Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-09-29

often you are shot at without being
able to return the fire. We had tc
lie perfectly still while bullets simply
poured over us. THAT was awful.
The officer omitted to state tina,
while in this position he was shot
three times in the arm, but continued
to lead his troops throughout the &C
ton
ut Is a w~ell-known fact that Sthe
soldier sees very little Of the battle
On August "a early in the morning We
received orders to occupy a low NIL
at the edge of a track covered with
brush wood. Forming part of the re
serve, we were expected to remain
under cover. In front OF US was a
large open battlefield. To each side
of us were batteries which had thun.
dered away since early morning. The
result of this was that many OF the
enemy's shells dropped right in front
of us. I remember noticing that While
the smoke of our shells had a lilac
cclor that Of fihe enemy's was white.
$50 FAR we had not been disquieted
by the shells at all. On the edge OF
the brush wood had been planted a
yellow,black flag, showing that some
where in that vicinity was to be found
our general staff. Our colonel lcf. us
and walked towards 1t, possibly to get
orders, but as he got there a shrapnel
exploded a little ahead OF him In the
air and we saw Cur commanding Off
Ger, in whom we placed all our COLI
fidence, 90 down. After that it was a
terrible feeling 70 lie sill. From that
moment on, too, a veritable hail OF
shells began to come. Some sappers,
who had been busy digging a trench
for the protection Of the general staff,
started to run. | feared that my SOL
diers would follow the example, and
began to make fun Of the poor sap
pers, scolding them at the same time.
Thank God, my battalion found that
funny and began to laugh. They liv-
ed through a terrific %shrapnel fire
with not a care and even found occa-
sion for laughter.
"A major took command of the reg
iment and we received orders to re
take a hill which the enemy had talk
en- under heavy fire. But of the en-
envy nothing at all was TO be seen as
we neared tho position, though the
hail Of shells and %shrapnel increased
in fury. The flag bearer marched
about 300 PAGES off my side. BY acct
dent | locked in his direction, saw the
white cloud of smoke of a Russian
shell and where the flag bearer had
been there was nothing to be
cen ,
1.-THE enemy meanwhile had taken
to flight and later we saw the Rus
slams wading through a swamp. Then
they got to the river Por, and crossed
tive after them shooting, wading,
out of breath. OF a sudden a village
behind us went up in flames, the light
falling on us like the rays of a huge
reflector. Then and there we receiv-
ed a rain of fire and saw The enemy
had taken possession in good order of
the other bank. We had to fall back,
net because we were afraid, but be-
cause those were the orders. The
sensation of being in danger of death
we did not have.
"The phlegma Of the iSlovac is pos
sibly the result of the circumstances
that he has little feeling. He always
goes as far as his officer goes,-no
further, but he follows his officer
were the goal hell itself. 1t is differ
ent with the Hungarian and the Bos-
MAN, whose officers find it difficult
to hold them back in it's firing line.
They always want to break ahead to
get at the enemy.
"F1ags and drums are useless things
in warfare. What is the use of a flag
which by its bright colors reveals
your position, which as the brown
paint on my sabre shows it has been
intended to conceal? In the one case
even the slightest reflection of light
is guarded against, while in the other
a large field of colors undoes all that
it has been wished to accomplish. The
drummer on the other hand must beat
his drum Is he goes to the attack, yet
he is expected to run into the enemy
unarmed. He would prefer exchang-
ing his drum for a rifle so that he
would be able to shoot down a soldier.
Zone feels nothing of the presence
of the enemy in battle and on the
marches. To be wounded is also not
such a bad experience. But you be-
gin to think after the battle. To bear
the horrors of war a sort of ideal is
necessary. Once, when I took my Slo-
vacs into an attack, we passed across
by the wayside. Many Of them knelt
down for a moment and said a prayer.
That was sincere and sublime. The
ideal which makes. it possible for me
to bear everything is to be a good Off
Ger on the battle field-under the cir
cumstances my duty towards the So
cial aggregate to which belong"