America's War for Humanity Part 45

"On Monday, the 14th, those of our troops which had on the previous day crossed the Aisne, after driving in the German rearguards on that evening, found portions of the enemy's forces in prepared defensive positions on the right bank and could do little more than secure a footing north of the river. This, however, they maintained in spite of two counter-attacks delivered at dusk and 10 p.m., in which the fighting was severe.

"During the 14th strong reinforcements of our troops were pa.s.sed to the north bank, the troops crossing by ferry, by pontoon bridges, and by the remains of permanent bridges. Close co-operation with the French forces was maintained and the general progress made was good, although the opposition was vigorous and the state of the roads, after the heavy rain, made movements slow.

FIRST CORPS MAKES CAPTURE

"One division alone failed to secure the ground it expected to. The First Army Corps, after repulsing repeated attacks, captured prisoners and twelve guns. The cavalry also took a number of prisoners.

"There was a heavy rain throughout the night of September 14th, and during the 15th the situation of the British forces underwent no essential change. But it became more and more evident that the defensive preparations made by the enemy were more extensive than was at first apparent. The Germans bombarded our lines nearly all day, using heavy guns brought, no doubt, from before Maubeuge as well as those with the corps.

"All the German counter-attacks, however, failed, although in some places they were repeated six times. One made on the Fourth Guards Brigade was repulsed with heavy slaughter.

"Further counter-attacks made during the night were beaten off. Rain came on towards evening and continued intermittently until 9 _a.m_., on the 16th. Besides adding to the discomfort of the soldiers holding the line, the wet weather to some extent hampered the motor transport service, which was also hindered by broken bridges.

"On Wednesday, the 16th, there was little change in the situation opposite the British; the efforts made by the enemy were less active than on the previous day, though their bombardment continued throughout the morning and evening.

"On Thursday, the 17th, the situation still remained unchanged in its essentials. The German heavy artillery fire was more active than on the previous day. The only infantry attacks made by the enemy were on the extreme right of our position, and, as had happened before, they were repulsed with heavy loss, chiefly on this occasion by our field artillery.

NATURE OF THE FIGHTING

"In order to convey some idea of the nature of the fighting it may be said that along the greater part of our front the Germans have been driven back from the forward slopes on the north of the river. Their infantry are holding strong lines of trenches amongst and along the edges of the numerous woods which crown the slopes. These trenches are elaborately constructed and cleverly concealed. In many places there are wire entanglements and lengths of rabbit fencing.

"Both woods and open are carefully aligned, so that they can be swept by rifle fire and machine-guns, which are invisible from our side of the valley. The ground in front of the infantry is also, as a rule, under cross fire from the field artillery placed on neighboring heights, and under high angle fire from pieces placed well back behind the woods on top of the plateau.

"A feature of this action, as of the previous fighting, is the use by the enemy of numerous heavy howitzers, with which they are able to direct long range fire all over the valley and right across it. Upon these they evidently place great reliance.

"Where our men are holding the forward edges of the high ground on the north side they are now strongly intrenched. They are well fed, and in spite of the wet weather of the last week are cheerful and confident.

HEAVY BOMBARDMENT BY BOTH SIDES

"The bombardment by both sides has been heavy, and on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday was practically continuous. Nevertheless, in spite of the general din caused by the reports of the immense number of heavy guns in action along our front on Wednesday, the arrival of the French force acting against the German right flank was at once announced on the east of our front some miles away by the continuous roar of their quick-firing artillery, with which the attack was opened.

"So far as the British are concerned, the greater part of this week has been pa.s.sed in bombardment, in gaining ground by degrees, and in beating back severe counter-attacks with heavy slaughter. Our casualties have been severe, but it is probable that those of the enemy are heavier.

"The rain has caused a great drop in the temperature and there is more than a distant feeling of autumn in the air.

"On our right and left the French have been fighting fiercely and have been gradually gaining ground. One village already has been captured and recaptured twice by each side and at the time of writing remains in the hands of the Germans.

"The fighting has been at close quarters and of the most desperate nature, and the streets of the village are filled with dead of both sides.

CHEERING MESSAGE TO THE FRENCH

"As an example of the spirit which is inspiring our allies the following translation of an _Ordre du Jour_ (order of the day), published on September 9, after the battle of Montmirail, by the commander of the French Fifth Army, is given:

"'Soldiers: Upon the memorable fields of Montmirail, of Vauchamps, of Champaubert, which a century ago witnessed the victories of our ancestors over Blucher's Prussians, your vigorous offensive has triumphed over the resistance of the Germans. Held on his flanks, his center broken, the enemy now is retreating towards the east and north by forced marches. The most renowned army corps of old Prussia, the contingents of Westphalia, of Hanover, of Brandenburg, have retired in haste before you.

"'This first success is no more than the prelude. The enemy is shaken but not yet decisively beaten. You have still to undergo severe hardships, to make long marches, to fight hard battles. May the image of our country, soiled by barbarians, always remain before your eyes! Never was it more necessary to sacrifice all for her.

"'Saluting the heroes who have fallen in the fighting of the last few days, my thoughts turn toward you, the victors in the last battle.

Forward, soldiers, for France!'

