New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-21
GERMANS KILL OFFICERS
OF ENEMY FOR PRIZES
Three Colonies Picked Off in One Reglment-rrehcr
Soldier in Trenches Leads Lite
of Monotony.

seats cut INTO tue edIAH anu
hooks under the parapets Tor the hhap
sacks, walls of earth or stone are cree
ed every twenty feet, separating inc
trench into eight or ten sections. lneSe
walls, which appear TO close the trenGn'
are turned, however by small sethl-cl'
cular corridors and are protection
against possible thanking fire. Above
tho trench the parapets rise toot o,
two. At regular intervals small steer
shields, each pierced with round hole,
serve to protect the lookouts, mar
dozen being always on the watch. pc
tween the shields are the quick nrlhB
guns, half buried into the psrapet' iour
TO each company.
A short distance ahead OF the trench
is the seatinel's post. IL IS smaii
trench in itself, but much deeper anu
only few feet long. Through a peri
scope, simpler than that of submarines
watch can be kept over the entire
ground in front without exposure u
bullets. This post is particularly use
full ut night, as it is connected WIN
the trenches by telephone. IL IS the
most dangerous spot OF all. Near AT
ras the French and German posts are
ONLY few rods apart. Further ahead
are the barbed wire tangles, which may
be German or French, sometimes the
two touching.
As soon as the trenches are reached
always at night, the company DIVIDES
Half is on watch, firing at every NOV
ing object which can be d'Scerne Z.
through the gloom. When searchhgnts
are used the firing IL continuous: my
other half company busies itseli WIN
repairing the damage done 70 the
l. Ala low
the section walls and parapets, making
the burrows more comfortable, cleaning
and disinfecting them. The men walk
crouchinc, for a hand or cap over
parapet means q volley from the Ger
mans. These men then sleep, ana a
few hours later take the places OF the
watchers, who in turn rest.
At 6 and II o'clock in the morning
the camp cooks come crouching through
the various corridors, bringing in huge
kettles the coffee, soup or stew cooked
in the camp several miles away ana
brought back of the trenches by auto
mobiles or carts. In the intervals the
men use the provisions in their KNAPP
sacks.
The twenty-four hours have passed.
Each man may have used nifty or sixty
cartridges. Soon the company fles OUT
the relief having arrived. To try their
hand, the new arrivals fire scattered
shots at the unseen enemy somewhere
in front. Through the same Corridors
bending low, the former occupants
leave, reach the village, halt and are
inspected by the colonel and by the
regiment doctors. The sick and wound
ed are taken care Of, serious cases
being sent to the nearest field hospital.
Letters Main Pleasure.
The others march back to camp, sleep
tho night through after gathering
around the army letter carriers, which
arrive after nightfall. II is the best
moment of the day The next day IS
emrloved in furbj shing arms, washing
clothes, cleaning the camp and roads:
As the sun sets again, the men are or
TO the trenches for another twenty-tour
hours. =.
After the first few weeks of var, in
fact since the battle of the Marine, one
night in the trenches and one night
out has been the rule. About every
ten days, the companies are sent ten
or fifteen miles back of the firing lines,
outside the zone Of German shells, and
there get two or three days OF rest
During these periods the men can Sc
cure varied food, take baths, write home
ard lounge around.
Il will thus be seen that outside OF
exceptional cases, when men have been
forced to stay three or four consecu-
tive days in trenches, knee and some
times waist deep in Shiny water or
mud, because the overwhelming num-
Der of assailants required constant
display of aggressive strength, the life
of the average trooper is one Of eX-
IRENE discomfort rather than real suf-
fering. This is true of three-fourths
of the men in the field from Belgium to
Alsace. The remainder, in the scout
ing, transport, messenger, artillery and
aeroplane services, as well as the men
in the fortified towns and IN the aux
iliary corps, lead harder or easier lives,
according TO their service.
The scouting service, which includes
automobile messengers and the aero
plane corps, and the artillery service
are perhaps more exposed than others.
Few work as hard as the members OF
the transport corps. But all have daily
variations and experiences to break the
monotony which is nearly always the
lot of soldiers.