The chronicle=news. (Trinidad, Colo.) 1898-current, 1914-10-14
GERMAN SOLDIERS
MEET Baptism OF
fire. UNFLINCHING

of The Associated Press). Carl Diem
General Secretary for the Olympic
Games, who. as earlier cabled. wal
wounded in the fighting befor.
Paris, has sent to the Lokal AnZeigeI
from the hospital the following letter
describing a night attack by troop
of the Guard Corps:
After the battles near the village
of Voulpaix, August 20 and 80, ouI
regiment had q rest day. Their
marched Its 80 miles September
and same distance September 2. The
third day we seemed to have caught
the enemy and were necessarily on
the move until late at night deploy.
ing and taking up various positions
We failed to catch him. however. and
made camp disappointed and utterly
exhausted. The long desired field
kitchens, our 'gouliash cannon" as
the soldiers name them, had Just ap-
peared. steaming deliciously, when
we got word that the enemy had &C.
cupied the village of Marsaux. few
miles away. and entrenched. Several
companies OF our regiment were told
off for the assault, some against the
village, the others for Thanking at
tack, Daylight had long vanished
when we marched out.
"'Unload rifles!' was the first
| command. Not pleasant command
for the nfantryman-to take the
cartridges from his beloved rifle. now
of no more use to him than u feath-
err until he gets breast to breast with
the enemy. But what is the use
orders are orders and in night fight
| ing this order Is particularly called
for If comrade is not to shoot COM
rade, and the cartridges rattle from
his magazine.
I'VE march out through the still
September night. the moon lighting
our way but lighting us as well.
1--WE leap a couple Of bitches. burst
through the hedges and fences and
labor up the steep slope of n ploughed
field. the companies moving forward
In complete silence. Suddenly. when
we are about hundred yards from
the brow of the hill. 1t rains bullets.
most OF them luckily going high. The
field fairly seems to spew rifle balls.
The tension is slackened. No COM
mand is needed; there is the enemy.
Bayonets are fixed and the olatoons
deployed In an instant and with
'hurrah' the men charge forward
against the enemy. These disappear,
however. falling back on the real po-
sition, the village itself. 1t is 400
yards away. the charge takes from
our over-taxed lungs every last atom
Of breath.
THE silhouette of the village
stands ont dark before us and its
walls spray out lead and fire. The
church spire splits out sparks like
fireworks display piece Long
streams of fire playing from every
aperture. and around our ears
whistles and whizzes the hail of
steel. We trip over an unsupported
wire, splash headlong into a ditch
full of water, climb the churchyard
wall. House after house is taken
with the bayonet, house after house
bursts into flames, then pursuit con-
tinues through the village and sew
eral miles beyond. 1t is almost dawn
before the exhausted troops come to
rest and fling themselves down to
sleep. rifle in hand, and without
troubling themselves to unsling their
heavy packs from their backs. Such
a charge with empty rifle. such q
German hurrah the enemy cannot
stand against, cannot themselves re-
produce.
How often have laughed to my
self at the youngest of our officers
when he delivered his naive lectures
to the men and wondered what re-
spect his platoon of reservists. grown
men five to seven years his senior,
would have in real battle for his
twenty irresponsible years. In the
battle on the Marine. The blocdiest of
the war to date. / lay wounded
among comrades whose voices were
already still and watched his platoon
go into action on the left flank. A
line OF French trenches spit fire from
machine guns, rifles and artillery
and against II our men charged for
ward to certain death. At their head
our youngster lieutenant. laughing
as usual, led the way In a whirlwind
advance by PUSHES, his dwindling
squad following him devotedly until
the bullets took him.
Our next youngest lieutenant was
unpopular. owing to his biting.
scathins tongue, always rasp'ng the
sensibilit'es OF the men. And yet We
all came to love him. Once when we
seemed to be sitting in a gigantic
cornpopper of artillery against which
no umbrella could protect, this
tongue of his usually so scathing,
kept us in roars Of laughter while old
Brother Break-boncs swung his iron
fail above our heads. | saw him
too, that day on the Marine lying still
and white beneath the pines.
The third officer-a reserve Of
'tficer. was his exact opposite. He