Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-19
FIGHTING IN ARCONNE
LARGELY HAND-T0-HAND
Battles Between June 20 and July
ID Take Rank for Fierceness
With Any OF War.
BOTH SUFFER HEAVY LOSSES
Prisoners Taken From Trenches
After Heavy Artillery Bombard-
ment in Condition Bordering on
Insanity.

BERLIN, September demonstrating
l. he comparatively limited extent Of the
operations. tho fghting in the Argonne
forest from June 90 to July IA. in which
tho crown princes army succeeded in
wrestling from the French a number
Of highly important positions barring
the way TO a siege OF Verdun. takes
rank for ferceness with any battles OF
the great war. Much OF the fighting
was hand to hand, and in the main
attack. on June 30. the Germans nd
vanced to the charge with their rifles
slung over their shoulders. carrying
grenades in their right hands and
small steel shields in their left and
wearing respirators to protect them
selves against poisonous fumes.
Even the official commun!que writer
was thrilled by II. Describing one OF
these charges. he wrote:
The charge begins Not with fixed
lbayonets as in peace-time training. do
the storming columns dash forward.
Instead almost every man has his rife
Islung over his shoulder. number Of
hand grcnadcs in his right hand, on his
left arm. like German OF old
Ibuckler. though OF steel and not OF
lhea rskin. and over his mouth and nose
la respirator for protection against
fumes from the French bombs"
III BY taking advantage Of the character
lof the ground. the French had sue
decided In September in driving a wedge
into the German lines between the
troops at the west and those at the
least end of the forest. The French
Blposit!ou occupied furthermore. n COM
lmanding ridge OF forest In this section.
making it doubly important TO drive
them back. During the winter months
mo week passed without bitter strug
Elgles. In ach OF which the French were
Blforced 10 give up one trench or block
house after another. During this pc
4Ilriod. however, they erected extremely
Nls;ronE positions In their rear. and
8lanally came 10 stand on the noun
tain ridge running from near the Baga
/ tcNe Pavilion westward 10 Servon.
3tlThey also occupied three strongly for,i-
i lied points on ridge running south
4 least from the first line along the val
|lcy Of the Charme Brook.
ElIN ATTACKING DISTANCE
IN MIDDLE OF JUNE
HI The German infantry and pioneers
4 worked forward with mines and saps
a tuntil, in the middle OF June, they were
\ within attacking distance Before tho
/ main line could be attacked. however,
\ Ii, was necessary 10 take the French po-
Y Isit.ons on the German right flank, on
| the road from Binarv!lle to Vienne lie
/ jChattau. This preliminary attack was
delivered on June 20. after terrific
bonn rdment OF the French positions
n by the artillery. The three main lines
n !of French trenches were all taken. a
n small! detachment OF German troops
n reached a point so deep in the cneny's
h Hines that 1t was cut off and captured.
Several counterattacks Of tho French
were Iepu!scd. and night came with The
h Germans in possession OF all but
I Seven French officers and 627 men were
\ taken prisoners The booty included
4 six machine guns. fifteen mine throwers
\ land more than loco rifles.
J From June 81 TO % tho French made
! almost daily attempts to regain their
! lost trenches The German official re-
! port accuses them OF employing
J burning fluid. On June 80 the main
I German assault set in. after n terrible
, artillery bombardment. Prisoners taken
from the trenches after the storm, ac-
| cording TO the report. were in q con-
dillon bordering on insanity. \ great
part OF the French trenches was utter
lily demolished by the bonnba rdment.
The b!ockhouses were filled with their
dead. supplies OF grenades and bombs
were exploded by the artillery fire, and
| bombproofs were smashed in on their
\ occupants Despite this. the French
held their trenches wherever it was
humanity possible. The report speaks
in high terms of their bravery.
TRENCH TAKEN AFTER BITTER
Ia HAND-To-HAND FIGHTING
The attack began at s:i5 o'clock in
the morning. In a scant half hour the
ftrenches In the center had all been
taken In other sections. however, the
fight lasted until night. and the most
stubbornly defended trench was still
held at nightfall. BY morning the
French there had so fortified the place
that recourse had to be had to artillery
again before il was ripe for storminC
The trench was taken on July ., after
! bitter hand to hand fighting. a hand
I full Of men defended themselves in one
] section of the trench until all were
! killed, including their leader, Major
/ Remy. who died fighting, after having
/ been repeatedly called OH to surrender.
The losses Of the French in prisoners
I in the fighting from June 30 to July 9
/ were. according to the official report.
thirty seven officers and 2,519 men,
coming from three different divisions.
I Sixteen hundred French dead were
buried. The total French losses are
I estimated at 1000 to 5000 men, The
Z German losses are not stated
The main result OF the fighting in the
| Arsonne was to straighten the Ger
3 man lines. and at the same time drive
the French from positions strategical-
~ important from the very nature Of
the terrain.