Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-11-17
VIVID DESCRIPTION OF GREAT
BRAVERY AND STUBBORNESS
OF GERMAN ATTACK ON YPRES

Sunday has proved day of activity
and the eighth of November was no
exception to the rule. The morning
passed quietly SO far as the British
were concerned. At $50 P. NJ, the
daily attack on our lines was made,
this time in force to the north of the
Menin- Ypres highroad and again the
enemy succeeded temporary in pier
ing. our front. They were driven back.
| however and all the ground lost by us
was regained before dark After this
repulse 107 dead Germans were count
ed in front of one battalion, the to-
tai hostile force engaged being esu-
mated at 1000.
These strong attacks were accom-
panied or preceded by attempts t"
press at other points, which We're us
ually attended with heavy loss. 1t
is calculated that on Sunday their
casualties in killed and wounded IN
front of one small section of our line
were about 1900.
| "Ypres itself was again subject =
to heavy Smelling and some damage
was done to the town.
In front of our right center, the
enemy fell back slightly, while far
| Their south, to the north of the LT
! he continued to occupy the trench
and houses he had secured, but was
unable to reinforce this point and tho
ground was swept by the fire of our
| guns To the south of the Lys the
! hostile attacks were renewed without
success on the night of Nov. s, and on
our right also similar effort met
with the same fate.
! Monday the ninth was a compare
lively quiet day The Germans con-
fined their efforts to minor assaults
| and the wanton destruction of Ypres,
which with Louvain is apparently to
be included among the monuments to
German culture.
During the night of Nov. SO
|. German trench was captured otherwise
| the situation did not alter. Night at
| lacks have been of regular occur
renee and apparently were with
! view to annoying our troops and pre-
| venting them from sleeping Some
| times of course the advance mas peeh
| of a more serious nature ana mas Deen
| carried out by large bodies. In such
| cases the Germans have so far lnNa-
/ riablv lost heavily and even IL they
have succeeded in gaining our first line
| of trenches they have almost always
| been driven out again.
similar tactics were feature OF
the lighting on the Aisne and TO Juase
by the diaries we have obtained from
German soldiers their futility is fuiiy
appreciated by the men. The front
! lines of both sides are now at many
noints so close that our men amuse
themselves by listening to what goes
on In the enemy's trenches.
"The Germans frequently cneer
Themselves up with music or singing
| while on one occasion, the usual pro-
cram was varied by a violent quar-
rel which appear ed to have culmlnat-
| ed in a free fight.
/ "On the whole there is evidence 10
si,nyy I Fat the Germans are beginning
| RI he affected by their heavy losses
! From prisoners, it is gathered, tnat
! the Young men of the new corps, can
moi Withstand the fatigues and prisa-
| tions OF campaigning and that the
middle-aeed men lack ardor. FROM
| the same source, also il is learned that
| that the recruits who have not Prev
ouslv served have only received some
| eieht or nine weeks training.
ION the other hand, too much can
he made of these sidelights on the
present condition of the enemy, They
are still fighting with a stubbornness
ara reoklessness which is remarkable
/ when exhibited by forces of which q
| large proportion consists OF coii'para
/ lively unframed men.
The following incident will serve
to illustrate their courage. During the
fighting near Ypres force consisting
| of about one company of infantry ad-
vancing against us was enfiladed by
one of our machine guns, with the re-
suit that they were all killed, except
six men who crawled away wounded.
The corpses lay in regular row.
After nightfall another company.
nothing daunted, advanced and dug
themselves in, on the line upon which
/ the bodies of their comrades were lay
| ing Again some of the German cav
airy at dusk charged trench held bv
the French. Every single horse was
1 killed, but those riders who were not
hit, continued and charged on foot
| the last survivors being slain on the
very parapet of the trench.
1t must be admitted that the Prus-
sian war machine has obtained the
most remarkable results. The Ger
mans. up to the present time have
been able to make good their losses to
continue to deliver repeated blows
| with fresh men, when required and to
concentrate large forces in different
directions.
1T is true that a considerable pro-
portion of the masses recently
thrown into the field against the Brit
ish has consisted of hastily trained
and Immature men, but the great fact
remains that these ill-assorted levies
have not hesitated to advance against
/ highly trained troops. In spite of lack
| of officers, in spite of inexperience,
boys of 16 and IL have faced our guns,
have marched steadily up to the muz-
zles of our rifles, and have met death
in droves, unfiinching.
Such is the effect of century of
national discipline. That the men SUBJ
jected to it are the victims of an au-
tocratic military caste does not alter
the fact They have accepted that sys-
TEN as necessary to the attainment
of national ideals
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