Omaha daily bee., 1914-10-26

1
| ing bit OF house wall scared with bullet
marks from the bend 10 hand conflicts
which had swayed 20 and fro in its
streets was typical OF eli the little stone
built towns serving AZ outposts to this
natural fortress which had been the
scene Of embittered attacks and counter
attacks before the German troops could
! fight their wsy up the hiilsides.
| The combat Is stil raging on this day
I from north and south against the seq
ment Of this range captured by the Ger
mans. The french, msssing their troops
/ by forest paths from Verdun and Toul.
throw them against the Germans in des-
perste endeavors to break the lines which
protect the sites for the German siege
artillery. heavy mortara OF So and 1874
caiiber and an intermediate size type, and
| for the Austrian automobile batteries of
| 12-ln siege guns.
The correspondent had no opportunity
to inspect AZ close range the l6if-inch
guns. the Growers" OF Liege. Namur
and other fortresses which Krupp and the
German army uncovered as the surprise
Of the war. They could be heard even
from Metz, speaking at nve-minute in
| tervais. A battery Of them dug into the
ground 80 that only the gun muzzles pro-
ieoted shove the pits, was observed in
action az distance OF about half . mile,
the flash OF flame being visible even ct
that distance.
! Their smaller sisters we're less coy. a
dismounted battery OF the intermediate
caiiber. details Of which are not for pub
| iication was encountered at the road
/ side awaiting repairs TO the heavy traction
and the Austrian I2-inch (thirty and one
half centimetre) batteries were seen in
action
snurIy Hid In wood.
The heavy German battery lay snugly
/ hid in a wood on the rolling heights Of
the Cote Lorraine. Better off than the
French, whose aviators had for four days
repeatedly scrutinized every acre of land
In the vicinity looking for these guns.
we had fairly accurate directions how to
find the battery. but even then It re-
auirod some search and doubling back
I and forth before languld cannonier
lounging by the roadside. pointed with
his thumb over his shoulder toward the
allies guns.
The artillery men were enjoying their
/ midday rest, a pause which set In every
| day with the regularity of the lunche3n
hour in factory. The guns, two In this
| particular position, stood beneath a
screen OF thickly branching trees, the
muzzles pointing toward round openings
| in this leaf roof The gun carriages were
screened with branches, The shelter tents
and the houses FOR the ammunition also
had been covered with green, and around
the position a hedge OF boughs Kept off
the eyes OF possible French spies wander
Y ing through the woods
Anxious 20 show PrOweSs.
The lieutenant IN charge OF the guns,
/ anxious 20 show them off 10 advantage.
volunteered 10 telephone the battery COM
mander In his observation post -four
miles nearer the enemy for permission 10
| fire a shot or two against q village m
| which French troops were gathering for
the attack. This battery Just had finished
with Les Paroches, q French barrier far
across the Meuse. and was SO devoting
itself to minor attacks.
Only forts really counted, said the lieu
tenant, recalling Fort Manonviiiers, near
Luneville. the strongest French barrier
| fort which was the battery,s first bag
of the war. Its capture. thanks to hts
guns. had cost the German army only
| three lives, those of three pioneers acci-
dentally killed by tho fire OF their own
men. Now Les Paorches was q heap Of
crumbled earth and stone. IA default Of
forts the guns we're used against a
worthy tsrgot"--a worthy target be-
Ing defined as a minimum OF fifty in
| fantrymen.
At this moment the orderly reported that
the battery commander authorized two
shots against the village In question. AZ
command the gun crew sprang TO their
posts about the mortar, which was al
ready adjusted for It's target. a little
less than six miles away. the gun mug
Gle pointing skyward at an angle of about
sixty degrees As the gun was fired the
projectile could be seen and followed In
its course for several hundred feet. The
report was not excessively loud.
Before the report died away the crew
was busy as bees about the gun. One
man with the hand elevating gear rapidly
cranked the barrel down 20 a level posi-
ton. ready for loading. A second threw
J open the breech and extracted the brass
} cartridge case carefully wiplng e out
before depositing II among the empties:
four moro seized the heavy she'll and
lifted II TO q cradle opposite the breech;
, a seventh rammed II home; number eight
singerly inserted the brass cartridge,
, half ftlled with n vaselne-like explosive.
the breeoh was closed ana the gun pointer
rapidly cranked the gun again into posi-
ton. In less than thirty seconds thu
/ men sprang back from the gun, again
loaded and aimed.
2 A short wait and the observer from his
E post near the village ordered Next shot.
/ fifty meter nearer The gun pointe,
> made the slight correction necessary. the
4 mortar again sent It's she'll purrinS
4 through the air against the VILLAGE
: which this time. It was learned broke
{ into flames and while the mon went back
to their noon day rest. the lieutenant ex-
8 planned the fine points of hts beloved
4 guns.
One man, as had beer seen, could
h manipulate the elevation gear with on,
hand easily and quickly. ten OF his horse,
q could take the mortar. weighing eieht
8 tons. anywhere; It could fire up 20 SO
n shots per day. lie was proud of IN,
; skiilfui coneealment OF his guns which
. had been firing for four days from IN,
y same position without being discovered
Z although French aviStors had located Al
; the sister batteries. all 81 which had sui
> fered loss from shrapnel fire
e Graves Along R0adaide.
Along the roadside through Cote Lor