LETTER FROM A GERMAN SOLDIER

"So many letters and statements of our wounded soldiers have been published in our newspapers that the following epistle from a German soldier of the Seventy-fourth Infantry regiment, Tenth Corps, to his wife also may be of interest:

"'My Dear Wife: I have just been living through days that defy imagination. I should never have thought that men could stand it. Not a second has pa.s.sed but my life has been in danger, and yet not a hair of my head has been hurt.

"'It was horrible; it was ghastly, but I have been saved for you and for our happiness, and I take heart again, although I am still terribly unnerved. G.o.d grant that I may see you again soon and that this horror may soon be over.

"'None of us can do any more; human strength is at an end. I will try to tell you about it. On September 5 the enemy were reported to be taking up a position near St. Prix, southeast of Paris. The Tenth Corps, which had made an astonishingly rapid advance of course, was attacked on Sunday.

"'Steep slopes led up to the heights, which were held in considerable force. With our weak detachments of the Seventy-fourth and Ninety-first regiments we reached the crest and came under a terrible artillery fire that mowed us down. However, we entered St. Prix. Hardly had we done so than we were met with sh.e.l.l fire and a violent fusillade from the enemy's infantry. Our colonel was badly wounded--he is the third we have had. Fourteen men were killed around me. We got away in a lull without my being hit.

"'The 7th, 8th, and 9th of September we were constantly under sh.e.l.l and shrapnel fire and suffered terrible losses. I was in a house which was. .h.i.t several times. The fear of death, of agony, which is in every man's heart, and naturally so, is a terrible feeling. How often I have thought of you, my darling, and what I suffered in that terrifying battle which extended along a front of many miles near Montmirail, you cannot possibly imagine.

"'Our heavy artillery was being used for the siege of Maubeuge. We wanted it badly, as the enemy had theirs in force and kept up a furious bombardment. For four days I was under artillery fire. It was like h.e.l.l, but a thousand times worse.

"'On the night of the 9th the order was given to retreat, as it would have been madness to attempt to hold our position with our few men, and we should have risked a terrible defeat the next day. The first and third armies had not been able to attack with us, as we had advanced too rapidly. Our morale was absolutely broken; in spite of unheard-of sacrifices we had achieved nothing.

"'I cannot understand how our army, after fighting three great battles and being terribly weakened, was sent against a position which the enemy had prepared for three weeks, but, naturally, I know nothing of the intentions of our chiefs; they say nothing has been lost.

"'In a word, we retired towards Cormontreuil and Rheims by forced marches by day and night. We hear that three armies are going to get into line, intrench and rest, and then start afresh our victorious march on Paris. It was not a defeat, only a strategic retreat. I have confidence in our chiefs that everything will be successful.

"'Our first battalion, which has fought with unparalleled bravery, is reduced from 1,200 to 194 men. These numbers speak for themselves.'"

EVENTS FROM SEPTEMBER 21 TO

The next report from the official chronicler at the front, dated September 24, was in part as follows:

"The enemy is still maintaining himself along the whole front, and in order to do so is throwing into the fight detachments composed of units from the different formations, the active army, reserve, and landwehr, as is shown by the uniforms of prisoners recently captured.

"Our progress, although slow on account of the strength of the defensive positions against which we are pressing, has in certain directions been continuous, but the present battle may well last for some days more before a decision is reached, since it now approximates nearly to siege warfare.

"The nature of the general situation after the operations of the 18th, 19th, and 20th, cannot better be summarized than as expressed recently by a neighboring French commander to his corps: 'Having repulsed repeated and violent counterattacks made by the enemy, we have a feeling that we have been victorious.'

"So far as the British are concerned, the course of events during these three days can be described in a few words. During Friday, the 18th, artillery fire was kept up intermittently by both sides during daylight.

At night the Germans counter-attacked certain portions of our line, supporting the advance of their infantry as always by a heavy bombardment. But the strokes were not delivered with great vigor and ceased about 2 _a.m_. During the day's fighting an aircraft gun of the Third Army Corps succeeded in bringing down a German aeroplane.

ARTILLERY FIRE BECOMES MONOTONOUS

"On Sat.u.r.day, the 19th, the bombardment was resumed by the Germans at an early hour and continued intermittently under reply from our guns, which is a matter of normal routine rather than an event.

"Another hostile aeroplane was brought down by us, and one of our aviators succeeded in dropping several bombs over the German line, one incendiary bomb falling with considerable effect on a transport park near LaFere.

"A buried store of the enemy's munitions of war also was found not far from the Aisne, ten wagonloads of live sh.e.l.ls and two wagons of cable being dug up. Traces were discovered of large quant.i.ties of stores having been burned--all tending to show that as far back as the Aisne the German retirement was hurried.

"On Sunday, the 20th, nothing of importance occurred until the afternoon, when there was an interval of feeble sunshine, which was hardly powerful enough to warm the soaking troops. The Germans took advantage of this brief spell of fine weather to make several attacks against different points. These were all repulsed with loss to the enemy, but the casualties incurred by us were by no means light.

"The offensive against one or two points was renewed at dusk, with no greater success. The brunt of the resistance naturally has fallen on the infantry. In spite of the fact that they have been drenched to the skin for some days and their trenches have been deep in mud and water, and in spite of the incessant night alarms and the almost continuous bombardment to which they have been subjected, they have on every occasion been ready for the enemy's infantry when the latter attempted to a.s.sault. Indeed, the sight of the troops coming up has been a positive relief after long, trying hours of inaction under sh.e.l.l fire.