The Washington herald., 1915-01-11
night ATTACKS
GERMANS FORTE
Correspondent on Scene De-
scribes Fighting Out
side Warsaw.
MEN SLEEP UNDER SNOW
Searchights Are Terror of Russian
Soldiers Fake" Attacks Made to
Keep Defenders Nervous.
By GRANVILLE FORTEsCUE.

Guzow. Poland Cvia Petrograd and Lon
Germans open fire at different points and
keep up an Intermittent artillery prac-
tice. apparently without specific motive.
| These demonstrations are made to en-
gage the attention OF the Russian army
and to mask movements of more impOr-
tanCe in the rear.
1t is hard to explain how to tell how
real attacks differ from the imitation as
saults, but ! will give the experience of
an officer. who should know the differ
enCe:
There is a peculiarly increasing Gre
scendO note in the infantry fire when the
troops are coming on with the intention
of sticking, and the combat soon shows
that the enemy has some definite objcc-
tive" the officer explained.
The present fighting lacks these quail
ties. Last night, the Russian Christmas
eve. saw two attacks Of this character
Flashes Light Horizon.
The night had been quiet and sud-
denly the whole horizon was ablaZe as
battery after battery flashed into the
night. For hundredth part of
second the men serving the guns were
visible. | went with the detachment
~ tilN hOSllldl post 10 "nlCU the
stretCher bearers were bringing back
the hit from the trenches From here
we could hear the swelling volume OF
the infantry fire, punCtuated with spas
modic bursts from the machine guns
but as the trenches were hidden by a
ridge, We missed the sparkling OF the
rifles
Overhead shell after she'll flew on its
mission of death. singing desolate
CO H. l.
own warning. 1t is the noise that is
the disturbing factor in warfare. What
men hear affects their nerves and Gre
ates fear. The whole sequence Of the
notes of artillery. from the report of
the explosion becomes associated in the
soldiers mind with mangling death II
he thinks, he is filled with apprehcn-
sion and technically his morale is
lowered. Luckily. in the heat Of ac-
tion. soldiers have little time for think
ing about themselves.
SearchIIGhts Are Terror.
Another disturbing feature Of the night
fighting is the searchliEhts When YOU
come under the rays of one of these
you feel as If You hav" grown to a
giants size. especially against a back
ground Of snow. How the German gun
ners fail to hit sou is not clear.
The trench music TuS" and fell
dwindlinE into stacCato. The thrill Of
the muskHts failed and only the machine
guns sounded. Back II us. the great
guns continued to shattcr the air with
their dctonations. varied now and again
by the report " one Of the bursting
shells.
The fighting died out completely ard
WAS not renewed for an H"ur Then thc
whole seen" was repeated with rocket.
searchliGhts and gun in ;urn and 20
gether they lit up the sparkling snow.
Balls OF fire twinklcd in mi1-skv when
the shrapncl burst. \ great chorus Of
noises beat on our cars.
Scenes Like Long Ago.
TIL" scene behind tho firing line must
duplicate on grand scale the Russian
camp when Napoleon trampcd these
SHOWS Siberian ponies hitCh"d to the
limbers and caissons stood motionIcss.
each hlankctNd with white by tn" falling
ing as the heavy vehicl" lay up-cnded
the road in a lake of white.
Then we passed a duCOut where the
reserves sleep. These We're six inches
deep under the snow
Suddenly We came to a halt \ cais-
son had fallen into tho ditch and the
ponies struggled and fought for a foot