Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-10-05
THE BATTLE OF L00S
Comfortable Trenches Captured by
British Arouses Ire of Germany

| J)-Ine scene OF the British attack
in the Lens region is fiat mining
country-slag heaps, mine pits, ruin
ed buildings, spintered and felled
trees and earthworks churned by ex
| plosions. with slightly rising grount
toward Loos and Lens.
Nothing is visible except the sof
puffs of shrapnel bursting and vol
umes of black smoke from British
and German high-explosive shells
marking positions where the British
troops are organizing their gains and
the Germans are preparing a new
defensive line.
1t is with infinite satisfaction to
the British, who had long looked al
the eyesore twin towers cf the min
ing works at LoOs that they now
have in their possession that German
position. The church at Loos, which
had been used as an observation
post, is heap of stone as the result
of the bombardment preceding the
attack.
The normal population Of Loos is
10000 poor miners and their faml-
lies. Three hundred of these re
maned during the battle, taking
shelter in the cellars of their wreck
ed miserable homes. One old wo-
man who cooked for the Germans Is
now cooking for the British.
As the skirmish line approached the
town it saw six women and child
coming toward it in the midst of the
battle. Some Of the British soldiers
turned from the fierce business OF the
charge to rescue them, but before
they could get the women under some
sort of shelter two Of them were
wounded.
The elaborateness and permanency
of the German trenches indicated the
apparent conviction of the Germans
iii the security of their line. Dug
outs, often so feet, deep were cement
ed and contained electric lights and
armchairs. Some of them were i'm
penetrable even to high explosive
;heils of big caliber.
The British bombardmaGt cut the
wire in front Of the German trenches
10 bits and battered the firing
trenches and traverses into irregular
piles of earth. Under such 4 failing
Of shells it was suicidal for the GER
mans to attempt to remain outside
the dugouts or to try to man their
machine guns or use their rifles.
When the artillery work was per-
fectcd, the British infantry sprang
ever the parapets at Il given moment
Sprinting toward the German trench
they arrived almost without opposl-
ton. Then the German trench was
theirs, with the Germans who were
alive huId!ed in their caves. Some
Of the dugouts had been demolished
and had in them fragments of Ger
man bodies mixed with the debris
Other dugouts had their openings
blown in by shell! explosions and
their occupants were either buried o.
suffffocated.
When a dugout had been unharmed
the British soldiers, with bayonetS
fixed or bombs in hand, appeared at
the entrance to find the Germans still!
inside or perhaps just starting oui,
All in the dugout might surrender,
or on the other hand, if British
soldier started to enter or even
showed himself, he was received with
a fusillade. In case of refusa! to sur
render bombs were thrown into the
dugout without the thrower of them
exposing himself. The Germans sur
viving the explosion usually gave 1T,
though not always, for some Of them
Gied to the last man.
One difficulty was the gathering
and guarding of prisoners in such a
confined space as the irregular de-
molished trenches With rifles and
bombs lying about the Germans. even
after captivating, were likely to seize
them and rush to the cover of q
traverse trench or into shell crater
and renew the fight. The British arc
keeping to the tactical plan under
taken by them to gain certain
amount of ground with each attack.
The Germans fought desperately
and the viciousness of their counter.
attacks apparently was due to rage
over the loss of their comfortable
dueouts. which had cost them Sc
much painstaking labor, and the un
! pleasant prospects of winter in th'