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Show WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES IN FRANCE AND BELGIUM, Oct. 23,tby The Associated Press. British troops were fighting their way into the center of Valenciennes early today. They were facing a strong enemy machine gun fire, from the east bank of the; Scheldt canal which flows through j the city. j LONDON, Oct. 23. The British began a new attack tc-j day on the front between Le Cateau and Solesmes, sou h of Valenciennes, Field Marshal Haig announces. The British have captured Bruey, 2J? miles north of Valenciennes and have reached the west bankbf the Scheldt. PARIS, Oct. 23. On the Serre front last night the Germans Ger-mans met the efforts of the French to cross the Souche and ! Serre rivers with heavy machine gun fire, the war of ficev announces. an-nounces. Further east the French made progress between NizjMe-Comtc and Le Thour, taking prisoners. L.ONDON, Oct. 23, 1 p. m. Northeast of Labn French troops have.reac'hed the line of -the Serre river, having made an advance jpjtwp ..tcuthxee jail es an-a n-ei g-h-m ile-fro n tr WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY NORTHWEST OF VERDUN, Oct. 23. Heavy fighting is taking place in the center of the line. The Germans are holding Bantheville in strength anal along the Bantheville-Aincreville road ever' availale point has been fortified with machine guns. , Throughout last night the Germans bombarded the greater part of the American front and the road to the rear. Improved visibility today resulted in greater aerial activity. WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY NORTHWEST OF VERDUN, Oct 23, by The Associated Pess. The town of Brieulles, on the western bank o"f the Meuse which had been stubbornly defended by the Germans, has been given up byj the enemy. 1 This is the latest point at which the Americans have driven a dent into the German defenses despite the fact that the enemy resistance is still as strong as formerly. The Germans set fire to Brieulles late Tuesday and American patrols reported today that the Germans have withdrawn with-drawn from the town. . - (By The Associated Press) British troops again are storming the German defenses west of Mau-beuge. Mau-beuge. The new attack, launched early I ' today between Solesmes and Le Cat-eau, Cat-eau, is reported to be making good m progress. ' Field Marshal Haig is increasing also the menace to Valenciennes, on the western suburbs of which the Brit. Ish are fighting. North of Valenviennes the city has been outflanked by the : capture of Bruay. It Is not probable the Germans will be able to hold out In Valenciennes much longer and when the Scheldt is crossed here the British vMI be in position to seriously menace both Mons and Maubeuge. Between Le Cateau and Solesmes the British are on the high ground east of the Selle river and it Is from this favorable position today's attack was begun. The German resistance here has been bitter as the line Is vital to the security of the German defenses i over a wide front to the south-south- i oast , In southwestern Belgium the British continue to close in on Tournal. North of the town they have forced a crossing cross-ing of the Scheldt while on the north . the British are on the western side of the river on a four mile front from Brieulles to Bleharles. South of Le Cateau the enemy is re-' re-' slstlng stubbornly French attempts to 'j cross the Serre river and take in the ; ; rear the German positions east of the Oise. South of the railroad junction of Mont Cornet the French have made progress between NIezy-le.Comte and I Le Thour. British Drive Through Forest ; WITH THE ALLIED ARMIES IN ; , FRANCE AND BELGIUM, Oct, 23 : North of Valenciennes the British have forced their way almost through : the Raisnes foresL Along the entire j front between Valenciennes and Tour- , nal .accent rains have made the ground . r difficult and progress has been slowed, j The Germans on this front in the last few days have been following the Jactics of retreating during the night. The British have not been able to os-'i os-'i Wish-contact with the enemy rear .guards until noon of the next day. The a rear guards endeavor to ' hold tho British in check until nightfall when they ngain retrcaL There appear to be good indications that the lino on which the Germnns now are resting temporarily in this region will not be defended for any great length of time. I The entire country between Valenciennes Valen-ciennes and Tournai is as barren as a desert as far as the personal property prop-erty of the French inhabitants is concerned. con-cerned. Liberated civilians say that the retreating Germans carry so much loot that they stagger under the loads. Apparently the alleged instructions given the German troops to take the most strict care as regards the property prop-erty of civilians are not observed at the front. French Capture- War Mnterial. PARIS, Oct. 23. The French war statement is as follows: "On the Oise front heavy artillery fighting occurred during the night. "The booty taken by the troops or tho French army in tho fighting of October Oc-tober 17 and 18 includes 81 cannon, about 100 trench mortars, more than 700 machine guns and munition depots and war material of all kimhs. "On the Serro front the enemy continued con-tinued to show his vigilance and to oppose op-pose by his machine gun fire our efforts ef-forts to cross tho Serre and the Souce. Further east we made progress between be-tween Niesy-!e-Comte and Lo Thour, taking prisoners." Austrians Hand Over Authority. AMSTERDAM, Oct 23. The Austrian Aus-trian authorities in part of Poland occupied oc-cupied by the Austrian arms have formally for-mally handed over the administration to Polish authorities, says a Vienna dispatch to the Vossische Zeitung of Berlin. |