The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1914-09-11

AAOA . As[AA AA4 1Pf aStttAN 49, -~~e~fN
OF dead, and reform the sections.
Last week SO great was their super
iority in numbers that they could no
more be stopped than the waves OF
the sea. Their shrapLel ID bad
though their gunners arc excellent at
finding the range.
Machine Guns Deadly.
"On the other hand their machine
guns are OF deadly efficacy and very
numerous. Their rife shooting Is de
scribed as not first class, but their
numbers are so great that they can
bring on infantry till frequently they
and allied troops have met In bayonet
tussles
Their superiority of numbers in
men and guns especially machine
guns successfully organized system
OF scouting by aeroplanes and Yep
peins. motors carrying machine guns.
their cavalry and their extreme mobil-
ity are the elements In their present
success
To sum up-the first great German
effort has succeeded and the British
expeditionary force has won imperish-
able glory.
THE battle was begun on Saturday.
The first German attack was deliv-
cred with great suddenness and ter
rife force.
I'VE were in the trenches waiting
for them, one of the soldiers said to
me, but we didn't expect anything
like the smashing blow that began to
rain bullets and shells.
Fairly Mopped Them Up.
At first the shells went very
wide. for their fire was bad. but after
long time they got our range. Then
they fairly mopped us up. saw
shells bursting to the right and left
OF me; saw many good comrades go
out.
But we stuck. We were able to
stick because their infantry shooting
was so poor. It was simply laughable.
In fact, they couldn't hit US. though
their bullets were singing away over
our heads as thick as flies.
Our officers were grand. Every
man was proud OF them. All the time
they kept telling us, Keep your
heads and shoot straight--take care
full aim and watch where you shoot. /"
We did.
The Germans came up In thou
sands. saw ranks and ranks of them
coming along. We swept away one
rank and there was another; we
swept that away and third was walt.
ing behind 1t. On they came over the
bodies of their friends, solidly, like
wooden soldiers and as regular as q
clock. hut we wore into them with our
rifles terribly
Shells Work Havoc.
Another soldier described the ef-
feet of the German shell fire.
There are hundreds of our fell.
lows, he said, who have nothing but
shell wounds-terrible gashes some OF
them. Their Smelling was dreadful
once they got our range, though 1t
took them long time to get it. Their
artillery was on height and had the
distinct advantage that 1t was more
powerful than ours.
So far as numbers we're con
cerned, il 1t had only been matter
of shooting, we should have laughed
at them. But we really did catch tt
We did not seem to be properly pro
tected by our own guns, and | think
our guns were too far back.
i saw one great cavalry rush
madea rush that brought them right
up 10 our lines. Our front ranks
stood up with their bayonets and oui
back ranks kept firing.
We broke them up. Hundreds oil
them fell out of their saddles and the
rest dashed off,
THE mass formation of the kaiser's
army appears to have impressed the
French and Englishmen very deeply.
+" ! never saw anything like 1t. one
Of them told me. You know how We
take to cover at once-well, they
didn't Some of the fellows said they
saw them lie down, but | cant say
did. They just seemed to roll on ant
on, but We did hold to our places, ant
| that holding saved us.
Losses Are Enormous.
Our losses were severe. 1t is idl,
to blink at the fact. But they wer,
small. comparatively, to the losses o
the enemy. Moreover, our wounded
are in many cases only slightly in
jured. Here. as In Belgium. the Ger
man bullets seem to be less deadl.
missile than might be expected.
is too sharp.
"The battle continued with little in
terruptien throughout Sunday ant
Monday. Our men had now fallel
back to the positions assigned I,
them. and the enemy gradual.
ceased to attack. Apparently the,
we're exhausted.
'"There can be no doubt that onl.
in their artillery fire did they reall,
achieve important success.
Their infantry work is described a
laugable; their cavalry. too. was nue.
inferior to ours.
1.-THE full story OF the work OF III