America's War for Humanity Part 32

"But even as I was getting soup, the artillery fusillade broke forth again. From 9 o'clock to noon the Russians hurled their heavy sh.e.l.ls at the German trenches and the German guns. The German batteries replied slowly.

"There was mighty little fuss and feathers about this business of dealing death from guns. The crews at each piece laughed among themselves, but there were none of the picturesque shouts of command, the indiscriminate blowing of bugles, and the flashy waving of battle flags that the word battle usually conjures up. It was merely a deadly business of killing.

"Over to the right, a scant 300 yards away, the Russians had apparently succeeded in getting the range. As I watched through the gla.s.ses I saw shrapnel burst over the battery there and watched a noncommissioned soldier fall with three of his comrades. I was told that one had been killed and three wounded. The Red Cross crew came up and bore away the four--the dead and the live--and before they were gone the gun was speaking away with four fresh men working it.

"But the shrapnel kept bursting away over it and soon an orderly came riding furiously back on his horse, saluted the officers with me, and shouted as he hurried back to the artillery reserve: 'Six inch sh.e.l.ls to the front; more ammunition.'

"I went back to see the wounded, but the surgeon wouldn't let me. I expressed to him my wonder at the few wounded. I had seen only a few in the trenches, and no German dead until I saw the artilleryman killed.

He explained that the losses on the German side were light because the trenches were well constructed and because there had been no hand-to-hand, bayonet to bayonet fighting.

ATTACKS BY RUSSIAN INFANTRY

"Yesterday, my first day at Wirballen, I saw the third attempt of the Russians to carry the German center by storm. Twice on Wednesday their infantry had advanced under cover of their artillery, only to be repulsed. Their third effort proved no more successful.

"The preliminaries were well under way, without my appreciating their significance, until one of my officer escorts explained.

"At a number of points along their line, observable to us, but screened from the observation of the German trenches in the center, the Russian infantry came tumbling out, and, rushing forward, took up advanced positions, awaiting the formation of the new and irregular battle line. Dozens of light rapid-firers were dragged along by hand. Other troops--the reserves--took up semi-advanced positions. All the while the Russian shrapnel was raining over the German trenches.

"Finally came the Russian order to advance. At the word hundreds of yards of the Russian fighting line leaped, forward, deployed in open order, and came on. Some of them came into range of the German trench fire almost at once. These lines began to wilt and thin out.

MEN PAUSE ONLY TO FIRE

"But on they came, all along the line, protected and unprotected alike, rushing forward with a yell, pausing, firing, and advancing again.

"From the outset of the advance the German artillery, ignoring for the moment the Russian artillery action, began sh.e.l.ling the onrushing ma.s.s with wonderfully timed shrapnel, which burst low over the advancing lines and tore sickening gaps.

"But the Russian line never stopped. For the third time in two days they came tearing on, with no indication of having been affected by the terrible consequences of the two previous charges. As a spectacle the whole thing was maddening.

"On came the Slav swarm, into the range of the German trenches, with wild yells and never a waver. Russian battle flags--the first I had seen--appeared in the front of the charging ranks. The advance line thinned and the second line moved up.

"Nearer and nearer they swept toward the German positions. And then came a new sight. A few seconds later came a new sound. First I saw a sudden, almost grotesque melting of the advancing line. It was different from anything that had taken place before. The men literally went down like dominoes in a row. Those who kept their feet were hurled back as though by a terrible gust of wind. Almost in the second that I pondered, puzzled, the staccato rattle of machine guns reached us. My ear answered the query of my eye.

MACHINE GUN FIRE TELLS

"For the first time the advancing line hesitated, apparently bewildered.

Mounted officers dashed along the line, urging the men forward. Horses fell with the men. I saw a dozen riderless horses dashing madly through the lines, adding a new terror. Another horse was obviously running away with his officer rider. The crucial period for the section of the charge on which I had riveted my attention probably lasted less than a minute.

To my throbbing brain it seemed an hour. Then, with the withering fire raking them even as they faltered, the lines broke. Panic ensued. It was every man for himself. The entire Russian charge turned and went tearing back to cover and the shelter of the Russian trenches.

"I swept the entire line of the Russian advance with my gla.s.ses--as far as it was visible from our position. The whole advance of the enemy was in retreat, making for its intrenched position.

DEAD MEN COVER ACRES

"After the a.s.sault had failed and the battle had resumed its normal trend I swept the field with my gla.s.ses. The dead were everywhere. They were not piled up, but were strewn over acres. More horrible than the sight of the dead, though, were the other pictures brought up by the gla.s.ses. Squirming, tossing, writhing figures everywhere! The wounded!

All who could stumble or crawl were working their way back toward their own lines or back to the friendly cover of hills or wooded spots.

"After the charge we moved along back of the German lines at a safe distance and found the hospital corps bringing back the German wounded.

