The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-27
BATTLE FRONT IS VAST CEMETERY.
 SAYSEYEW|TNESS
Graphic Account of Recent Battles on the Western Frontier Official
 ly Given


 All the ground near the front line is plowed up with shells and furrowed with the remains of old trenches and graves. The whole place Is vast cem- etery in which our trenches and those
 of the enemy wind in every direction
 This statement is made by the Brit ish official eyewitness 1t the front in description given out today of re-
 cent battles southeast of Ypres and of the country in which the armies arc fighting.
 Tn a sheltered spot" he continues, "there is little graveyard where some of our own dead have been buried. Their graves have been marked and rough square of bricks has been placed around them. In front of the trenches German bodies still lie thick. "At one point of the brick fields re- gently some 30 men tried to rush our line. At their head was a young Ger man officer who came on galiantly. waving his sword. He almost reached the barbed wire and then fell dead. and he lies there yet with his sword | in his hand and all his 30 men about | him.
 '1t Is the same all along the front | in this quarter Everywhere still, gray l figures can be seen lying.
 Crumbles Into Ruins This description might Serve with few minor alterations for many of the localities along our front where the fighting has centered around some
 wood, a village or line of trenches. It is as if each had been swept by whitening blast before which every ob- | ject, whether work of nature or of | man, has crumbled into ruins or be- come twisted and deformed and even the very ground itself looks as if it had been shaken by violent convul- | sion of nature"
 South of the Ypres- Confines canal | says the eyewitness, the ground is
 comparatively open. North of 1t, how ever, there are many woods and these
 have become a tangle of fallen trees | interspersed with shell craters. To add to the hardships of such fighting, the troops have been attacking in knee | deep mud
 Despite all these drawbacks con- l tinues the observer, "counter attacks | have been carried out with such reso- lution that in nearly all cases the orig | inal line has been regained. On the | night of February IS, as our troops | advanced to drive the enemy out of one
 of these trenches, his guns suddenly l opened a tremendous fire. Our men
 we're in the open at some distance from the Germans at the time and being taken at a disadvantage their chance of success look ed small. Without mo-
 ment's hesitation, however, the at tacl1ing line broke into a double quick and pounding through the mud burst
 into the German trench.
 "A counter attack on the 17th alsc
 was a dashing piece of work. Trenches occupied by the enemy had been sub
 jected to such a heavy fire that they would not await our onset. As our mer , charged forward cheering the Germans
 hurried to the rear.
 Forty Are Killed Tn one trench. which became more ol , less isolated. 40 of our men held firm
 until everyone had been either killed
 or wounded. Eventually there were only three left. who were capable of firins and these three continued to hold tn,
 | enemy at bay. In the meantime wort was brought to those in the rear tha
 their ammunition was nearly exhausted and seven men, the strongest available , were selected to bring up as much am intuition as they could carry. Thes
 latter found the three wounded survivor ; still standing amid the bodies of thei : dead and disabled comrades and stil firing steadily. The support, slender a it was, came in the nick of time fo , at that moment the Germans launche 2 another assault which, like the previou u ones was beaten off and the position wa $ saved.
 Our howitzers did especially goo e work on the trenches captured by tn s Germans at one point. Observers coul |, see one fyddite shell after another burst d ing in the trenches and hurling the dc 8 lenders into the air.
 u Quoting from letters which he say y were found on the bodies of German SO l. diers, in support of his statement, tt n eyewitness says:
 "There is no doubt that the feeling
 Germany towards the war is chagini 1T They probably as determined as eve f, to fight to the last but the early opt
 mism and confidence are vanishing d would appear also that the drain upo '- the enemy's manhood is having depres S. ing effect.
 r. Tt is reported that even the Ersa
 reservists, who are suffering from ai m ments which would render them unfit ft st military service, are being called on, ar S. the supply of the sound Ersatz reservis l. has been exhausted in some district
 Some letters speak of the calling up st the untrained landsturm, which repr al sents a large reserve still available
 make good the wastage of war"