Evening journal., 1915-03-17
Stories From ibe European Firing Line
As Related BY Some Eye Witnesses

in the history of the Empire lies be-
hind this phrase They were thirty
short terrible minutes that clinched
20 days OF terrible fighting Each day
had seen a battle that was historic
in its intensity. The Germans had
taken Antwerp and were swinging
down toward the English Channel and
Calais. Sir John French and his men
had been entrusted with the duty of
stopping the gap in the allies lines
between Armentieres and Ypres.
For twenty days French had been
strengthening his line until he had
100000 men, but during the same
space of time the Germans had been
piling up their forces until. on the
morning OF October 81 there were
nearly four German army corps facing
the centre of the English generals
1 line. This centre was held by
/ French's first army corps. under Sir
/ Douglas Haig. -Four Germans TO one
! Englishman were the odds.
General French realized that. after
/ twenty days of sparring. The Germans
had decided where TO strike.
The battle began early in the morn
ing. with contests along the whole
line. The field of Waterloo was as a
child's garden, IN size. compared with
! General Frenchs battle-ground.
Back at Ypres. General French
studied the battle by means of maps.
! Telephones and couriers brought him
news almost every moment AS the
day advanced toward noon the fight
ing on the wings grew less; in the
centre il grew iercer and fercor; the
! burden of the day was falling on the
first army corps. Almost every min
ute some English regiment was either
suffering some catastrophe or achiev-
ing some feat that would go down i'm
/ its history forever
English history and all military his
tory will say that no general in the
annals of great battles ever had great
er cause for giving up hope than Gen
! eral French had at noon on this great
day.
Half an hour later the automobile
of General French whirled into the
little town of Hooge a short dis
tance up the Menin road was The very
heart and core Of the battle
To see French come into the heart
of the battle. amid the shells: C. know
that he had not given up hope was
an inspiration TO the officers. New
life came into the English. French
was spending that famous little hour
"at HOOge between . and 8 O'clock
French and Sir Douglas Haig and
their officers hustled from point to
point. AT their coming. majors,
colonels. captains all were fired with
the greatness of the moment they be-
came privates: hey seized rifles and
fought with their men. There vas
no longer need for officers: the battle
had become a fight to the death.
Then French got his first chance "a
deliver a flank attack on the Ger
mans.
The side attack fiustered the Ger
mans. The cold steel of the Worces
s tershires retoolS Gheluvelt and closed
the Menin road From that .nomen
B. the tide Of battle turned. BY 3 o'clock
when the historic visit of Sir JOhl
!, French "at Hooge" had ended, IN
English soldiers knew that they ha
:. held the Germans back ana that th
issue had been decided
I. The English lost about $4,000 me
n all told on this momentous October
and i'm the days of fighting that Pre-
n ceded IT, The French and Belgian
lost about $4,000 men ana the Gcrma
d losses were estimated at about $40
O00 I'm all, nearly half million me
j. were lost. The losses Of the Mort
in the entire Civil War were aDot
/. 100000
French's Iaconic report merel
g. said:
Il was present with Sir DouRla
. Haip AT HoOgc bctWeen two and thrc
O'Clock. this day, when the iirst div
= sion was retiring. / regard It as tn
most critical moment of this gres
l. battle. The rally of the first divisio
and the recapture of the village {
/. Gheluvelt at such a time was fraugf
with mOmentOus consequences.