcurg 
^ ^MULHAOSE 
roui. 
---■'--• Pos/Y/on on Auy. f9 
"<• 4- + Pos it/on on Au^. 25 
T/ie Frontier 
Scale of milcs 
SAef-ch s/jow/ngr territory /osf-' 
6y /^renc/> onSout^errf^snc/ofthe 
i//ie ietyveen A ug. /9 aftef A uq. 35 
they have been forced back to the line showTi by crosses. Nancy — an open town — was still 
intact, but the Germans are everywhere across the frontier. They further claimed the capture of 
many field pieces abandoned in the Vosges mountains. 
The French ha\'ing retired to the line of the Mem-the in French Lon-aine, some miles within 
the frontier, and their right having retired to the frontier itself in front of Belfort and along the crest 
of the southern Vosges, they remained in this position upon the defensive throughout the Monday and 
up to Tuesday morning. Last Tuesday, however, a general attack was delivered by the enemy 
along the whole of the French front in this region. It was repelled. Since then we have had no 
further news from the southern extreme of the frontier, save one message, which indicates that 
fighting for the moment had ceased, and announcing considerable losses to the enemy in his retu-emcnt 
of three days ago. 
It is certain that by this time every available man is being di-afted towards the principal field of 
operations m the north, and that the French in the south wiU remain entirely upon the defensive. 
Much more important in the final event will be the measure of success attending this other 
German effort m the nortbern field of the theatre of wai- upon the Franco-Belgian frontier, and to that 
I wiU next turn. " 
2. THE MAIN GERMAN FLANKING MOVEMENT THROUGH BELGIUM. 
_ By that sanie Wednesday, August 19th, Wednesday of last week, it was apparent that the 
mam German effort was going to be made through the Belgian plain, which lies north of the 
n JIl T .^ J'"''- ^Y\^}\ "^T '^""'^ ^™"^'^ ^' "^^'^^ l»^^-« ^^••^«. «« ^ve saw last week. 
jMobabe, because that was undoubtedly the original plan of the Gei-man General Staff when they 
fvinn -^''f} if, ^-'^ ^'1^'''"' '™'^^'^ ''^ ^^'''' ^^«"«"^- ^"-l ^11«^ the passage of the 
hoW .i.r?f l"'""^ f^l T"^'^;!^ ^'""''''^ undi.sturbed. The unexpected resistance of Liege, 
.llTn.v" l".i 7 ■ '^ \^T^)L''l^, ''•S''^'"^* it' 1^^^^ ^^i^turbed and delayed this plan, as we 
; off. nnt in . f 1 '' '""r^ -^^ ^^^^^^^ to change a line of advance once detennined and 
Std brlLt i^fl aT''' "^'nt ^« •''-^•^^^' it was still probable that the original plan 
vould be followed, iollowed it was. The siege artillery had come up and silenced the forts 
4» 
