Evening star., 1915-01-05
French Infantry With Noun
tain Guns Beats German
Battery to Position.
TEUTONS ARE ANNlHILATED
BY ENEMY'S FUSILLADE
Fire Started by Kaiser's Men, Shifted
by Wind, Helps Foe Take
the Town.

THANH, Alsace, January 4, via Paris,
January S, 1875 ANA race of three
miles up the steep slope at Engelburg
through thickets and up rocky steps
between a battalion of French light
infantry with mountain guns and
German battery determined the result
of the stubborn fight for the Alsatian
town of Steinbach.
The French surprised a movement OF
the German battery ascending toward
the summit of the mountain by road
and, taking short cut, accomplished
what seemed to be the impossible.
The French battalion arrived five
minutes before the Germans appeared
in an open space and had just time to
put into position their mountain guns
Five minutes more all was over. Too
late the Germans attempted to retire
and the battery was annihilated.
Possession of this point permitted the
French to cross the river Thur above
the town of Thann and to reinforce the
troops operating around Steinbach.
On the morning of December 81 the
around the town and sent an envoy to
the German commandant demanding
the surrender of the place. The Ger
man officer replied:
Ready to Die, Not Surrender.
1.-THE German chief
consider that our forces are in no.
wise cut off. The route to Cernay
(Sennheim) still Is open and retreat
always is possible. In any case the
emperors troops are ready to die, but
to surrender. never!
At noon the same day the French
commenced an attack which was con
tinued without intermission; n,lssh n. aan Ine
ture, at the point Of the bayonet, OF
a farm commanding the road entering
the town. The French then progressed
road by road until the village was
reached.
Charges and counter charges of in
fantry were made amid the continual
booming of the French 3-inch guns
from all the heights, to which the Ger
mans replied with ever-diminishins
violence, which indicated a shortage OF
ammunition. The Germans made a
stubborn defense with machine guns
and cold steel at the outskirts of
Steinbach and the chasseurs also were
met with a murderous fire from the
church steeple.
German Force Annihilated.
One French company asked premis-
sion to charge. Many soldiers fell be-
fore they reached the German line, but
|
German forces guarding the road were
surrounded and annihilated.
"In possession of the road and the
farm the chasSeurS mounted quickf1r-
ing guns on line of sheds connecting
with the village, and, sweeping along
yard by yard, finally captured the first
line of houses. The struggle was then
French losing one day the buildings
captured on the preceding day, but
always returning to the charge with
greater violence and making further
advance. Every alley was an ambush
and every house a little fortress.
The French finally succeeded in slipping
around the enemy's right along the Stein
bach brook and then commenced a fierce
combat for the possession Of Steinbach
itself
The church and the cemetery twice
were taken and twice were lost.
Since hand-to-hand fighting was now
going on night and day and from
door to door the Germans, unable longer
to use their artillery, resorted to incendi-
airy bombs and set fire to number of
Fire Routs Germans.
A changing wind. however. obliged
the Germans themselves to quit the
first line of trenches. being unable to
control the fire, and the flames finally
reached the ammunition reserves.
The explosion which occurred when
the ammunition caught fire made the
little town tremble as though from an
earthquake.
Still the Germans held on till the
morning of January 4, when the last
courageous resistance Of the defenders
was worn out by the persistent and
impetuous charges of the chasseurs,
and the whole town was occupied.
This point, the gateway to Germany
(Sennheim), which commands impor-
tant routes to the south, to the north
and to the east. Is no longer tenable
for the Germans.