The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-01-31
EYEWITNESS GIVES
DETAILS OF RECENT
FIGHTING IN FRANCE
Continued from Page One)

were killed or wounded and fell into the
enemy's hands.
Three companies from the second
line of defense delivered several coun-
ter attacks with fire and bayonet until
the lost ground was regained
The action was particularly violent
at La Bosselle, being nearly continu-
Gus from January g to January 26. A
prisoner. taken January is, said Emper-
or William had ordered occupation Of
this place in honor of the anniversary
of the founding of the empire, and prom
ised 200 marks for capture of a French
machine gun. No machine gun was cap
tured, but nine attacks were repulsed
The explosion of a depot of melanite
permitted the enemy to capture a small
section of the trenches. but they were
driven out half an hour later, and the
cemetery at La Boisselle was found to
be full of German dead, including Of
ficers
Battle Around scissors
around scissors the enemy had
gained no advantage since January IA
At Palsy the two adversaries are with
In 20 yards of each other and the same
line of barbed wire serves as a de-
Tense for each side. Four companies of
Germans attacked at this point, after
| thc CAPiOSiOu Vi ii Hiintt Dut we're re-
pulsed, and a counter attack drove the
| enemy from the trenches. They left hun
dreds of dead and many wounded Our
loss was 40 killed.
There was a three-days' battle at
Berry au-Bac, beginning with bonn
bardment on January 20, which de-
moralized our trenches and permitted
a successful attack by the infantry. The
enemy installed himself in our advanced
siafA nttvs
, tack on January 21 from 8 o'clock until,
IL, when we recaptured one trench and
took number of prisoners. The other
| trench was held until the Esd, when an
attack by a single company Of French
infantry succeeded. The enemy left. 20
prisoners in our hands, but INN ediately
engaged in an artillery action lasting,
Tour days. This was followed by a coun-
ter attack by the German infantry.
which was repulsed with heavy loss.
In the region of Perthes the Germans
tried desperately to reconquer the posi-
tons they had previously lost, but we
maintained our position and made fur
Their gains. The Germans gained about
100 yards of our trenches, but we gained
more than that.
Important Successes
IN LIE Pretre wood, northwest of
t-a-Mousson. we have gained i'm
portant successes. In spite of the fact
tnat part of the ground has since been
iost. The entire forest two months ago
was in the hands of the Germans. Foot
by FOOT we have conquered nearly the
whole of it. The fighting in this re-
gion has been particularly severe In
one instance. on January II, we cap
tured several Of the enemy's works in
counter attack. An entire German
company was taken, including several
officers On the 18th we gained 500
yards of the enemys trenches while
on the 10Th we made an advance of
100 yards beyond these trenches. We
picked up dead and wounded in suffi-
cient numbers to indicate that the
enemy's losses in these engagements
We're more than a battalion.
"Since the 18th the Germans nave
continually attacked this point deeper
ately. but have regained only a third
OF the ground lost.
'In the VosRes, Hartmann Weller
kopf was held by two sections in the
beginning. "a section numbers Is men.
Later these were reinforced by three