Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-03-22
FIERCE BATTLE
FOR POSSESSION
Of SAINT EL0|
Germans Gain Coveted Rail-
road Center After Desperate
Assault Only to Be Hurled
Back by British Attack,
t.r uoar,ns .oOsa., s,sei.l ls..to Was,

London, March II (6;45 p. M 49,
Fighting qualities of the British sol.
dier again were demonstrated I'm the
battle Of 81. Eloi, although it was OF
comparative unimportance since it
left the situation much as it was be-
fore, according to an account of the
operations in this district given by
a British eyewitness and made public
this afternoon by the press bureau
st Elol Is considered to have some
strategic Importance because II lies at
the junction of two roads. one from
Yypres to Armentlers and the other
from Ipres to Warneton.
Overwhelmed by Numbers.
'On the evening of the l4th," says
the eyewitness, after an extremely
heavy artillery fire directed against
our trenches along the eastern and
southwestern sections, the Germans
ehdeavored to rush our lines. The at
tempt succeeded as far as the latter
section was concerned, for the trench
es had been blown in and were abso-
lutely untenable. To the east Of the
fiiAhHNf hRNtNNit Jul llldllkIN IllAut a
most determined stand. Their fire
was so steady and well directed that
the losses among the assailants were
terrible, our men sticking to their
posts until the last--in fact until they
were overwhelmed by sheer weight Of
numbers.
COunter-attaclI Begins.
THE Germans then rushed supports
TO the trenches and also to a mound
which they blew up by a mine. Fol-
lowing up their success they pene.
trated into the village itself They
were not allowed to remain long in
undisputed possession of it, however
Our first counter-attack took place at
2:a0 a. m. on the 18th and was only
partly successful, the enemy taking
possession of ST. Eloi and some
breastworks and trenches.
by another effort, made nearly
two hours later. we succeeded in driv-
ing the enemy completely out of the
village and in recapturing all the
trenches which had not been de-
stroyed
1.-THE mound, however. remained in
the hands OF the Germans, although
1t vas subjected to SO heavy fire
that, little use could Be made of it.
Storm German barbados.
THE fighting in st, Eloi itself, as
is usual in such cases. was of the
fiercest description. Upon gaining
the place, the Germans erected barri-
cades across the streets defended by
machine guns. These had to be
-stormed one BY one, our men coming
on. time after time, regardless of their
losses, until the village had been
cleared of the enemy.
when morning dawned, a search
was carried on among the houses for
wounded and on this occasion the
Germans displayed humanity,
which. unfortunately they do not al
ways show. for they RETAINED from
firing on our bearer parties, who were
engaged in carrying away the injured
within quite close range"
Tense Moment Before Charge.
In spite of the generally monoto-
nous character OF the present stage of
the war, there have been some dra-
matte moments. one such moment
Immediately preceded the attack on
Neuye Chapelle on the tenth. When
our infantry waiting to assault were
watching the bombardment they saw
our shells bursting in thick veil of
smoke and dust which hung over the
German trenches. AS the minutes
wore on, while our artillery fire grew
hotter and hotter and the time for
them to rush forward came nearer,
their excitement rose to fever pitch.
In some places they were seen t.
jump upon the parapets, brandishing
their rifles toward the Germans and
shouting remarks which were drowned
in the roar of guns. When the rush
actually was made our losses were
trifling. 1t was only in the subse-
quent advance that heavy casualties
occurred.
Gallantry OF Officers.
1T is unnecessary to speak Of the
sallantry of regifnental Officers
throughout the fighting. The casual.
ties tell their own tale of the heavy
toll among them, largely due to The
fact that in advancing over intricate
country intersected with hedges ant
bitches, platoon Commanders had tC
go forwards to recOnnoiter the
ground"
The eyewitness declares that Neuvt
Chapelle carried home the lesson tina
the most strongly entrenched positions
can be carried with less loss to thu
attackers than to the defenders, If th'
assault is sufficiently prepared by ar
ttllery, and further that under sucf
conditions any counter-attack made
by the defenders to regain what hai
been lost is almost certain to fail will
immense loss to those attempting it.