Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-10-10
RUSSIANS REPULSED BY
GERMANS AT WIRBALLEN

evident. A general advance against
the German centre was launched and
the Russians were making certain
that the village directly in the line
of advance had not been occupied by
the German machine guns during the
night.
So far, though I had been wit
Messing a battle of obviously ire
mendous magnitude, I had not seen
the enemy From our position.
slightly in the rear of the German
flank, it was comparatively easy to
trace our own line through the glasses
but the general line of the Russians
was hard to determine being indi-
Gated only by occasional flashes Of
gunfire. With the start of the Rus
sian attempt on the German centre,
however, the entire scene changed
Yesterday, for the first time since
the start of the battle on Sunday.
the Russians attempted to carry the
German centre position by storm. All
Sunday and Monday the opposing ar
tillery had been hammering away at
| the opposing trenches. The marks
manship of the Russian artillery had
| been bad. but I was told that a
| Russian aeroplane' had made a re-
connoisance of the German position
! shortly after dawn yesterday. I saw
no machines in fight. Twice under
cover OF their field artillery the Rus
! sian infantry advanced in force yes
| terday. Twice they were forced back
| to their defensive positions. Now
they were to try again.
| The preliminaries were well under
| way without my appreciating their
| significance until one of my officer
escorts explained.
lKAx. 81 INtn nj 1.nfr
| line, observable to us but screened
| from the observation of the German
| trenches In the centre, the Russian
! infantry came tumbling out and
/ rushing forward, took up advanced
positions, awaiting the formation OF
the new and irregular battle line.
Prepare for Attack.
Dozens of light rapid -flrers were
dragged along by hand. Other troops
the reserves took up semi advanced
positions. All the while the Russian
shrapnel was raining over the Ger
man trenches. Every move of the
enemy was obviously being communi.
Gated to the German centre. The Ger
man reserve command moved ir
closer. The rifle fire from the Ger
man trenches practically ceased
| The German officers moved along IL
the open behind the trenches encour.
aging and steadying their men, pre-
pairing them for the check.
Finally came the Russian order Il
advance. At the word hundreds Of
yards of Russian fighting line leapet
forward. deployed in open order anC
came on. One, two, three, and II
some places four and five successiy,
skirmish lines, separated by intervals
of from twenty to fifty yards, sweep
forward Some of them came int,
range of the German trench fire al
most at once. These lines began t
| wilt and thin out, Others were abl'
to make a considerable advance
under cover. The smoke of the burn
ing village gave grateful protec
ton to several regiments. But OF
they came, all along the line, pro
tected and unprotected alike, rush
ing forward with q yell, firing ant
advancing again.
From the outset of the advance thu
German artillery ignoring for tn
moment the Russian artillery action
| began Smelling the onrushing mas
with wonderfully timed shrapnei
which burst above the ADVANCING
lines and tore sickening gaps. \
But the Russian line neve
stopped. For the first time in tw'
DAYS they came with no indication Q
having been affected by the terribl
consequences of the two prevlou