Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 265, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 November 1914 — STORIES OF INDIVIDUAL HEROISM DISPLAYED ON FIELD OF BATTLE [ARTICLE]

STORIES OF INDIVIDUAL HEROISM DISPLAYED ON FIELD OF BATTLE

Germans Drop on Enemy as Though From Sky—Artillery'Works Awful Havoc, But Rifle Fire Not so Good—Wounded Private. Tells of Heroic Work of the “Dirty Shirts”— ~ Bombs Success In War.

By LAWRENCE ELSTON.

London. —A guardsman who was wounded near Complegne has given • vivid account of the fighting there and of the capture of ten German guns by the British troops. "We were in a field," he said, **when the Germans dropped on «■ all of a sudden as though from the sky. The first hint we had of their presence was when a battery of guns on the right sang out, dropping shells Into a mob of us who were waiting for -our turn at the washtub —the river. There was no panic as far as ■ 1 saw, only some of our fellows who hadn’t had a wash for a long time •aid strong things about the Germans for spoiling the best chance we had bed for four days. We all ran to our posts In response to. bugles which rang out all along the line, and by the time we. all stood to arms the German cavalry came Into view In great strength pH along the left front. "As soon as they came within range we poured a deadly volley into them, emptying saddles right and left, and tlhey scattered in all directions. Meanwhile their artillery kept working up closer. on the front and the right, and a dark cloud of infantry showed out against the skyline on our front, advancing in a formation rather loose for the Germans. We opened on them, and they made a fine target for our rifle fire, which was vhfy well supported by our artillery. The fire from our guns was very effective, the range being found with ease, and we could see the shells dropping right into the enemy’s ranks. Race for a Hill. "Here and there their lines began to waver and give way, and finally they disappeared. Half an hour later more infantry appeared oft our right front, but we could not say whether It • was the same, or another body. This time they were well supported by artillery, machine guns and strong forces of cavalry on both flanks. All came on at a Smart pace, with the apparent plan of seizing a hill on our right. At the same moment our cavalry came Into view, and then the whole Guards brigade advanced. It was really a race, between the tyro parties to reach the hill first, but the Germans won easily, owing to their being nearer by half a mile., “As soon as their guns and infantry had taken up a position, the cavalry came along in a huge mass with the Intention of riding down the Irish Guards,,who were nearest to them. When the shock came It seemed terrific to us in the distance, for the Irishmen did not recoil In the least, " but flung themselves right across the path of the German horsemen. "We could hear the crack of the rifles and see the German horses Impaled on the bayonets of the front ranks of the guardsmen. Then the whole force* of Infantry and cavalry were mixed up in one confused heap, like so many pieces from* a jig-saw puzzle. Shells from the British and German batteries kept dropping close -to the tangled mass -of fighting men, and then we saw the German horsemen get clear and-take to flight as fast-as their horses would carry them. Some had lio horses and they were bayoneted where they-stood. Ten Guns Captured. “While this was going on thel*e was a confused movement among the German infantry, as though they were going to the assistance of the cavalry, hut evidently they did not like the look of things, for they stayed where they were. After this little Interruption the whole of the Guards continued their advance, the Coldstreainers leading this time, with the Scots In ' reserve and -the Irish In support. . "Taking advantage of the fight between the cavalry and Infantry, the German artillery had advanced to a new position, from which they kept up a deadly fire from 12 guns. Our Infantry and cavalry advanced simultaneously against this new position, which they carried together In the face of a galling fire. In the excitement the enemy managed to get away two of their* guns, but thp remainder fell Info our hands. The Infantry and cavalry supporting the guns didn’t Walt for ,tbe onslaught of our men, but bolted, pursued by our cavalry and galled by a heavy fire from our Infantry and artillery, which quickly fountf the range. "We heard later that the Germans were in very great force, and had attacked In the hope of driving ns back and so uncovering the French left, but they got more than they bargained for. Their losses w«*re terrible in what little of the fight we saw, and when our men captured the guns there was hardly a German left alive .or unwounded. Altogether the fight lasted about seven hours, and when It was over our cavalry scouts report* ed that the enemy were In retreat” Argyll* Are Herd Hit A private In a Highland regiment who was wounded at Mons, In the course of a letter to his parents In • Musselburgh says: .'yf ■ "The poor Argyll* got pretty well Wt, but never wavered a yard for all ' their losses. The Boots Greys are da

A wounded private of the Royal Munster Fusiliers (the “Dirty Shirts”) tells the following story: "For some reason or other we were left in the lurch, and had to bear the brunt of the whole German attack, while the rest of the brigade fell back. “They cams at us from all points —horse, foot, artillery and all —and the air was thick with screaming, shouting men waving swords and blazing away at us like blue murder. Our lads stood up to them without thd least taste of fear, and when their cavalry came down on us we received them with fixed bayonets In front, the rear flanks firing away as steadily as you please. All round us we saw them collecting until there was hardly a hole fit for a Wee mouse to get -through, and then It was that the hardest fight of all took place, for we wouldn’t surrender, and tried our hardest to cut through the stone wall of the Germans.

lng great work at the front in Act they were the means of putting 10,000 Germans to their fate on Sunday morning. I will never forget that day, as our regiment left a town on the French frontier on Saturday morning at three'o'clock and marched till 3 a. m. on Sunday intb a Belgian town. I was about to have an hour In bed, at least a lie down in a shop, when I was wakened to go on guard at the gener-. al’s headquarters, and while I was on guard a captain of the crack French cavalry came in with the official report of the 10,000 Germans killed. "The Scots Greys early that morning had decoyed the Germans right In front of the machine guns of the French, and they just mowed them down. There was no escape for them, poor devils; but they deserved It the way-they go on. You would be sorry for the poor Belgian women having to leave their homes with young children dinging to them:" Bombs Are a Success.

