New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-09-14
felled before the hurricanes Of lead
with which we greeted them.
German Artillery Not Effective.

Herman ARTILLERY NOT Effective.
"God, but they we're brave. One
cant deny them that tribute, but their
artillery for once did not seem to be
as effective as usual. Their rife fire
was strangely erratic German soldiers.
by the way, do not aim at all At
| times they came near enough to allow
US to see through our glasses the Gu
rious methods of the German rihemen.
| They do not put their rifles to their
shoulders and take aim. They put the
| butt of the rifles in their arms and
| simply Are away, trusting to the ef-
| fectiveness of the volleys. In the
| evening we received achievements
from the direction Of Meaux, and as
darkness fell we had pushed back for
! the time being the forces which had
| been thrown against u.s.
another officer, who was also
wounded in fghting somewhat farther
from the extreme left, near La Ferte-
/ Gaucher, told me that the general en-
gagement there was an extremely hot
| one. II went on with varying results
during the whole Of Sunday night, but
the severest fighting took place Mon
day morning.
Enemy's Resistance Collapses.
"'Then, suddenly he said, the en-
Pmy's resistance collapsed In strange
" sudden manner Just as we began
TO advance ! was knocked down, but
am told that we advanced something
like twenty miles. driving All enemy
before us which did not put up even a
show of fight. They seldom turned
even TO treat us to a volley. II looked
as though they had suddenly run com
r rtely out Of ammunition
another soldier was ablo to take
up the story, saying that In the course
Of their hurried retreat the Germans
left the ground simply Uttered with
their dead and wounded, though they
could be seen carrying of many of
the wounded.
"A German detachment was cut of
and the advancing forces took ten guns
and several hundred prisoners. Some
of the prisoners confirmed the state
ment that the enemy was very short
Of ammunition, and added that they
we're compelled 20 husband their ra-
lions.
"The German losses must every
where have been exceedingly heavy.
An infantry officer, wounded near
MeauK on September s, told me that
two German army corps were in action
during that day and the preceding
day, and that in one trench alone he
counted 500 dead.
Battle Changes Swiftly.
Gwen on Tuesday, it would appear.
the German commander did not per-
ceive that his southwark movement
was placing him in very considerable
danger On that day the battle
changed with dramatic swiftness. The
Allies assumed a vigorous offensive ut
the very point at which the German
general had supposed them not to be
strong enough to make his southern
advance dangerous Here the British
were in great strength, and for the
first time in the war on anything like
a large scale they showed tho Germans
what a British frontal attack was
like.
"They shelled us with their big
guns said a Frenchman who took part
with the French forces aiding the
British, but their fire was not very
effective, and VIXEN we moved forward
it was a sight to see. There was almost
too much elan at times in our moves
forward and some severe losses were
experienced. At timer | noticed troops
meglecting to make trenches and con-
tenting themselves with what proved |
TO be inctTecti 20 cover. But nothing
could stop our steady advance. At
one little village we got right home
with the bayoGets, and we could see
that we were driving dead tired men
in front of US.
Advance Over Barbed Wire.
"'At this. however, they rallied with
an effort. Beyond the village they had
made trenches, and il required a costly
charge TO clear them out. We had to
advance over barbed wLEc, and as we
did so it was terrible to see how ones
comrades fell. We reached the trenches
and cleared them. Then came ten MINI
utes or so OF unopposed advance, and
then another fusill8dc, followed by un-
ceasing slaughter, but that's where
got shot in the foot. We kept straight
on I know
THE latest news as | write is TO the
effect that the German extreme right
j. simply being crumplcd up. The
French who are on the outer LETT OF
the allied forces are driving q great
and solid wedge into the enemy's po- J
sitions southeast Of scissors, and the /
British in that part OF the battle are
also steadily advancing.
1
q matter of hours. for the French are
RAPIDLY pushing forward toward 1t.
The German line of retreat is being
seriously threatened. All of the many
reports which | have been able to
gather from the field of this momen-
tous struggle speak of terrible German
losses, but also, with some exceptions,
Of a still stubborn resistance by the
retreating forces. Again and again .
they rally to charge, and again and
again they await onslaught, only to be
overthrown, if not By weight Of num-
bers, then by the magnificent dash of
soldiers who know they are fighting a
battle which may be one Of decisive |
encounter in the campaign.
Hope of Another Sedan Fades.
Pushed back to the River Ourcq, I.
General Won Kluck must have seen that
his hope Of outrivallng the victory Of
Sedan was fading, and that his south ,
ern line was in very imminent danger. /
Hour by hour the irresistible left OF
the Allies came further on. Every hour
was helping.
The German line Of retreat has now |
10 be considered. The position OF the /
main German body was pushed south .
TO the Great NORM River. Its retreat /
WAS constantly being more serious |
threatened, and again the German COM
mauder had To accept a choice which |
the Allies imposed. he saw that the
Allies strategy was the same as his,
that they, too, were thinking of Sc
dan with conditions reversed, and
that they were succeeding.
after tremendous struggle ]
counted on one day seventeen train
loads Of wounded from this part Of the