Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-11-20
German Lieutenants Diary Tells Story Of
The Soldiers Life on Belgian Battlefront

. . ..f.... s.. ..'H..f FAtf4yBN. a. .a..f IN
they can't hit anything. Then we re.
crossed the Nethe bridge at Hellebrug
and took quarters with the infantry,
which had already strongly fortified
the bridge. a.s
Ordered Retreat. -
October IL received the honorable
commissions to ride again to Beyel to
see whether it was clear Of the
enemy and, If possible, to make o.
servations from the church tower.
Well, those fellows | said to myseIf.
probably got enough yesterday AT
Heykant ! saw that the telephone
wires, destroyed yesterday, dad been
restored. | sent forward a tnon-com'
with five men about 100 yardsuahead
and followed after at the headtof my
twenty uhlans. Everything seemed to
be going well until the vanguard party
was within fifty PAGES OF the first
houses of BeveI. Then all at once a
terrific infantry fire opened. The non
com and another man dropped.
"The rest OF US were out in the open
field. scarcely one hundred and fifty
PAGES from the enemy, whom we could
see standing behind a hedge. 4 gave
the order: TO the rear, open order,
march, Behind the nearest houses |
called a halt, and we prepared to dis
mount and begin the fight, but al
this moment we were fired upon from
the rear, from tHyekant. The fellows
had calmly permitted us to pass
through that village, in order after.
ward to fire upon us from two sides.
There were bitches right and left, 50
there could be no retreat toward any
side. We had to dash through. After
passing Heykant we gathered in a
forest. lr.r,
f"All my lei answered to their
names except the two mentioned, and
they fell only fifty PAGES from the
enemy. | inquired and was told that
the two were dead. An uhlaa saluted
and said: Herr Lieutenant, ! will not
leave the corporal lying there; let me
ride back and get him l lifted my
nat, in spirit. before this hero who
wanted to ride back into the fire of
the enemy, and said a silent prayer
Tor his safety. Yes | said. and a
second mal followed him. After ten
minutes they returned with the cor.
pcral and the uhlan. They had both
fallen without being hit. AN four are
sure to get the Iron Cross. 4
Belgians Couldn't Shoot.
I'VE got back safe to Hellebrug,
where Lieutenant K andFthe in
So MA w., ri M VIC 1,,1po ho mi Tn Euyaln0mp
us. / can't understand yet how those
Belgians were able to shoot rsoNbadly.
Not to hit oae c%avalryman out of 20
at 80 and $50 PAGES is certainly an
artistic achievement. At the same
time another :patrolling partyslunder
Lieutenant H was fired upon,
also at a very short distance; and the
resulttwas two dead horses.
Il reported at once to the brigade
and asked that the church tower,
which seemed to be used asian CO,
servation lookout by the Belgian ar
|tillery, be shelled.a Ga the following
day two field howitzers' fired twelve
shots at it; this started a general con-
Migration in Bevel, and the tower. dis:
appeared. That was a. great satisfac.
ton. To be fired upon twice from one
village was just enough. We made
our quarters for the night at Itiglem,
as Hellebrug had grown too dangerous
for our horses. ~ r.
"k- and I found good quarters
in the villa Of a physician. Moreover,
we 'requisiticned' two shotguas and
. e. . ~. .t x , ~ r y.