Evening star., 1914-11-25
Army Officer Earnestly Warns
Against Understanding
Fighting Qualities.
CHIEF STRENGTH, he SAYS,
LIES IN DEFENSE PLANS
Newspaper Correspondent, Serving
as First Lieutenant, Writes Of the
Fighting Near Ypres.

BERLIN, November 14.--An earnest
warning against underestimation of the
British troops. such as has been Gus
tomary with a certain section of the
German press, is sent home by a we'll
known Berlin newspaper man who is
serving as first lieutenant with regi-
ment facing the British forces near
Ypres.
His regiment, he writes. marched out
with the idea that the British had legs
only to run with and that real fight
ing spirit or skill in arms was lack
ing in them. A few hours contact with
the British. however, showed that they
were no easy enemy.
The English infantry which opposed
us there In the vicinity of Ypres must
be characterized as troops of the first
quality" he writes. From the start
1t was noteworthy with what high en-
ergy the British troops defended their
positions against our attacks. After be-
ing driven out they kept trying again
and again, particularly by night at
tacks to regain the lost ground. They
were supported most effectively by
their field artillery, which, like the
French. Is a least as good as ours. The
naval guns in the vicinity of Ypres,
and the English shells and schrapnel
caused US considerable loss.
Vain Attempt to Break Lines.
"As the British commenced to feel
more and more our enveloping move
ments they made desperate efforts to
break through our lines. particularly
in the neighbcrhood of Becelaere. but
vainly. in one of these energetic at
tempts We captured about 500 English,
including twenty officers.
The chief strength of the English
lies beyond doubt in the defense and
in the proper use of cover. The nat
ural hunting instincts of the sport
loving Briton come out more strongly
in these specialties than is the case
with our average infantryman. The
minimum of hunting instincts that we
of the present age inherit is brought
to a higher degree OF development in
the Englishman by regular participa-
ton in sport than in men of other ma
tions.
The Enslishman as a sportsman un-
doubtedly has quicker nervous reac-
unquestionably easier, therefore, to in
struct the British recruit than the Ger
man in shooting, in the use of terrain
and in patrol duty.
The skill of the British soldier in
utilizing every advantage of the coun-
try was very noticeable in the numer
Gus engagements in the vicinity of
Ypres The British trenches were
usually SO skillfully constructed that
they could not be made out with the
naked eye. When we had storIned the
first trenches we were astonished to
find how we'll laid out they Were. par
ticularly in depth, side protection
against shell fragments. splinter
proofs. and, above all, in regard TO the
way in which plates of steel and iron
were hf,i1f into the brea stWOrkS.
The shelter pits evidently had been
arranged with all possible comfort for
an extended stay. and our men - re-
corned beef. ham and other supplies
they found in them.
Find Many Shamming Death.
We were often struck with the great
number of dead and the few living de-
tenders we found in trenches we had
storned. but We soon found that q
considerable proportion Of the dead
were only shamming and could be
brought to life again by a little prick
ing with the bayonet.
THE British often lay out dummy
trenches. setting up turnips or clods
of earth to deceive US. The firing line.
taking full advantage Of cover. lies
trenches that it suffers very little from
our fire. directed against the supposed
trenches. 1t often happened that we
came under heavy infantry and ma
chine gun fire from the edge of a
wood. returned the fire and stormed
the wood, to find only when we en-
tered it that the defenders were in
the treetops, not on the ground. AS
to patrols, 1 have often followed Brit
ish patrols for some distance with
the glass. and SO far as could see
they missed none of the fine points of
the game-something which cannot al
ways be said of our patrols.
Adopt New Tactics.
"In night fighting the enemy often
follows tactics new to us. 1t is our
rule in night fighting to refrain from
shooting. if possible, but to use the
bayonet, and to shoot in any case only
when it is light enough to aim. The
allies, on the contrary, have in many
instances adopted for infantry the same
principle as for artillery fre-namely,
that of strewing a certain area at night
with fire.
The village of Becelaere. which my
regiment had stormed and occupied
after nightfall, was subjected for hours
to such a hail of infantry fire that we
finally had to evacuate it. We then
occupied trenches near Becelaere, and
were subjected the whole night through
to fire from infantry and machine guns
which caused us little loss, it is true,
but gave the tired troops not an in