The Cairo bulletin., 1914-09-21
TWO COMPANIES OF
GERMANS REPULsE A
FRENCH ARMY CORPS

Aachen, Aix-la-Chapelle, Ger
many, Sept. 20.-ln most of the en-
counters in Belgium the overwhelm-
Ing numbers of the Germans was
enough to account for their sue
cesses, but in the fight at Bussiere,
on the morning of Monday, Aug. "a,
two companies of German infantry
were the cause OF the rout of an en-
tire French army corps. The ire
mendous advantage in the position
held by the French makes this de-
feat one of the browning riddles of
the German advance.
The little village of Buissiere Is
at this point is lined with marble
stations, boat houses and brewerias
The Germans held the village itself
and We're encamped upon ground to
the north about a quarter o. mile
from the river.
The Forty-eighth Regimen. of
the Second French army corps crept
tefore sunrise II the top of a strate-
gic position on the sollh bank of
the river, where the natural ad-
vantage was SO great that it would
have seemed that a dozen rifles
might have held it. Behind the
regiment of chasseurs-a-pied who
REINFORCED their security by low
trench behind the hedge which top
ped the bluff, the 25lst, the 2lSth
and the 9th infantry regiments OF
the line took their stand. Still fur
Their back on a sort OF secondary
cminence which rose from the bluff
itself like a cancels hump were sta
toned the 27th dragons OF the
Fifth Army Corps and five batteries
of the artillery division of the same
corps.
As the sun rose the artillery
opened fire upon the 9th brigade
of the Seventh German Army Corps
across the river. 1t did deadly exc
cution and so raked the unoifending
village of Buishiere, across which it
had to fire, that the buildings in the
congested portion near the river
seemed to topple over as if they had
been rocked by an earthquake.
French Lack leadership.
late in arriving and hundreds Of
Germans had fallen before The
French machine guns.
Finding the French fire too pow
erful, the Germans determined Upon
a Charge which will 90 down in
history. Two companies of infantry
consisting only of five hundred men,
advanced at full speed across the
easy s'ope OF the Sambre and dash
lag across a small bridge which the
French at that very moment were
trying to destroy with dynamite,
tnny Ct arged Up a small pass wlltp
threaded its way up tn, steep in
clue to the crest where the French
sharpshooters were ensconsef.
The hedge which screened the
enemy emitted almost continuous
tongues of flames. The effect was
deadly, but the diminished German
companies scaled the buff. and by
some miracle which must remain u
mystery dispersed the French troops
by bayonet charge
The battle of Buisserc. aside
from the unique character which it
received from the two army posi-
tions and the extraordinary German
charge, is typical of series of Ger
man encounters reaching from Buis-
siere far over the French border In
every case the Germans testify chat
the French soldiers have acted with
great individual bravery, but in
every case something has been lack
ing. In Buissiere and in number
of other encounters the French, ac-
cording to German officers, relied
too much upon their artillery. ih as
many ather battles their infantry.
strong in itself, has not been prop
crly supported by cavalry. 1t is the
German opinion that the French
lack preparedness, good generalship
end perfect coordination.
In the battle of Buissiere the
losses were heavy ON both sides, but
Ii is impossible to give definite fig
ures. Fifty French prisoners, in
GLIDING two officers, We're taken.
MCMILLAN nnx- Annrnrrrrrr