"The artillerymen had resumed their duel and as we came up in the lee of the outbuildings of a deserted farmhouse a sh.e.l.l struck and fired the farmhouse immediately in front of us. As we paused to see if the shot was a chance one, or if the Russian gunners had actually gotten the range, a regiment of fresh reserves, young men who had just come up from the west, pa.s.sed us on their way to get their baptism of fire.

"Their demeanor was more suggestive of a group of college students going to a football game than the serious business on which they were bent.

They were singing and laughing, and as they went by a noncommissioned officer inquired rather ruefully whether there were any Russians left for them.

"Throughout the day we watched the fight waged from the opposing trenches and by the artillery.

"Suddenly at sundown the fighting ceased as if by mutual agreement. As I write this I can see occasional flashes of light like the flare of giant fireflies out over the scene of the Russian charge--the flashes of small electrical lamps in the hands of the Russian hospital corps.

"I'm glad I don't have to look at what the flashes reveal out there in the night."

CHAPTER XIII

THE AUSTRO-SERVIAN CAMPAIGN

_Declaration of War by Austria--Bombardment of Belgrade-- Servian Capital Removed--Seasoned Soldiers of Servia Give a Good Account of Themselves--Many Indecisive Engagements--Servians in Austrian Territory_.

Formal declaration of war against Servia was proclaimed by Austria on Tuesday, July 28. The text of the official announcement was as follows:

"The Royal Government of Servia not having given a satisfactory reply to the note presented to it by the Austro-Hungarian Ministry in Belgrade on July 23, 1914, the Imperial and Royal Government of Austria-Hungary finds it necessary itself to safeguard its rights and interests and to have recourse for this purpose to the force of arms. Austria-Hungary, therefore, considers itself from this moment in a state of war with Servia."

This declaration was signed by Count Berchtold, the Austrian minister for foreign affairs.

The events that immediately preceded the declaration of war, as summarized in a previous chapter, were as follows:

On June 28 a Slav student who thought he was a patriot killed the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, at Serajevo, the capital of Bosnia, which had been lately made a province of Austria.

An inquiry was begun in which evidence was introduced to show that the a.s.sa.s.sin's work was part of a plot for the revolt of the Southern Slav provinces of Austria, and that it was instigated by Servians, if not by the Servian Government. On July 23, however, before the investigation was completed, Austria sent an ultimatum to Servia demanding that it use every means in its power to punish the a.s.sa.s.sins and also to stop all further anti-Austrian propaganda. Austria demanded that she be permitted to have representatives in the work of investigation in Servia.

The next day, July 24, Russia joined the little Slav country in asking for a delay. Austria refused to grant this.

On July 25, ten minutes before 6 p.m., the hour at which the ultimatum expired, the Servian premier, M. Pas.h.i.tch, gave his reply to the Austrian amba.s.sador at Belgrade. Servia agreed to all the conditions and apologies demanded by Austria, except the requirement that Austrian officials should be allowed to partic.i.p.ate in the inquiry to be conducted in Servia into the a.s.sa.s.sination of the Archduke. Even this was not definitely refused.

On July 27 the Austrian foreign office issued a statement in which appeared these words:

"The object of the Servian note is to create the false impression that the Servian Government is prepared in great measure to comply with our demands.

"As a matter of fact, however, Servians note is filled with the spirit of dishonesty, which clearly lets it be seen that the Servian Government is not seriously determined to put an end to the culpable tolerance it hitherto has extended to intrigues against the Austro-Hungarian monarchy."

Russia at once notified Austria that it could not permit Servian territory to be invaded. It was then realized in Europe that the great Slav nation would support its little brother. Germany let it be known that no other country must interfere with the Austro-Servian embroglio, which meant that Germany was prepared to back Austria.

An eleventh-hour proposal by the British foreign secretary, Sir Edward Grey, that mediation between Servia and Austria be undertaken by a conference of the Amba.s.sadors in London, was accepted by France and Italy, but declined by Germany and Austria. Then next day, July 28, came Austria's declaration of war, which soon made Europe the theater of the bloodiest struggle of all the ages.

SERVIA AND ITS ASPIRATIONS

Servians reply to the declaration of war was to concentrate a strong division of its forces in the Sanjak of Novi-Bazar, from which they would be in a position to threaten Bosnia and Herzegovina, the two Balkan provinces that Austria had lately annexed. It was also reported that Servia intended to invade Bosnia with the object of enlisting further support from the Bosnian Serbs, who were said to be on the point of rising against Austria-Hungary.

The country of the Servians being well suited for defense, they were never completely overrun by the Turks, as other Balkan states were, and as a consequence they still retain, like the Greeks, a native aristocracy of culture. Physically, they are fairer than most of the Balkan Slavs and more refined in appearance. By temperament they are light-hearted, joyous, frivolous, and charming to deal with.

In Servia itself, including territory acquired in recent wars, there are about 4,500,000 Serbs. In Austria there are about 3,500,000 Serbs, including Croats who belong to the Servian race.