Albuquerque morning journal., 1915-04-30
USE OF DEADLY
CASES DESCRIBED
BY EYE WITNESS
Fierce Fighting in Battle Of
Ypres Results In Loss Of
Ground by Allies Which Is
Immediately Retasen,
l.r .asara lousa.. s.lal.l l,.sls Als.I

teY sosaina iousHit - foisl lstare Nipsi
London. April - Dl.l5 y. mJ-
The British official "eyc-witness' 100
"a narrative Of the battle of Ypfes, says
thn Germans had prepared 10 attack
ihe allied line on tho 20ih. bat me
wind not being favorable, for ihelr
use Of asphyxlnting pnsoH,' they post
rohcd It until the 22ud
The gas. the narrative says. Was dis
trbutpd along the German ltant lne
in front nf the French position ANA
the wind being fiom the north it was
blown directly on the French, The
German pinn, according to the "cyc-
wltnesa Wna To nuke sudden on
siauRht southWetw ward, which, If sue
ccssful. would enublc the Germans to
gain CROSSINGS of the canal Houth of
rixschootc and place them well he
hind the British line and ,n a posi-
tlon 20 threaten Ypres
Allowing time FOR the vapors tO
take full effect on the troops facing
them the "eye witness" SAYS, "the
Germans charged forward over the
practically unresistlng enemy in their
Immediate front and penetrating
through tho gap thus created. passed
on silently ana swiftly to the south
ana west liy Their sudden Eruption
they were able TO oVerrun aud sur
prise a large proportion Of the French
troops behind The front line IN this
aren and 10 bring some OF the French
guns, as well as our own. under u hot
g'fle fire at close range.
Retirement Ordered
'Our flank being thus exposed, the
troops we're ordered 20 retire on ~.
julien with their left flank parallel 10
but to the west Of the high road The
splendid resistance of these troops,
who saved the situation, already has
been mentioned by fhe commaRder-in
chief
Meanwhile, apparently waiting nn-
IN their infantry penetrated well bo-
hind the allies line. the Germans op-
encd "a hot artillery fire upon very
tactical points 10 the north Of Ypres,
the bOmhardmcnt being carried ont
with the ordinary high explosive shells
and ahrapnel of various calibers and
also with proieetiles containing as
phyXlnting gas"
The eyewitness thcn tells how IL
battery If fleld artillery which tho
Germans had virtually surrounded,
fired upon the Germans dt a point
blank range. checked their rush nud
did not lose a gun The infantry
meantime had Withdrawn TO st. Julien.
RclnfOrcements finally were brought
up by Officers on their own initiative
to meet the Germans, who. by this
time, were barely two miles from
Ypres
These batlaliuus,' the narrative
continues, attacked the Germans
with the hayonet aud then cnsued a
melee in which our men more than
held their own, both sides losing
heavily one German battalion seems
20 have been severely handled It's
colonel being captured among sever
al other prisoners.
Fighting by Moonlight.
"Othef reinfOrcements were thrown
IN. As they came up when night fell
the fghting was continued hY moon
light, our troops driving back the
enemy by repeated bay0net charges,
In the course Of which our heavy
Runs were reeaptured. by then the
situation was somewhat restored In
The area immediately north OF YpreA
Further to the west, however, the
enemy had forced their way over the
canal, occupying stocnstruete, and
crossing at llet Saa, had csta blished
themselves at various points nn the
west bank
"ln The early morning of Friday
we delivered strong counter-attack
northward in cooperation with the
French. our advance progressed for
some little distance, reaching the
wood, about a half mile west Of ST.
Julien and penetrating IT,
"liefe our men got into the Ger.
a. 4. 49,
fcred heavily The LOSSES also were
severe on our sides, for the advance
had TO be carried out across the
open, But m spite of this nothing
could exceed the dash with which it
was conducted
"One man, ana his ease wBa typical
Of the spirit shown hy the troops,
who had his rifle smashed by "A bull
let, continued TO fight with an en-
trenching tool
About a, m., not being able to
progress farther, our troops dug
themselves in
German Wedge Removed.
"Bruadly speaking, on the section
OF the front then occupied hy us the
result Of the operations had been TO
remove 10 some extent the wedge
which the Cermaus had driven into
the allied line, ANA Immediate dam
ger was over During the afternoon
our counter-Atlaek made further
progress south af riksm. thus
Atraightenns the line sin more.
The writer then tells how the Ger
mans. bringing up strong reinforce
mcnta "and again using gas. cap
Wrcd ST julien and managed TO
throw several hrimides across the
canal The lritish made d strpng
countcr-aitack on sunday ana while
they gained SOME around II stopped
in front of the village of ST. julien.
The Germans then nude repeated
attacks aRainst the British near
nroodspnde, hacked by "a tremcnd.
ons artillery homhardment ana gas