Show EN FRENCH REPORTS ON DESPERATE I 1 mm FIGHTING III BATTLE IF OF THE AISNE adon the official press bureau eel long ig report reports from field mar blar gl general al sir john french detailing lions of the british expedit nary force in france and their august 22 to october 18 blits covers vers the retirement of the well am mone alone southward southard to the hie and I 1 the advance back mck to the or alone ie and the first stage of at the encounters along the line live of liver it waa was september 5 6 when hen I 1 lilies took the offense report ort contained this startling lii matlon n st Is a fact that beewen september fond october tober 8 the total of killed alcied ind and missing among the brit Itlo nary force has reached a and 12 men provin i ty of the struggle to in which a i have been engaged ig Is to the statement issued e press as bureau bureaus john i frencht Fren chr arat report dated raber I 1 IT baye arate e of very determined rests on the part of the enemy wb who 0 iding in strength and with great ty a i position peculiarly favor 0 defense tense the battle which corn com d on i the evening of september a so far forced the tho enemy bach back his first position secured pas f the le river and inflicted great pon him including the capture er 2 prisoners and several dispatch patch gives of the t on i august 28 and 29 gen gough gh and chetwode Chet with the and d fifth cavalry brigades bri gadea d the ie retreat rep reclining LINIng the geri with great loss german man pursuit Vigo ligorotis Vl florom rotis e pursuit by the enemy contina report was very vigorous five or six german corpe corps were somme ame mme facing the fifth army olite at least two corps ere ing toward m ma front and were g the he somme east and west of oz four more german ere opposing the sixth french n iny ny left 5 general joffre deto take the offensive as he red I 1 conditions very favorable ess Al arshal french belf aves that oon n on the ath the enemy reit that a powerful now erful abr threat eat was aele ie against the flank of 0 his moving south and cast and he great retreat m which litch opened tle battle ittle so far aa as the sixth army my the british army and h an and ninth french armies acer ernid ned was concluded on the of t september 10 when the iad bad been driven to the sols line s line with the loss luss of da of pelson prisoners ers many guns amous icus maesas of transport tra e esth both the first and sec y corps aade made large captures k some guns on the ath ing ng the passage of the marne feted teo a heavy loss in killed ded on the germans while nd id division ink sone some huh buit prisoners aau and a battery of hine china guns bl arshal frenchs second re el rl october 8 concerns co the a i of the II 11 ilish foiles ainee ing ig ot of september 10 it reads leads in the morning of the bilth ps crossed the fur lit it of the enemy being opposed the cavalry reach ino nj of the alone two brig i of soissons Sols Sola sons and three brig arellis and Cars eull on oon of september 12 t tt i of ainne opens fth diTis lor approached mis atis re unable to nake make headway army corps reached the of without siaion in we tbt manner the ae the aline commenced position of the enemy was ig g either for delaying action enelva battle i morning of the I 1 or british forces to advance the passage of the ainne carps and cavalry advanced ver the first division was n Chano uville via the tanal bourg befall the arst division 0 oc i area around passa the second division blyn the bank batik of the fag only the ath fifth brigade orth bank to establish a id d eckel by artillery Artl ller approach ap roach to missy where division eventually crossed some open ground shiell t by artillery fire from the ank the thirteenth br brt was unable to ad the fourteenth directed to ased sed polut was rafted over ht established itself on the ate te marguerite where later fifteenth brigade supported rth division u their left it II 11 in ln repelling heavy beavy counter 1 the third corps I 1 morning of the the a found the enemy esteb bength on vregny plateau hh h infantry crossed at e bridge was so damaged alery could only be man arost S it IL meanwhile the ion ft a began cloe close to dge at walker an infra infantry ry attack la in the ft claims and nd vregny haa made good progress but at 5 30 p in the enemy a artillery and machine gun fire from the direction of vregny became eo so severe that no further progress could be made the positions reached were held until dark I 1 the third corps made an attempt to throw a heavy pontoon across the river late in the afternoon but gave up because of the heavy howitzer howl tier fire of the enemy in tho the evening the enemy cray retired at all points and In trenched himself on oil high ground about t taso 0 miles north of the river along which rum runs the chemin hemin 1 dee des dames mines build pontoon pontoons under fire during the night of the and on the kill 1011 and following days field companies incessantly worked night and day throwing eight pontoons pon toone and one foot bridge across the river under a generally heavy artillery clr fl which ft as kept up on moat most of the crossi croseley cros elny aLb after their completion the action of the first corps on this day under the direction and corn com mand of sir douglas hall was we of so skillful lold and declaire bire a charac ter that he gained positions which alone would have enabled me to main tain my ray position for more than three weeks of very severe fighting on the north bank of the river about I 1 p in the enemy obtained a footing between the first aaa ania second corps and th threatened to crit u the communications of the latter gen em dilall was hard pressed and bad had no reserve in band hand I 1 placed a cavalry division at his disposal diep osal part of which ha he skillfully used to prolong and secure the left flank of the guards brigade some heavy fighting ensued which resulted in the MI en emy being driven back eitl heavy loas general advance ordered about four ocl ocl a weakening of the counterattacks counter attacks by the enemy and other indications tended to show that his resistance was as d creasing and a general advance was ordered by the army corps commander although meeting with ith consider ble opposition and coming under very ver heavy artillery art lUery and rifle fire the position of the corps at the end of the day days operations extended from the vie chemin des dames on the right through chivy to le cour de do soupir with the firt fir t cavalry brigade bril rade ex tending to the charonne chavonne solomons road on the right the corps was in close touch with the french doroe can troops of the eighteenth corp corps which were entrenched in echelon to its right rear during the night they entrenched this position throughout the battle of the ainne this advanced and commanding position was maintained and I 1 cannot speak too highly of the valuable val ser r ices rendered by sir douglas hals and the aminy arm corps under hi his ow mand maud on the morning of the I 1 became convinced that the enemy waa was making a determined stand reports reached us from the french armies on my right and left clearly indicating that the enemy was occupying a strongly In trenched line along the whole valle of the ainne general 1 hamilton with the third division attacked attai ked isly and regained the ground lost cr r the lath 1 I was compelled to change my plans when I 1 learned that further ad vance of the first corps would have dangerously exposed my right flank and further also learned from the french commander in chief that he waa was strongly enforcing re the sixth french army corps on my left with the intention of bringing up the allied left to attack the flank and thus carapel his hie retire retirement meat on the and the whole of our line was heavily bombarded the first corps WAS as con engaged the enemy was ultimately ti driven back with heavy los lose ou the information reached mu that general joffre had determined to attack and envelop the german right flank night attack repulsed on the evening of the the enemy became active after dark he continued bis his attack on the second division only to be driven back our losses in these two days were considerable but the enen ye as obtained vastly exceeded them on the night of the another I 1 violent attack was repulsed by the third division div lelon the eneny losing hear lly fly on the four inch howitzer batteries from home arrived they were nere brought into un en the with very good results on the std sd tie tle action of general de do army on am the all billed led left developed considerable and with withdrew drex considerable forces of he the enemy from the th center and the east eart until the it appeared as though the en emy I 1 position in our from front was weak aca aning I 1 on that daft dav ho however wAver a m marked renewal reneal of unity commenced renewed counterattacks were delivered and beaten off duricr the day and tn in the afternoon a well timed attack by the nt first division stopped the enemy 0 entrenching du during mg the bight night of the and the enemy again maae made deter mined attempts to capture th the trenches of the first division but without futile nule attempts atte apts were liters taide made an alon along C our front up to the evenus evem os 01 th the when ahey alley died away aad and have not since been renewal |