The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-10-29

guns and the planes No such bonn bardment had ever been heard on the British front as that which pre- ceded the attack.
 the reports of the, guns; not even those of. the beat of a snare drum. The roar had the power and -contin- uity of Niagara Falls. House win dows in the surrounding country kept up continuous rattle.
 tsIt is the sweetest sound in the world" said one of the surviving vet erans of the retreat from Mons. "It means you will get into the German trench and have a. fair fight of it and you won't charge into the play of the machine-guns or be hung up Id the barber wire A year ago when we held the Germans back from the channel ports we were doing it with flesh and blood against. the outnum- boring German artillery. The most comforting sight in the world is an eight inch howitzer: and next to that is a motor truck 1oa0ed with high ex- p1osive shells
 As morning approached after the night of bombardments officers on the British front were looking at their wrist watches In front of Loos the figure six marking the half hour -haIf-past six-was the goal of the creeping minute hand. At that. mo ment a wave of men rose from the first line British trenches, and the volume of shell-fire was lifted from the first line German to the second line as the stream from a hose is lifted from one flower bed to another. Meanwhile every man in the charge tried to outrun every other man. The sooner they were in the German trench the less Likelihood of the Ger mans coming out of their dugouts and recovering their senses after the bath of shells and firing on the advance If only one machine gun can be manned before the charge goes home the charge may be stopped in that inn wFiet watches. of speed, team play and of seconds.
 with the first flush of dawn the l birds of war had come from their planes were all that the on1ooker l might see
 q should think that we had eight 1 planes that day to one of the Ger mans, said an aviator We had concentrated planes as well as guns
 Only when the secret Of the point 1 of concentratdcn is kept can such an attack succeed against modern de- 1enstye position The Germane had learned that the British were pre- 1 pairing for an attack: for their so1- diers called out from their trenches to 1 the British: When are you coming ?'' to which one Briton replied: seI'I1 let you know as soon as Sir John French xel1s me"
 Attacks were made that morning at several places: but the Germans ex- peceed the real attack elsewhere than Loos.
 4a1k..' said a staff officer. 'sto the effect that the element of surprise has disappeared from war. It Is as vital as 1t ever was. Only, concealment was never SO difficult"
 Troops and guns had to be moved af fu4a " T14nAS might not note the concentration. Brf- ftsh planes must ward off German planes by day.
 Infinite labor and pains in detail are required of hundreds of thou- sands of nnen for such an attack. That of the medical corps alone is stupen- dcus On fz1s morning Of the attack beds were ready and theA countless Anabu14nees and the clearing stations and ali the intricate organization for caring for the wounded ready.
 AS the attack proceeded veritab1e flock of planes was cutting circles and dipping and turning over the batt1effS1ds as if in an exhibition of airmansniD, They appeared to be dis cohnecfed with the battle: but no participant was more busy or intent than they, All the panorama of ae- ton was beneath thefny they alone could really sssees the battle if they chose. But each aviator stole only passing g1impses of the who1e: fer each one was Intent on his part whiG was t0 keep watch of whether the shells of the battery. to which he re- ported were on the target or H9t, To distinguish whose sheefi-bHrst wass whose la them idst of that efead of dust and smoke over the GeFmah po- sit1ens seeHaed az difficult as to se- PaFaEe the spout Of steam from one pipe fFeEp another when @ hundred were making 6. wall of vapeF.
 Every youth iR England apparently wants te get into the aeFie1 service. So the corps has its pick. Promotion is rapid; the romance and the excite znent Of the work appeal. It is easy Eo learn te fly in the very stable 1at-l sst types of machines which, as the saying goes, are 'ffoo1-Proof''. It with aptitude to de the routine work 1 Sof reconnaissance. But he must be koHng. Men de not learn readily af- Der they are thirty, with few excep- 1 Indeed after they are thirty-five. It As not difficult to spot shells y7w7aesa l only a few batteries are firing but Wfzea perhaps hundred guns are droDping shells on half mile front 1 jDf trench a highly trained eye is ra- esAired Occasionally a p1aHe was oFA-tt served te slip down like 9 hawk which, had located fish ln the wateg At alI Hazards that intrepid aviator was going to identify the shell bursts of | 4he batteries which he represented. | Hhe Germans might have him in rifle 1 ra1xe but they were too busy trying | <o hold back the English infantry to | Hre at him.
 Other planes were dropping shells on railroad trains and bridges, to him der the Germans once they had learn ed where the force of the attack was to be exerted from rushing reinforce Tnents to the spot. For that kind of work as for all long reconnalsances the av1ators like low-iyinS clouds. They clip down out or these to have m look around and drop a bomb and then rise to eover before the Ger mans can bring their anti-aircraft a544w.rr Ia F,nay-