west of
Lens; for, just south from the town, ran a railway which connected with
the main line three miles east of Arras, called the Arras--Douai--Lille
line. This gave the Germans a perfect system of lateral communications.

The German general, Von Buelow, commanding the Prussian Guard Corps led
the attack on October 24, 1914, when he pushed his forces, fighting for
every inch of the ground, to within gun range of the city of Arras. All
day the most desperate fighting continued and had not General Maud'huy
received the reenforcements which hurriedly came up just when needed the
northern gates of Arras would have been gained by the Germans, who were
held back in a position near enough, however, to subject Arras to
another bombardment and the shell fire from this position rained upon
Arras to the end of the month and some six days into November.

From the date of the entry of the French into Alsace on August 7, 1914,
the battle front in France extended from the Swiss frontier, north
through western Alsace, thence in a northwesterly direction to a point
where the line met the front of the German forces advancing on Paris.

On October 1, 1914, this battle front extended in an unbroken line from
Switzerland to the city of Douai in northeastern France. The Crown
Prince of Bavaria commanded in the first section from Alsace to midway
between Nancy and Verdun; the Crown Prince of Prussia directed the
Verdun section reaching from west of Thiaucourt to Montfaucon; the Duke
of Wuerttemberg to Massiges; General von Hausen thence to Bery-au-Bac;
General von Buelow to a point directly north of Soissons; General von
Kluck in a northwesterly direction to a point west of Noyon and onward
to the north and northeast to Douai, which is about fifteen miles
northeast of Arras, from which point north the campaign has been
described. The French army opposing this German front was under the
supreme command of General Joffre. The commanding officers in the
various sectors of this front were being continually changed, making it
difficult to name the commanders in each sector, except when some more
or less noteworthy engagement had taken place along the line. The battle
front here described did not materially change throughout the months of
October, 1914, to February 1, 1915. Continual engagements took place
along this entire front--a gain of a few yards here balanced by a loss
of a like distance elsewhere.

Both belligerents had securely intre