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Show BATTLE RAGING AT RETHELAHD VERDI Opposing Forces Said to Be Fighting on Almost Equal Terms, By CAPT GRANVILLE TORTESQUE Formerly Military Aide to ex President Roosevelt. BERLIN Sept 4 by cour er to Lon don The cr tlcal batt e between France and Germany la on The emperor has jo ned the army of the crown prince Th s is the first appearance of the kaiser In the actual zone of operations and it can have but one meaning a death stru&g e The armies of the duke of Wurtem burg and the croTin prince have been, operating to gain a foothold on French sol Inow they have crossed the Meuse ana come to grips with ten army corps of the French The batt e s raging before Rethel and Verdun This is an extreme y d ff cu t country T e French have expected an attack from th s quarter o tl ey ha e a strong force concentrated there. It may be said ti at so far as France is concerned the issue of the war rests on this one conflict. The opposing forces are fighting on a most equa terms Such advantage in numbers as may rest with the Germans Is offset by the French position of defense So confident are the Germans of u tl mate s ccess t at they are beg nn ng a movement of troops from the western theater of operat ona to the east Two corps from Be g urn ha e been entra ned for east Pruss a but the last German force has been ca ed out The land I sturm consist ng of mei between the i ages of So and 45 has been ofdered to the colors Th s must bring the number of troops actually under arms to 100 ; di i ons New units are being rushed to the front e ery das and are being used to fl 1 the gaps made by the constant fight Ing Germany has been p odlgaj w th her sons Bound for Ber n I came through on a tra n loaded with German wounded They had been sent back from Namur and al were cases which were cla si fled as slightJv wounded a though it was p aln that some were grie quslj hu t. One roung man he did not look oder than 22 had been struck at an ang e through the left e e Of course he was Iuck that the bul et had not come straight at h m but It Is hard to lose an eye when you are young and an ath lete For his soldier was one of the German Ol Triple games team which, un 1 1 the war began were In training un der Amerf an ath et c instructors who were brought over here. |