Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1914-09-30
HOW It FEELS TO
Be IN A BIC BATTLE
AUSTRIAN OFFICER TELLS
OF THE PSYCHOLOGY
OF THE BATTLE
Think NOTHING OF death
Never Gel Scared Until the Battle
Is All Over and
Through.


lCurrcspOud nee of Associated irts ,
ROTTERDAM. Sent. The p9y-
chUIul, d.. tn, battlefield gets "a rufl r
thuruugl and .nIp treatment Il au
Austrian Ic-,rNy office. WHO. after
hl.I.4 I.Ou wounded iu ul oulupO-
mon. N.tn the l,u.suu-. gave tuc tYl-
low.s interview To au Ihuga14u
journalist Tuv officer iu Qlp .UOu
was with GJ.,fll na.EI in tAu IIgul-
ms soutuo.s. of hrasuIk.
"Nuu feel little ur nothing W1Ig iu
uatIl,." lc Said. "Nt IrisI .NuI i,r-
ro how tuues affect Your uluo. IOe
eyes -... ...d pl. u.ar but Those ate
precautions winch uo lut I..alt iu iW-
ur,--...... .Dup could Ou0Id..at Tucy
uo DOT even affect Your sentiments.
but 10 Is NOT clucIsm for .Il thaU
mOIct the lack OF appreciation of
what takes place. Ml captain. mos,
lo,ub.r fellow whom ! did mot alone
respect as In officer. but of whom
also tlOuent Il great deal r... llII..
VAS LEADING h- company mu fire
when three bullets hit him iu the ah-
dOmuu SAW him taU. I4t tulught
uulI..g of d and marched Du.
"Iu ~lir. VI tl,i iH.I that YOU have
no DO I..Uu.- .c.Iu-t the .,.,n,. ana
may NOT r.,n lr.r L.m. 1m destroy
mini ass best you can Ou the evening
before our FIRST battle. NC were sitting
about the u. ss Table. nIu.t Of us p,t.-
Ger. of the line \ouo .f us had over
killed man. said. 'Iueuds, when
meet the first RUSSIAN officer to-
morrow my impuIs, vii, be 10 shake
his hand. My comrades agreed with
me. But ON the following day was
obliged 10 lay number of Russians
low.
"Alv. Slovacs arc the most pllcg-
matte pcople in the world. but excel
lent soldiers They shoot without
anger. but simply because they are
fired upon one fights because one
is on the battlefield and cannot do
any different. The terrible thing -
nat often you are SHIT at without
being able TO return the fne. But this
is not as fear-iuspiring as if is ,liscour-
aging iuu learn TO know what fear
is when Won Dtcin to realize tIat YOU
miLht be ItI.d without Killing some
body first
"Of course, have been scared.
That was after ] had been wounded.
We had been firing a long time and
whom next we advanced We came into
"A deep. sandy road. out of which we
could not get because of the enemy's
terrible fire. We had to lie perfectly
still while bullets simply poured oVcl
us. That was awful"
The officer omitted TO state that
while In this position he was shot
three times in the arm, but continued
TO lead his troops throughout the az
ton.
1T Is a Wcll-knoWn fact that the
soldier sees very little OF the battle.
ON August "a, early in the morning,
We received orders TO occupy low
hill at the edge of a tract covered
with brush wood. Forming part Of
the reserve, We were expected to re-
main under cover. In front of us
was large open battlefield To each
side OF ue were batteries which had
Numbered away since early morning.
he result OF TINS was that many II
tho enemys shells dropped righ; in
front of us. l remember noticing that
while the smoke of our shells he'd
lilac color that OF the encmy5 was
white
SO far we had not been dlsquieted
1y the shells at all. On the eiee Of
tine brush wood had been planted a
yellow black flag, showing that some
where IN that vicinity was 20 be found
our general staff. our cOlonel left
Us and walked toward II, possibly to
get orders, Dut Just as ne got there
"A fhrapnel exploded little ahead OF
hlm in the air and We saw uur com
manding officer In whim We placed
all confidence, 20 down After that
II was terrible feeling TO le sdll.
From that moment on, too, a Verta-
bic hail of shells began to come. Some
'appers, who had been busy DIGGING n
trench for the protection Of the gen
lral staff, started to run. ! foareG
that my soldiers would follow the ex-
ample, and began TO make fun Of the
poor sappers, scolding them at the
same time. Thank God. my battalion
found that funny and began TO laugh.
They lived through II terrific shrapnCl
fire with not n care and even found
occasion for laughter
"A major took command of the reg
iment and we received orders to re-
take hill which the enemy had taken
under heavy fire. But Of the enemy
nothing at all was TO be seen. as we
neared the position, though the hail
Of shells and shrapnel increased in
fury. The flagbearor marched about
three hundred PAGES off my side. BY
accident / looked in his direction, saw
thC white cloud of smoke of a Rus
sian shell. and where the flagboarer
had been there was nothing more to
he seen.
"rhe enemy meanwhile had taken