The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-12-15
Show Germans in a
Sorry Plight during Famous
Attack by French.

Iortcspnnlence Of Associated PrnsS)
PARIS. Dec. 14.-Letters written
by German soldiers during the battle
Of Champagne. found on prisoners
and dead. throw some light on the
spirit OF the troops.
The battlefront has disappeared
in 4 cloud Of smoke" wrote one.
Nothing can be seen, for the French
artillery fires almost as rapidly as the
infantry. One armored shelter was
crushed In and not one OF the sixteen
occupants escaped. Men are falling
like hlics and the trenches are moth
INK but debris"
smells are simply raining upon
MS. another wrote. at is as II the
earth wore crumbling up. Our losses
are very heavy. One company Of ESQ
mon had sixty killed last night and
battery close by lost sixteen dead
a shelter five yards deep. protected
by two rows OF logs and two and n
half yards OF earth was caved in as
II II were only match; that's n spec
mcnl OF the force of the French
shells"
Many of our men are useless"
wrote the captain of the Twenty
fourth Infantry In rcDor, Intended
for his superior officer we must
have achievements at once. Our
men are dying of fatigue. privation
and loss Of sleep"
Nothing to eat; heavy losses, nos
ed another. The French haven't
ceased firing since the morning OF
the twenty first; 1t has gone on sixty
hours: how long will IL last? Every
spot OF our position is so hombarded
lhat II Ia next to impossible for hu-
man beings to hold out any longer"
six of our men were killed yester-
day morning by shcll3." wrote cap
tain. Our trench has been nearly
leveled. She eleventh battalion has
suffered heavily"
How the achievements were rush
ed up Is revealed by another officer.
we were crowded into autos" he
wrote. and rushed madly from You
ziers 10 Tahure After two hours'
rest in the rain and six hours march
to our position under constant shell
fire. we reached the trench, losing sc
ont of ESQ men OF the second com
pany by the way We were IFS hours
without food in trench not two feet
deep. He'll couldn't be worse. Six
hundred more men just arrived: they
will only replace the killed and the
wounded OF the last 1--WE days"
Surprise and the decentralization of
the German first line troops by sus-
tanned artillery fire have both been
given as explaining the considerable
number OF prisoners taken. Orders
OF German commanders that fell into
the hands OF the French indicate that
the attack was not Il surprise and
there has been natural reluctance to
believe that German organizations
and there has been a natural reluc-
tance to believe that German organi-
cation and discipline were in default.
Information obtained by the Asso-
ciated Press from eye-witnesses OF
the operations Is TO the effect that
the German counter attacks were nell
ther spirited nor well planned.
If the attack was no surprise the
force Of 1t was revelation: ii ap-
pears TO have thrown a certain con-
fusion into the German ranks. result
ing in precipitate and almost disor-
derby engagement Preserves. The
men seemed both exhausted and de-
vi uIl-
dertaking general counter-attack.
Over confidence in the solidity in the
first line trenches seemed to be gem
eral among the officers. for many of
them were found in bed at Trou-Bri-
cot half hour after the attack he
gan. Theye were ignorant of the
capture OF the first line of trenches
because the telephone lines had been
rupturcd.
In the counter-attacks divisions
were broken up and scattered. regi-
ments even were divided. battalions
sent to right and left in absolute CON
tradiction of the German spirit OF or
ganiza;iou. There were engaged be-
tween the Maison de Champagne and
100 Hill, 80 battalions belonging to
twenty-one different regiments.
What acted most on the nerves of
The German troops, according to in
formation brought out by question
ing prisoners. was the continuity of
the French artillery fire. the weak
ness of their own reply, the extent of