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Show I SEVERE FIGHTING IS ON IN ALSACE I BETWEEN THE FRENCH AND GERMANS French Attacks, Begun Last Night and Repulsed With Heavy Losses, Are Renewed at Dawn German Claim to Have Taken Seven Officers and 1,600 Men in Argonne Forest and to Have Repulsed the Enemy in Perthes Region and at Ailly Ancient Roman Highway Captured. RUSSIANS CHECKED IN NORTHERN POLAND German Attacks West of the Vistula Are Progressing Great Britain Sending Thousands of Men to France Every Week Germany Making Great Military Preparations Prepara-tions for Counter-attacks AH Reserves Being Called to the Colors German Generals Gathering Up Reins to Begin Great Campaigns. Geneva, Switzerland, via London, Jan. 12, 4:27 p. in. Word has reached here from Friedrichshafen, where the Zeppelin Zep-pelin works are located, that the Germans have established a base for their aerial fighting craft near Ghent in Belgium. Four Zeppelins of the latest type and a number of aeroplanes have been assembled at the new aviation grounds. It is from this point that the Zeppelins made their recent raid over Calais. I London, Jan. 12, 7:35 p. m. A wireless dispatch from Berlin says that the military establishments in and near Dunkirk Dun-kirk were completely destroyed by the German airship flotilla which attacked that city on Sunday. The Dunkirk lighting plant also was destroyed. The dispatch says this information is contained in a message from Rotterdam. t Paris. Jan. 12, 2.40 p. m The fighting in the western theatre of f the war did not yesterday show any! developments of importance accord ing to the official report given out ! by the French office this afternoon. There were artillery exchanges at ! some points along the line and iui'an- iry attacks on trenches. In 6omc-ol 6omc-ol these encounters the French claim to have been successful. It is still i snowing in the Vosges mountains. The French war office this afternoon after-noon gave out the following statement: state-ment: "FTom the sea to the Oise there was yesterday an intermittent cannonad-i cannonad-i log, fairly violent at certain places. "On the Aisne to the north of ShIs- l sons determined attacks have been j d( livered against the trenches oc- lf 1 upied by us on the eighth and the tenth of January. The enemy duriug vesterdav attacked our positions sev- ra times. "We repulsed him and we took more trenches. "From Soissous to Rheims there were artillery exchanges. Our heavy pieces of artillery responded to the batteries and the mine throwers of the Germans "In Champagne, in the region ol 1 Souain there was yesterday very ac tive shooting by our artillery directed against tbe jositious of our adversaries adver-saries near Perthes. Desperate Encounter Reported, Le Fortis, situated to the north of the Beausejour farm, was the 1 scene of a desperate encounter. The enemy succeeded in setting up a troncb at a point within a series ot field works, the commanding position of which was held by us. This fighting fight-ing still is going on. "In the Argonne and as far as the Mouse there is nothing to report. "In the heights of the Mouse there have been two German attacks, one at the forest of Consenvoye at the other at the forest of Bouchot. bach 1 was repulsed, , "To the southeast of C lrey-Sur- I Vezouse. one of our detachments sur- L prised and put 10 flight a German company which was pillaging the il- lage of St Sauveur. "In the Vosges and in Alsace the day passed quietly. Bad weather and the snow storms continue." German Official Statement. Rorlin, Jan. 12 (By wireless to London, 3 p. m) Severe fighting Ifl in progress today for the possession Of the positions now in the hands oi the Germans on tbe heights to the south of Cernay (Sennheim) in upper Alsace, according to the German offl- I rial communication issued at army headquarters today. French attack?, which were beun last night, are reported re-ported to have been repulsed with heavy losses, but the French returned W to the attack at dawn today in the fighting on the eastern pari of the Argonne forost during the Lasl five days, the Germans claim to h taken prisoners seven officers and L600 men. The repulse of French attacks in the region of Perthes and ai Ully and the capture of a French 1 position along the ancient Roman hichwav which runs through the Argonne Ar-gonne are the only other activities in the western arena mentioned in the L report iL Russian Movement Checked. f In northern Poland the Germans r daim a forward movement of the Russians was checked. The text of the communication 1 '"eada: "In the western theatre insignificant insignifi-cant engagements are taking place south of the canal of La Lassee, but so far without result. "French troops last night made an attack on our positions to the south of Cernay (Sennheim) but they were repulsed with heavy losses. Early this morning the battle was resumed in this district. "A French attack which started yesterday yes-terday afternoon in the region ot I Perthes (between Rheims and the Argonne) Ar-gonne) withered away before our fire the enemy suffering very heavy losses. French Vantage Point Taken. "In the Argonne forest a French vantage point way taken on the Roman Ro-man hiRh road. In this engagement two officers and 140 men fell into our hands. in the battles on tne eastern suie of the Argonne we bave taken since January' 8, including those already mentioned, one major, three captains. 13 lieutenants and 1600 men. The French total losses, including killed and injured, in this battle area, consequently con-sequently are estimated at 8600 men "An attempt of the French to make an attack at Ailly to the south of St. Mihiel (on the river Meuse) failed. "There is nothing new to report from east Prussia. "The Russian attempt to advance in northern Poland was unsuccessful "Our attacks in the district to the west of the Vistula river have made progress In certain places, notwithstanding notwith-standing the bad weather. "On the eastern bank of the Pilh fl river (southern Poland l the situation continues the same." Ixmdon. Jan 11', 1 05 p m The great armies battling in the eastern and western arenas of the war, by artillery exchanges, sapping opera-lions opera-lions and trench attacks. conUnue to be aligned today much as they were on the first of January, Everywhere the disposition seems to be to await the coming of spring when, with fresh armies thrown into the field, events promise to move more quickly. Great Britain is now sending thousands thou-sands of men to France every' week, and according to today's reiorts irom Berlin, Germany, aware of this, is making great military' preparations for a counter movement. All the reserves re-serves are being called to the colors, it is declared here, and the further statement is made that the German general are gathering up the reins to assume active direction of all the campaigns, that is to say, the Austrian-Hungarian fight against Servia and Russia and the Turkish campaign against Russia and Great Britain. This briefly Is the pin military observers ob-servers In London believe will be followed, subject however, to any Change which the entrance inio the war ot Rumania or Italy might necessitate. neces-sitate. Germany Claims Progress Germany still claims that she Is making slow progrSBS toward War- A There have been published In London, however, reports that these operations are merely makinp; movements move-ments to shield a German retreat to th Sileslan frontier. British military ob erv ra do not credit this Idea, believing be-lieving that General Von Hindeuburg baa further offensive strength, but, at Mi, game time, they draw attention to the fad that the Russians must feel confident of Warsaw, or they would not continue to hurl so many troops against Hungary' through Bukowina. In the western arena the points of prcatest interest are in the center near Soissons and on the French right in Alsace. Here the fighting continues while the rest of the line is virtually inactive, oo |
