The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-17
Allied Lines Fell Back:
Always Rallied in Time
Germans. Wonderfully Brave Often Broke Through First
Trenches and Never Reiterated Till Dead Lit
tered Field. British Observer Says
MERE BOYS CHARGED IN DEADLY HAIL OF SHOTS


this time in force to the north of the
Menin-Ypres high road. and again did
the Germans succeed temporarily in
ILercing our front. They were driven
back, however. and all the ground lost
by us was regained before dark. After
this rcpulsc io7 dead Germans were
counted in front of our battalion. the
total hostile force engaged being esti-
mated at 1000.
These strong attacks were accompanied
or preceded by attempts to press at other
points. which were usually attended with
heavy loss An instance of the cost to
the Germans of these subsidiary opera
tions occurred on this day, when one OF
our battalions killed forty-seven Germans
this number being actually counted In
front of our trenches--and captured Atty
one. II y calculated that on Sunday their
casualties In killed and wounded In front
OF one small section of our line were
about 1.2O0.
'Ypres itself was again subjected TO
heavy sheilinr, and some damage wIs
done to the town.
In front OF our right centre the Ger
mans fell back slightly. while further
south. to the north Of the Lys. they con-
tnucd to occupy the trenches and houses
they had secured. but were unable to re-
enforce this point and so consolidate their
position, for tho ground was swept by the
fire Of our guns and enhladed from our
trenches.
Attack south Of the Ly..
ITO the south Of the Tys the hostile
| attacks were renewed without success on
the night OF the 18th and Sth. and on our
right also minor effort met with the
same fate.
Monday the 9th was a comparatively
quiet day. The Germans for the time be-
ing desisted from making attacks in force
s.t.I II.
saults and the wanton destruction OF
Ypres, which. with Louvain and Rheims.
is apparently TO he included among she
monuments to German culture,
During the lighting Of the 9th. Sth
and 10Th 10 prisoners and six machine
guns were captured by us in this quarter
slightly to the south the French made
some progr ~. while on our centre the
situation remained much the same as IL
had been. The houses and trenches
gained by the Germans remained in their
hands during the day. but measures were
taken to overcome their resistance. and
at nightfall part Of the ground was re-
taken by US.
"On our right during the night Of
November So a German trench was cap
tured otherwise the situation did not
alter. Night attacks have been of regu-
lar occurrence at different points. and are
made apparently more with view "a an
noyinC our troops and preventing them
from sleeping than with any other object.
Sometimes Of course. the advance has
been OF more serious nature and has
been carried out by large bodies
I'm such cases the Germans have so
far invariably lost heavily. and even E
they have succeeded in gaining our hrS:
line of trenches they have almost always
been driven out again. The demonstra-
ton would appear to he proportionately
more costly aud even more useless than
the heavier attacks
Germans RccLl-sIy brave.
"On thr other hand too much can
be made OF these sideliGhts on the pres
ent condition OF tn" Germans. They are
stil fighting with a stubbornneSs and reck-
lessneSs which, VIII tever its utility. is
remarkable when expedited by forces Of
which a large proportion consists o. COM
parntlVely un'ra ned men
From prisoners Il is gathered that
| the young n-n I'M the new corps cannot
Withstand the fatlEuos and priVat.ons Of
campo isn!HG and the middle aged re-
cruits lack ardor From the same source
IL is learned that recruits who had not
previously served only rec lVci eight or
nine weeks training instead al the twelve
prescribed by the regulations They have
! had practically no instruction IN mus
kerry md had not pract.sed iutreuching
The following two incident, viii serv"
| TO illustrate their courage. During th"
| nghting near Nprcs a force consisting "f
/ about one company of infantry advancing
| against us was eutiladcd by one of our
| machine guns with the result that they
were all killed except six men. who crawlcd
away wounded The corpses lay In reg
| ular row
After nightfall another company. moth
| ing dauntrd, advanced and dug them
selves in, on the limo upon which the
| bodies Of their comrades were lying
| Again on November some of the
| German cavalry NJ dusk charged a trench
! held by the French. Every single horse
was killed. but those riders who were not
| hit continued and charged on foot, the La
survivors being slain on the very parapet
/ of the trench.
Whatever deterioration there may he
in the material which is now being
drafted into the ranks of the enemy Il
must be admitted that the Prussian war
machine, acting on a nation which had
previously been Injured to tho steruest dis
| ciplinc, has obtained most remarkable re-
suits. The Germans have hitherto been
able to make good their losses and con
tinue to deliver repeated blows with fresh
men and to concentrate large forces in
different directions
1T Is true that a considerable proper
ton OF the masses recently thrown into
the field against the British consisted ~
hastily trained, immature men. but the
great fac remains that these III assorted
! levies have not hcsitated to advance
! against highly trained troops. In spite
OF the lack Of officers. in spite Of their
| ineNperieuce. boys of ~ and II have
faced our guns and marched steadily TO
| the muzzes of our rifles and met death
| in droves without niuchnE
''Such Is the effect Of century OF ma
| tional discipline. That the men subjected
/ tn II are the victims OF an aristOcratic