South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-09-14

i =
allow the allies engaged 10 complete
their work.
The Germans had been able 10 get
some heavy cannon 20 the front and
while their ordnance was OF bigger
! caliber than that OF the French the
/ fire was less accurate Early Monday
/ the Germans began TO recross the
Grand NORM to its north bank under
I the terrific assaults of the allies.
French and English soldiers told me
/ that the retreat which thew had been
undergoing had been keyed up TO the
/ highest pitch 10 get the Germans in
( close conflict.
Face Storm of Shells.
The allies had 10 face a snow
storm" Of shells. The thought in
/ every mind was march forward and
/ onward"
The German generals were making
/ frantic efforts TO hurl their forces
| across the Marine so as to smash a
/ hole in the allied line at that point
\ but the weary hungry German sol
diers could not cope with the fresh,
we'll armed confident French and Brit
/ ish troops that marched against them.
/ All the bridges over the Marine had
been blown up and when the Ger
mans were forced 70 give way under
| the pressure of the attacking force
! they were caught in "a trap.
! At one point s attempts at a bridge
were repulsed. The river was full Of
dead bodies.
I have talked with soldiers who
! were at CharlerOi and Mons when the
ithunderous volleys of the German
I guns seemed TO make a very gateway
/ of hell but that fighting was no more
! ferOcioUs than the conflict which
/ ragged around Meaux and along the
| banks OF the Marine.
One soldier told me he personally
! counted 100 corspes in one German
/ trench When the Germans retired
the battle fields presented the scenes
/ or horror and carnage which the i'm
IaginatiOn cannot adequately grasp.
| Germans Lose Ammunition
! AS the German infantry fell back
| their rife fire slackened, showing q
| scarcity Of ammunition L am told
| that i'm one instance the Germans
marched II miles without firing a
shot a their pursuers.
| The overmastering excitement Of
! the fighting drove some of the soldiers
| to madness. These raving maniacs
/ fired upon their own comrades, and
/ many of them had TO be shot down by
| fellow soldiers. The German officers
/ were wild with rage when their lines
wavered and began retreating. More
| than one officer is alleged TO have
emptied his mazagine pistol into the
ranks of his own men, when they
| failed to heed his eXhortations to
stand firm"
! AS the French closed up with the
| German rear guard the allies began TO
| take prisoners in patches of hundreds.
/ In one instance seven cannon and two
! machine guns were captured. German
| prisoners said they had had nothing
| to eat but little bread and raw vfge-
1 4,I g, 1orr al cd
mitted that they had been warned to
| save their ammunition for future
/ lighting"
Many Guns Are Taken.
AS the retreat grew more and more
/ guns were taken. An ammunition
train more than four miles long fell
/ into the hands of Gen. Pau's men. The
| Germans were Uttered with rifles,
4 bayOnets and other accOutrements.
The French entered one village on
| the Ourcq (name withheld) at dusk.
! Just as the Germans had left. In one
| large house they found dinner table
/ spread. The only occupant Of the
/ place was an old woman. who said
/ that a number of German officers
! evidently the staff had entered the
: house demanding food
They were well behaved but SEEM
| ed very tired" said the woman. They
were compelled To Zee before they
| could eat"
There was a good deal of hand-to-
| hand fighting on the Ourcq and at one
point the French took a standard
Right Flank Thrown Back.
BY Tuesday the army Of Gen. Won
Kluk. composing the right flank Of
the German grand army. had been
/ thrown from the Marine the Ourcq
and the Grand NORM, and was still
retiring rapidly toward the northeast
! in the direction of LaOn. The sttua-
ton Of the German forces which had
originally occupied from MeauX TO
/ SeZanne was serious Immediately
steps were necessary TO save the line.
Reinforcements were sent westward
and tremendous effort was made TO
break up the French attack in this
quarter but the second attempt of the
/ Germans was as unsuccessful as the
first had been. On Tuesday great
guns doomed in another battle north
Of the Ourcu where the German gem
| erals were hurting their exhausted
troops against the allies. But the at
tack of the allies could not be broken.
! / heard of a curious incident during
this fight which illustrates the spirit
| of the French soldiers a message
had to be carried from one part Of the
field 10 another under fire and vol
unteers We're asked one man of those
! who stepped forward was chosen. He
/ failed TO return. A second went for
! ward upon the fatal mission. but soon
| fell with a shattered leg The third
messenger succeeded although he had
five bullet holes through his clothing.
Find Three Dead Germans
| French soldiers entered small cot
tage after the fighting. There they
| found three German soldiers lying
dead upon a bed. The Germans had
pushed the bed to a window from
from which they were firing. but a
French shell had exploded in the
room, killing all three The head OF