OCR Text |
Show BERLIN IS OPTIMISTIC (Sp:i! Cabl br Arraosemom with London Daily Telegraph -fl IternatlonI News Serv!c.) BERLIN, Sept. 27 (via Amsterdam). The great drive of the allies in the west I has been checked, according to official reports given out here today. Great losses have been inflicted on the attacking forces. In Champagne alone the French are estimated t have lost 40, 00!) men, while the British also have Buffered heavily. In the course of the day more than 6.000 prisoners and fourteen four-teen machine gims have been taken. On every section of tbe front the. British Brit-ish and French have been brought to a standstill, the war office announced. Fierce attacks continue, but have failed to gain ground. Wnile the Germans evacuated Souchez. '. the French have been unable to occupy the ruins, which are swept by the fire of i German artillery. Loos, which was abandoned aban-doned when the Germans retired from their advanced positions, also is being heavily bombarded. Casualties Heavy. Along the entire front where the Germans Ger-mans evacuated their first line trenches shells are now being poured into the abandoned ditches, inflicting heavy cas-i cas-i ualties on the allied troops which occupy them. Fully 4.000.000 allied troops, it is estimated, esti-mated, were concentrated for the great drive. Only by sacrificing entire regiments were the allies able to gain a temporarv advantage, military officials here state. The drive, which had been forecast, failed to create any impression on the people here. The results attained in the forty-eight hours' continuous assaults by the allies were less, military men saj-, than those attained bv the army of the Crown Prince around Verdun, where he emploved only 50,000 men. In the region of Perthes, where the heaviest French gain was registered, the German troops being forced to withdraw a mile and a half to the second line positions, po-sitions, counter attacks already are under un-der way. Berlin Press Comment. The semi-official Lokal A nzeiger, commenting com-menting upon the allied drive, says: The new French and British offensive offen-sive did not surprise the German general gen-eral staff, although this time it was unannounced by the enemy. The brave German troops withstood the onslaught and will hold out until the enemy is driven back. The iron German Ger-man wall is unsurmountable and unshakable. un-shakable. Possibly the new offensive was caused more by political than military mili-tary reasons, being intended to influence in-fluence the Balkan states, especially Rumania and Greece, and to paralyze Bulgaria's attitude. Germany quietly awaits the result. The Vosslsche Zeltung. reviewing the political and military situation, says: Ail the hopes and expectations of the quadruple alliance have been wrecked everywhere, north, south, east and west. A year ago President Poincare assured the French that they were marching on Berlin and that Grand Duke Nicholas was leading the Russian steamroller in the same direction. di-rection. Lord Curzon expected to see the Ghurkas In Potsdam Gardens and that British admirals would wipe the German fleet out of the seas. What has really been accomplished? A look at the war maps is a sufficient answer. |