Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-10-18
Much WAR NEWS BY LETTERS
Soldiers Use Mails to Send Their
Experiences to German Press.
BRIGHT COLOR IS EASY TARGET
reutOns Find French Uniforms Con-
venIent TO Find with Rifle sights
Those Not Wounded Are I'm
daunted by Farewell Cries.

Correspondence OF The Associated Press)
ROTTERDAM. Sept. 19.-Much of the
news of the war gets into the German
press in the form of letters which officers
and privates at the front send to their
families. Written by men who describe
what they actually see and feel, some
strange mixtures of sensations expert
enced and actually encountered result
documents of strong appeal and wide hui
man interest. One of these appears in
the Koelnische Zeitung OF September 1e:
From a wild French forest, on the an
niversary of the battle of Sedan (Sep-
TENDER p the best greetings. During the
last two days we have again been at tho
extreme front, after we had been given
a chance to rest up and get enough to
eat. Our position Is a dangerous one,
being we'll advanced into the French lines,
and we are obliged to fight off many at
tacks on the part of an enemy much
superior in numbers.
Yesterday we fought from early morn
ing till late in the night, opposing Alpine
chasseurs and negroes, whose courage II
would be foolish to question. The woods
here are very extended and cover a
ground which is much broken up. They
are so dense that very often you do not
SEQ the enemy until you are within fifty
sven thirty PAGES Of him. and quite fire.
quently we get 30 close TO the blacks that
we can look into their eyes.
Uniform CoIora Help TeutOns.
eve are greatly indebted to the color
of our uniform. The French are con
stantly at a disadvantage because Of theil
red pants and blue coats. The Alpine
chasseurs are fine fellows, and in Ger
man uniforms they would make a 5000
appearance. In the French hotel porter
uniform nobody looks smart. The chas
seurs wear red or blue knee breeches
ribbon-puttees, long blue getaways ant
a blue cap. Prisoners without arms maxi
an appearance of utter neglect. There ar
prisoners taken every day, because tn
ordinary French soldier is only too read!
to throw away his arms, make hands up
and shout pardon
1T is now / o'clock Il the Afternoon
and so far we have not been disturbed
The dead are buried. and now we ar
lying under the trees enjoying a spell o
quiet and the peace OF the forest. hav
Just finished reading the newspapers 4
my worthless, and most OF them are tax
ing a little noon nap. Everything abou
US IL peaceful. The forest is fragran
with the smell Of foliage and pine needles
and the sky laughs in a wonderful blue
II is hard to believe that this is a seen
on which men are butchered-the seen
OF what,I saw yesterday. But the du
thud and thunder OF artillery in the dis
lance reminds me OF this
Two other Experiences.
a Two days later the letter is continued:
1--WE are out of our position. YesteI
day we began another advance and al
tack on the enemy's positions We ar
stu In the forest and so far as / ca
Judge from the map there are sewers
kilometers OF It yet. part brush, part hig
growth
This is dangerous territory for US, be
cause the alternating strips OF high tres
and new wood make It easy for our OF
ponents to get the best OF us. The grea'
est caution Is necessary and our adyanc
is a matter of taking one foot OF groun
after another. We just advance
meters and then down for cover. Blu
lets begin to chirp through the air. b.
OF the enemy nothing is seen.
when the trees are big enough fairi
good cover Is offered by them. Direct
the fire opens the battle line halts an
falls flat 70 the ground, every man wal
ing and looking for a target. There
no shooting done here with the Germa
rifles except one has somebody on Il
sight But often there n nothing 70
dome but 10 advance again. and TO frights
the fellows with our 'hurrahs.' Alor
the lines travel stentorian Fix Bayonets
4 then comes the command. March Marcl
and the line springs TO it's feet, plung'
forward and a nerye-raking 'hurral
smashes through the woods. The enemy
fire begins a veritable hail Of lead. Son
fall, but onward crashes the German lin
''As soon as We reach the position
the enemy his fire ceases. and all take