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Show 8 THREE MORE SHIPS BLOWN UP BY MINES j ALLIED GAINS COUNTERBALANCING i THE GERMAN ADVANCES IN POLAND ... 5 ' tq Offensive in Northern France and Flanders Prevents Germans From Sending Reinforcements Eastward Advances r t. y Made Over Difficult Ground and in Spite of Spirited Counter Attacks Are Held French Reach Ger- man Barbed-wire Entanglements Near Albert Under Violent Fire. a VICTORY CLAIMED BY GERMANS DOUBTED Enthusiasm Lessens in Berlin and the Vorwaertz Rebukes Colleagues for "Exaggerated Deductions" From Vague Information of Fight With Russians Petrograd Claims Repulse of Kaiser's Forces Russians Hold Positions and Austrian Rally Checked. London, Dec. 19, 7:20 p. m. Lloyds agent at Scarborough Scarbor-ough sends word that a mine sweeper, which with several others oth-ers was engaged in sweeping for mines fire miles southeast of Scarborough, was blown up. One man was rescued but the rest of the crew are missing. It is reported that two other vessels have been blown up in the region visited by the German squadron which raided the eastern coast. Txmdon, Dec. 10, 12 .".." p. in. The co-ordination nf military movements in the east and west, which lias been observed since the commencement of the war, is now shown in a striking way in the offensive movements of the allies in northern France and Flanders, keeping the Germans engaged en-gaged and preventing them from sending send-ing reinforcements eastward. The allies al-lies claim gains in Flanders and 1 "Vance during the past few days, which arc said to counterbalance German Ger-man advances in Poland. Progress of the allies in the vicinity of LaBassee, where the Germans had clung tenaciously to their positions for so many weeks, is regarded here as particularly noteworthy as the Germans' spear point there had pre-r. pre-r. S(-nted an Irritating problem The advance of the allies thus far has been slow, but British military critics expect it to gain impetus. Historic Victory Doubted. British and French military writers say that the doubi- expressed bj them of the correctness of the German Ger-man announcement that a historic ictory had been won over the Russian Rus-sian hosts In Poland are borne out by the apparent lessening of enthusiasm enthu-siasm at Berlin, where the atmosphere atmos-phere during the last two days was surcharged with exuberant rejoicing The Berlin Vorwaerts rebukes its colleagues for what it calls their "exaggerated "ex-aggerated deductions" from the vague information available. Russians Fall Back on Entrenchments It is evident that Grand Duke Nicholas Nicho-las has drawn in a portion of the Russian front from the Lowicz-Ilow line to entrenchments nearer Warsaw War-saw There has been no admission from Pttrograd. however, of any serious seri-ous reverses In the field of operations along the Vistula rier, such as must necessarily have preceded a general German victory. It is regarded here as quite possible that the Teutonic al lies have scored successes in some localities, lo-calities, although there is no information informa-tion available as to their time or lo-. cation 1 The reverso which Petrograd says the Germans have suffered in the region re-gion of Mlawa, near the East Prussian frontier. Is believed in London to have interfered with the operations of the Geimaos along the Vistula. It is asserted as-serted unofficially at Petrograd that, the Germans haTe evacuated Lodz, finding that city of no ereater strategic value to them than it was to the Russians. Russians Repulse Germans. Last night's official communication from the Russian war office definitely definite-ly stated that all Austro-German attacks at-tacks along the loft bank of the Vistula Vis-tula which have been in progress for several days have been repulsed. Whatever are the facts of the Bit-nation Bit-nation in the. Vistula region, the pres-J pres-J ont situation there apparently is ex erting no influence on the crucial operations op-erations to the south arotind Cracow The Russian forces which are threatening threat-ening the old PoliBh capital and the Slleslan frontier remain fixed 1n their J positions, and the Auetrlan rally which brought back Teutonic forces across tho Carpathians seems to have mot with a check. Paris, Dec. 19. 2:62 p. m. The French war office this afternoon gave oat the following official announcement: announce-ment: "During the day of December IS. wc organized in Belgium the territory won from tho enemy the evening before be-fore to tho south of Dixmude and we advanced our front to tho south of the Inn at Korteker. Our advance to the south of Yores has boon continued over a very difficult and swampy territory. "From the Lys to the Olse we have progressed in the region of Notre Dame de Consolation, to the south of LaBassoe, by more than one kilometre. kilo-metre. During the past two days we also mado progress In tho direction of Carency, St. Laurent and Blangy. "In spite of very spirited counter attacks, the positions taken by us Mr bi.tr rabiir 17 have been retained. "In he region of albert, during the night from December 17-18 and during the day of the 18th, we advanced ad-vanced under a very violent fire of the enemy and we reached the barbed wire entanglements of the second line of German trenches. To ihe north of Maricourt, we were . obliged to abandon a trench occupied the niht before and set on fire by the enemy by means of hand grenades. "Several German trenches have been occupied In the region of Ma-fnets Ma-fnets and in the vicinity of Lyons three violent counter attacks on the part of the Germans have been repulsed. re-pulsed. "In the region of the Aisne there have been artillery engagements and in Champagne the artillery of the enemy en-emy showed December 18 increased activity as compared to the I7th. Germans Make Progress. "In the Argonne, in the forest of LaGrune, we blew up a German undermining un-dermining trench. Near St. Hubert the enemy, by a very spirited attack, suceeded in making slight progress. "It has been confirmed that on the heights of the Mouse our fire, directed bj aviators, demolished two heavy batteries of the enemy and damaged third battery'. "From the Meuse to the Vosges there is nothing to report. In the Vo3ges there has bet D spirited German Ger-man rifle firing, but no attack." Berlin Somewhat Disappointed. Berlin. Friday, Dec. 18, via The Hague and London, Dec 19, 10:55 a. in i Delayed in transmission.) Berlin Ber-lin was still in festive array today celebrating the reported Victory in Poland, Po-land, but the people experienced a shade of disappointment from the brevity of the official war bulletin, which failed to supply any further details de-tails of the Polish engagement. The newspapers point out this afternoon that the present developments In the eastern arena of the war will require several days to reach a stage where the net results can bo approximately set forth. In the meantime various rumors are In circulation concerning the very large number of prisoners taken by the Germans. Berlin War Report. Berlin, Dec. 19, via wireless to London, Lon-don, 2:50 p. ra. An official statement was given out In Berlin this altemoon a; follows: "Yesterday there took place a series se-ries of hostile attacks In tho western arena of the war The fighting continues con-tinues at Nleuport, Blxschoote and LaBassee. We repulsed attacks of tlie enemy to tho west of Lens, oast of Albert and west of Noyon. "On the Eabt Prussian frontier a Russian cavalry attack to the west of Pillkallen was repulsed. "In Poland the pursuit of tho enemy en-emy continues." |