Evening star., 1915-02-13
Attack Made on Strong Position.

Attack Made ON Strong Position.
THE assault was launched against Il
strong position or keep among the
stacks of bricks held by the Germans.
our Storming columns rushed the work
from three sides at once and captured
1t with very little loss for, as prisoners
afterward stated, the noise of the
bursting shells was SO great and the
clouds of dust with which the de-
tenders were surrounded We're so thick
that they did not observe our men ad-
vancing until too late. At the same
time trenches 10 the north of this point,
between it and the canal, We're Stormcd
by another party BY seiZlnS these
points We We're enabled to occupy q
continuous line southwark from our
forward posts ON the canal which
formed an advantage position in
front of the brick fields.
We captured nineteen unwounded
prisoners in addition to many wounded,
a trench mortar and machine guns. The
Germans left seventy dead on the
ground, while our casualties were IN
significant.
The Germans, however, showed no
inclination to accept this reverse, for
in the early hours OF February a
body of them advanced along the canal
are engineers This form of strate-
gem, unfortunately for the enemy, has
now lost its novelty. Our men held
their fire until the supposed sapperS
opened with machine gun, with the
result that the engineers fell back,
leaving thirty dead bodies in front Of
our line. In the afternoon another at
tack was attempted but it melted
away under our artillery fire and did
not arrive at close quarters.
"A great feature of the recent fight
ing has been the accuracy of our artil-
lcry fire. ON one occasion our guns ac-
complished the feat of blowing the
Germans out of trenches they were oc
cupying on an embankment, although
it was only forty yards from that which
We were holding.
Casualties Due to Shell Fire.
On the 6th of February most of the
enemy's casualties were due to our
shell fire. The whole of the area both
behind and Immediately in front OF
the trenches we now hold We're found
to be Uttered with bodies of hundreds
of Germans killed in the various
fights since the 25th of January. Our
artillery fire here has obtained such
.scendency that after the assault on
that day our troops actually were able
to put up barbed-wire entanglementS
in front of their trenches in broad day
light without being fired at by the
. .enemy's infantry Prisoners captured
here were Respondent and much shaken
The Germans rely very much on the
incendiary shell for damaging towns
and in their recent bombardment of
jectiles of this type packed with
candles composed of ceIluloid. phos-
phorus and wax. which material is so
infammab!e that II Will ignite II
placed in the sun
The eyewitness says that some of
the prisoners captured lately have
been of comparatively poor physique
and tells of finding in the pocket of a
dead German two medical certificates
stating that he was suffering from
consumption. The certificates We're ac-
companied by an application from the
soldiers father asking that the son be
relieved from the necessity of going
into active service The official OBJ
server also quotes letters which he
says were received by soldiers from
home and which were found on bodies.
complaining of the increase in the cost
OF living and the scarcity Of bread,
aud stating that even schoolboys were
being called into military service.
Germans Press on in Swarms.
Reverting TO the German attack on
Cuinchy January %. the eyewitness"
says that the Germans pressed on in
swsrms, being moved down, but vet III
places reaching the British trenches
and In others penetrating beyond them
But even when our line was broken"
he continues, portions of it continued
70 resist and our infantry holding them
when assailed from the rear remained
steady, faced about and met the enemy
with rifle and bayonet.
Some of those in the village, who
had been engaged in clearing the
enemy out OF the houses. had got some
what scattered until of one party only
fifteen remained together. When they
saw that some of the enemy were eS-
,ablished ia one of our fire trenches
just outside they at once charged down
the communication trench. led by their
officer. and killed or captured all the
Germans, forty In number.
The Eyewitness" tells of German
officer who. noticing u British officer
who was partially buried in trench,
stopped to dig him out and give him
brandy, despite the fact that he was
under fire. This German was after
ward killed by stray bullet.