The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-05-02
EYE WITNESS TELLS
OF YPRESS RETREAT
Germans Desperate Dash and Allies
Defense Wildly Portrayed BY
BY Man nj the Front

4 London, May Am ofiical eye.
witness account describing the retreat
J at Ypres. when the Germans spread
asphyxiating gases, was issued to.
day. 1t says
THE first intimation that al, was
who were holding the left wing Of the
British line. by the withdrawal OF some
! French colonials and the appearance
of a wall of vapor. Our flank being
thus exposed by the withdrawal OF
some of the men, the line was ordered
to retire on st. Julien.
Meanwhile. apparently waiting till
their infantry had penetrated we'll be-
hind the allies line. the Germans
opened a hot artillery fre upon various
tactical points north of Ypres. The
bonn ba rdment was carried out with the
ordinary high explosive shell and
shrapnel of various caiibres. Projec-
tiles containing asphyxiating gases
also were hurled forward.
Our men In reserve near Ypres. see
ing the shells bursting gathered in
groups. discussing the situation and
questioning scattered bodies of Tur-
cos who had come up. Suddenly a STAFF
officer rode up, shouting, stand to your
arms!'
I'm a few minutes the troops had
fallen in and were marching north
ward toward the scene of the fight.
Nothing more impressive can be i'm
/ agined than the sight of our men
quietly taking their places In perfect
A. - Rx,..
caused by the panic-stricken refugees
who swarmed along the roads.
Behind Wall of yapor.
Meantime, north and northeast of
the town there was a confused fight
taking place behind a wall of vapor,
which swept across fields and through
woods. Then across these fields,
throus Rthese woods and over hedge
rows, came the German firing line, the
men with their mouths and noses pro-
tected by pads soaked in a solution of
bicar Donate. Closely following them
came the supporting troops hurrying
forward. with their formation some
what broken up by obstacles encoun-
tered, so that they looked like a huge
mob bearing down upon the town.
"A battery of 4.7-inch guns a little
beyond the left of our line was sur
prised and overwhelmed in q moment.
Farther to the rear and in a more east
| erly direction were several field bat
teries. Before they came into action
the Germans were within a few hun
dred yards. Not one of these guns
was lost, though the first battery was
taken. Our flank swung around and
fired on the enemy point blank at short
range, and checked the rush. Then
another battery opened fire with the
guns pointing in almost opposite direc-
lions, the enemy being on three sides.
Under Heavy Cannonade.
ut was under a very heavy cannon
ade opened at about this time by the
Germans that our infantry on the left,
threatened by the advance of a vastly
superior force, slowly retired on st.
Julien. fighting at every step.
Help was not long in arriving Some
of our reserves near Ypres stood at
arms Soon they were aware of the
| fact that the French line had been
| forced, and the officers on their own
initiative. without waiting for orders
led them forward to meet the advanc-
ing enemy. who by this time was bare
! ly two miles from the town. The bat
talions attacked the Germans with the
| bayonet.
when night fell the fghting contin-
ued in the moonlight, our troops driv-
ing back the enemy with repeated bay
onet charges. in the course of which
our heavy guns were recaptured."