The French "Eyewitness," in a narrative published in Paris on
Monday, described the operations from January 5th to 15th. Rain, snow, wind, and fog made the conditions as disagreeable as they could be. Often the soldiers' rifles were so clogged with mud that they could not be fired. The line between St. Georges and the sea on the right bank of the Yser has been extended, and a " large outlet," more than three kilometres, has been obtained ensuring the safety of the com- munications. The German offensive in this district has been broken. At Soissons the French check was attributable to the flooding of the Aisne. Three bridges were destroyed, and it became impossible to send reinforcements across the river. The troops retired "less than 1,800 kilometres on a front of five kilometres." In Upper Alsace the gains are real Steinbach has been not only taken but kept. It is true that in this neighbourhood several German counter-attacks have been successful—one is familiar with these successes in the .German official reports—but the ground lost has in every case been regained.
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