Bombardier A. E. Smith, who was wounded by a bomb dropped from a German aeroplane. In a letter to a friend In Edinburgh, says: “Those bombs have proved a great success In the war, as they find the enemy's range very accurately. The bomb,, when dropped, leaves a thick, black,_smoky line to enable the gunners to take the exact range. We were In a good position, but suffered loss. The enemy could not find us until the aeroplane came on the scene. Then we had it rather hot. The gunners had to leave the guns, but later saved then*, all after being re-en-forced by other guns. “The Germans have a funny way in fighting. Their infantry, when advancing, fire from the hip and come on in masses, splendid targets for our guns. As soon as one lot gets mowed down the gaps are ’filled up with fresh men. They are In terrible .numbers—about ten to one In some places. Nearly all the men’s wounds are from shrapnel, and heal wonderfully. Men almost cripples a day or two ago are going on splendidly since being treated here.” "Like Blue Murder.”

“It was hell’s own work, hut I can say that we never hoisted the white flag, and If the battalion was wiped •out, as they Bay, It fought to the last gasp. The spirit of our lads was that grand that you couldn’t help being proud of them, and they accounted for a lot of the Germans. First of all, I got a wee taste of a punch in the ribs with a sword, and then I got a bullet in me, but when I was able to see what Was going on. the men were cutting their way through the Germans. I was floored for I can’t teH you how long, but when I got back my senses the Germans were gone, leaving only heaps on heaps of the dying and the dead, our boys and the

Germans being mixed up like any thing. 1 _ “Seme of our hoys who got away told me that the ‘Dirty Shirts* had been almost* cleaned up hy the Gey mans, but made the Germans pay dearly for thinking they could cut off an Irish regiment without having to fight” - Admires German Artillery. Private Charles Dudley Moore of the Yorkshire light Infantry, who was at Mons and is now at Lynn, had the misfortune to he wounded, half an hour after he went into action.

“The shrapnel shells of the Germans were bursting over the trenches where we were lying, and I was struck In the foot with a piece of shell which took the sole of my shoe clean off. Five minutes later, when I was trying to help a fellow near me whb had been hit in the shoulder, I.was struck in the right thigh by a pellet from a shrapnel shell. I fired one more shot after that I fired at the driver of a German machine gun and hit him. This was my first experience of actual fighting, and I can tell you It is a funny sensation at first to see the shellß bursting near and around you, to hear the bullets whistling by you, and to see men being killed and wounded near yon, but you soon get used to It all. It tries your nerves a bit at first, but you soon get in the way of It.

“I have the greatest admiration for the German artillery, but their infantry is absolutely useless. They fire from the hip and takw no blm at all. The Germans are also badly fed. At the hospital at Amiens I saw a wounded German officer who told w

he and the others had been living on anything they could lay hold of, and that they had even eaten grass.” Do Not Like Bayonets. Private J.. R. Talt of the Second Essex regiment who was wounded at Mons, also speaks ylth respect of the GfDrman artillery. Writing home, he-says, In a description of the fighting: “We had several charges with their infantry. We find they do not like the bayonets. Their rifle shooting is rotten; I don’t believe they could hit a haystack at 100 yards. Their field artillery is good, and we don’t like their shrapnel. I heard our men singing that famous song, ‘Get Out and Get Under,’ and know that for an hour in our trench it would make any one keep under, what with Bhells and machine guns. I have been in three battles in four days.” The following Is an extract from a. letter written by Otho Bromfleld of the signal section (Territorials), Royal Engineers:

“I’m doing and going as I’m told, not worrying, but taking things as they come. I’ve slept in barns, wool sto**es, cinemas, casinos, dock sheds, and for a bit had the stars as a counterpane. The fighting has been very fierce and close; as one pal said: ‘Oh, ain’t it ’ot!’ We are outnumbered sometimes 10,000 to 2,000, bq£ our boys stick to them, and have played havoc with their ‘mass formations.’ The Maxims have cut them down l|l|e com, and “when we charged with fixed bayonets, see ’em run. They will get no quarter from our ‘mob.’ Their dead were so thick that their re-enforce-ments couldn’t advance over the top; Of cojurse, we lost, too.”

Fred Wilson of the Fifth Royal Lancers, who was wounded at Mons and reached Leedß Invalided, says he has seen the Germans bayonet our wounded as they came across the field, and force women and children in front of them as they passed our guns. He reckons nothing of the fighting powers of the Germans. They were fairly peppered in five charges, and when their cavalry »aw us coming they whined like dogs. Our blood was up after witnessing their terrible atrocities.” The British soldiers, he adds, sing and jest while bullets are flying thick and fast.