Omaha daily bee., 1914-10-26
WAR SCENE LIKE
DESERTED GROUND
Correspondent of Associated Press
with German Army Gives I'M
pressions Of Battle.
MAKES A F1vE-DAY JOURNEY
FicId where GiEHHtlc Armics Op,
posed IN Titanic StruaRIe Almost
Barrcn sndscapc--InRInea
OF Destruction IItd.

FORE MvtE. sept SO.-tBy Courier 20
Holland and Mail to Now York D-tCor-
rcspondoncc Of the Associated ProssA--A
rve-day ujp to the front has taken the
correspondent OF the Associated preas
through The German fortress nf Maiencc
SeerbuecEon and Metz, through tho from
der regions between AICtz and the French
fortress line from Nerdun to Toul. into the
actual battery positions from which Ger
man and Austrian heavy artillery we're
pounding their eight and twelvc-inch
smells into tho French barrier forts and
into the ranks of tho French field army.
which has replaced the crumhlnE furti.
iications of, steel and cement with ram
parts Of flesh and blood
Industrial Picture.
Impressions at the end arc those OF
soma great industrial Undertaking with
powerful machinery iu fun operation aud
endless supply trains bringing up tho
raw material FOR fabrication, rather than
OF war as pictured.
From point OF observation on n hill.
sido above st. Mihlel. the great battle
field on which German army IA cndcav-
oring TO break through the line OF bar
rter forts between Nerdun and Toul and
tho opposing French forces could be sur
veyod In Its entirety. In the foreground
lay tho level valley OF the Meusc. with
the towns OF st. Mihicl and Rannoon.
court nesting on the green landscape.
Beyond and behind the valley rose
tor Of hills on which the French at this
writing obstinately hold an intrenched
position. checking the point OF the Ger
usht
north and south beat on the sides Of the
triangle. trying TO force II back across
the Meuse.
CIOudIets of smoke.
Bursting shells threw up their columns
OF white or black fog around the edge
of the panorama. Coudlets OF white
smoke here and there showed where u
position was being brought under shrap-
mel fire. An occasional neroplanc could
he picked out, lowering over the line, hut
tho infantry and the field battery posi-
tions could not bo dlscerned, even with a
high power field glass, 20 Sleverly had
the armies taken cover. The uninitiated
observer would have ain,ost believed
this deserted landscape. rather than the
scene OF n great battle. which II success
ful for the Germans would force the main
French army TO retreat from its in
trenched positions along the Aisne river.
siIenced by Moetars.
About three miles away across the
Meuse quadrahg1llar mound OF black,
ploughed-up earth on the hillside marked
tho location OF Fort Les Paroches,
which had beon Eilencod by the German
mortars the niEht before Fort Roman
Camp. so named because tho Roman
legions had centuries ago selected this
site for strategic encampmcnt had
been stormed by Bavaran infantry two
days earlier after it's neavy guns had
been put out OF action, and artillery
officers stated that Fort LionviHe, fir
teen miles to the south and out OF range
of vision. was practically silenced. only
one of its armored turrers continuing to
answer to bombRrdment.
Under same Roof.
The correspondent had spent tho previ-
GUS night ut the fortress town OF Metz.
sleeping under the same roof with Prince
Oscar of Prussia. invalided in from the
field In a state OF physical breakdown;
Prince William Of Hohenzollern, father
of ex-King Manuel, and other officers,
either watching or engaged in the opera-
tions in the field. and travelled by auto
mobile TO the battle IRON. thirty-five
miles to the west For the first part Of
the distance the road led through the
hills on which are located the chain of
forts comprising tho fortress OF Metz,
but although the general staff officer
In the car pointed now and then TO a
hill as the ste OF this or that fort
traces of the Notifications could only
occasionally be made out
SkilIfulIy Masked.
Usually they were 30 skiIlfully masked
and concealed by woods or blended with
the hillsides that nothing out OF the or
dinary was apparent, In striking con.
trast 10 the exposed position OF the
fcrts at the recently visited fortress OF
liege, which advertised their presence
from the skyline OF the encompassing
hllls and fairly invited bombardment
The country as far as the frontier
town Of Core seemed bathed In abso-
lutte peace. No troops were seen. rarely |
were automobiles OF tho general staff
encountered and men and women were
" Working I'm the fields and Vineyards as
i tho war was a million miles away
Continued an papa rrvrn CfoIu,,,, fp,.r. I