The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1914-12-17
RUSSIANS FIGHT
WITH ENERGY
Go Into Battle Fearlessly, but Display
No RrutaIity-How They Routed
Panic-stricken German
Battery.
BY ALEXIS JEPLoFF,
International News Service.


Petrograd.@ have just had an in.
terview with a Russian officer invalid
ed home from East Prussia.
I'VE were sure from the first of the
morale of our soldiers" he said, hut
this war has opened Jul eyes, for all
that. Usually it is the duty OF Of
tcers to urge their troops to advance
10 victory. What we officers had to
do. however, vas to hold them back
In their impetuous cnslaughts on the
enemy. The fact that unlike in the
Japanese war, the men know what
they are fighting for seems to give
them the needed energy and dash.
What l especially discovered in
our men in this campaign is the great
improvement in initiative and hide
pendent thinking. Our soldiers, too,
nre displaying an utter lack of bru-
tality. l have seen German prisoners
blue with terror at the prospect Of
fortunes they had been taught to ex-
pect at our hands, and seen them
again after a few hours among our
men with smiles of confidence and
contentment. The attitude of the Rus
sian soldiers toward Germans may be
described as that of good-naturedSto toll
erance and mild contempt, the atti-
tude of a good-tempered grown-up TO
a little %schoolboy who badly misbe.
HAYES himself.
In the beginning of August we were
sent out to dislodge a German battery
from al intrenched position defended
by infantry. l might say that in
spite of umo to the contrary, M
experience is that the fire of the Ger.
man artillery is rather good. They
find their range rather quickly and
maintain a steady fire. Their mus.
kerry at long range is poor.
Our advance guard of cavalry at
tackled the enemy's trenches; German
artillery and rifle fire played havoc
with them, but nothing stopped them.
The nearer We got to the village &C.
cupied by the Germans the weaker
became their resistance. They rallied
somewhat when we approached with
in 200 PAGES, and their artillery fire
became well-nigh intolerable to us.
Their infantry shot at US almost point
blank, but our men did not finch.
Meanwhile a squadron of our cav.
airy boldly attacked the German bat
terry, surrounded it and in a minute the
issue was decided.
Here l witnessed a scene of panic
the like sof which / had never seen
in the Japanese a The Germans
ran as if driven by a prairie fire. Not
only did the rank and file throw down
their rifles, but even the officers
showed every sign of a panic. AS they
a they feverishly unfastened their
sabers, helmets, tunics-everything
which hampered them in, their. wild
career 80
In a few minutes we entered the
village. Here the Germans gave us
a backhander, firing at us from win
dows and cellars. When we had dis
posed of them the village presented a
deserted appearance; the whole pop
uiaIion SCENE 20 nave c N cot
tages we found recently opened let
ters in which the villagers had been
warned that if the Russians came
none would be spared. A few peas
ants whom we uuearthed were ter
o stricken.
1T is curious what our soldiers
think of the Germans; they think
them rather harmless and coarse COM
rades. l must say, however, that we
have not experienced any OF those
German atrocities OF which We heard.
In all cases for which I can per-
sonally vouch, their losses were con-
siderably greater than ours"
--o2-