Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-10-09
HAY RICK BEACON
FOR NIGHT ATTACK
ON BRITISH LINER
Member of General French s
Staff Describes Operations
Along Aisne-One Peace
full Day at Front.
LONDON, Oct. 9.

| LONDON, Oct. 9.
| Many Incidents are detailed in the COM
tlnuatlon of the account Of an eye-wit-
ness of the battle of the Aisne, which
is written by a member of General Sir
John French's staf and released peril
odically by the official war information
bureau. This one says:
"On September 30. one Of our armen
succeeded in dropping nine bombs some
Of which fell in the midst Of railway
| rolling stock which the enemy had COLI
lected on the line near Laon, inside the
| angle formed by the two lines of the
battle front.
THE first of October was the most
peaceful day since the two forces began
their long engagement on the Aisne Only
desultory gun fire took place. A French
aviator dropped a bomb on a railway
station, killing three Of the German SOL
diers near it.
THE Germans on October were driven
from a mill which they had occupied as
an advanced post. Their guns supports
ing it were knocked out, one by one, by
a well-directed artillery flank fire.
"Oru airmen, up to September q, had
made flights gagregating $1,000 miles"
A battalion commander who has been
at the front since the commencement of
the battle of the Aisne, gives interesting
particulars regarding the tactics of the
enemy, which are given out for publica-
tion by the War Information Bureau.
THE German officers are skilled in
leading troops forward under ever and
in close formation, but once deployed and
without personal leadership, the men
won't face heavy fire.
Prisoners describe the fire ofsour troops
as pinnng them to the ground. This Is
certainly borne out by their action during
one attack. On fairly open ground, with
forces of infantry about equal, their men
were shelled in sunken roads and in
bitches. We lost only ten killed and 50
wounded, while more than 400 of the
enemy sure ndered after so had been
Killed.
Each side had the support of bat
terry but the fight for superiority devolved
upon the infantry fire, which took place
at a range of about 700 yards. 1t lasted
only half an hour.
Some night attacks have been at
tempted against us. Before one of them
party crept close to the British lines
and set slight shrdlu ct shrdl shrdlu
and set alight a hay rick to form a
beacon on which the centre of the at
tacking line marched.
The light balls of searchlights some
times have been used. Lately the Ger
mans attacks have become scarcely more
than half hearted. The enemy never has
come to close fighting with the bayonet
against US.
las regards our men there was at first
considerably reluctance to entrench, as
has always been the case at the COM
mencement of a war, but now they have
bought their experience dearly. and their
defences are such that they can defy the
German artillery fire
Recently a British cavalry subaltern.
who had been cut off from his men, hid
in the edge of a wood by road Soon
he saw an unsuspecting armed German
soldier patrolling the road.
The subaltern could have shot the
man without warning. but he felt that
L would have been akin to murder to
kill him in cold blood.
ITO instill a little spirit OF combat
nto the affair he crept from cover, ran
oehinf the German and gave him
'erocious kick.
Instead of showing fight the startled
and pained German gave a yell and ran
'or dear life, leaving the subaltern laugh
ng too hard to shoot"