Omaha daily bee., 1915-01-10
GRAVEYARD WHERE
FIGHT TOOK. PLACE
Silent and Awful Scene of Death
Marks High Water Points of
Battle Along Aisne.
WAR NOW MAN HUNTING GAME

WAR NOW MAN HUNTING GAME
fCorrespondencs Of the Associated Press.)
A TOWN ON THE AIsNB. France.
dec. IA little battle graveyard by. the
roadside. only half a dozen soldier graves
with wooden crosses. marks the high
water points reached by the British in
the battle Of the Aisne in mid-September.
IT lies near the Chemin des Danes (road
Of the ladies). which roughly parallels
the Aisne three or four miles north OF
the river and only a short distance from
the battered sugar factory Of Troyon.
for which the Royal Sussex regiment.
the Kings Royal Rifles and the Royal
North Lancashire regiment paid so heavy
n price In the battle OF September To-
Field Marshal Sir John French regis
tiers the names IN his report Of October
., in which he tells how the British
forces, following up the retirement Of the
Germans from the Marine line. crossed
the Aisno east OF Scissors and fought
their way TO the top Of the ridge OF hills
on the north bank. where they we're
checked and held by the German troops.
This was three months ago. Tho Ger
mans later drove the allies from the
hills almost % the river and now hold
the ground In strong force. entrenched
60 the eyes. There is. therefore. no harm
On revealing what Sir John may not have
known. that dangerous gap had opened
Between two of the retiring German
armies at this point that by a slightly
moro vigorous offensive be might have
thrust the British forces into the open
tng and split tho German army IN two,
pf which the correspondent Of the As
ISOLATED Press Is now the guest, arrived
only In time, to close the hole and en-
able the German armies TO stand on the
line OF the Aisne instead OF continuing
their retreat to some other line farther
north.
Scene of Terrific Fighting.
The English troops were already we'll
over the crest OF the ridge and the Ger
mans had a doubly difficult task TO fight
their way up the steep northern slope
os the range and re-establish their broken
lire.
The ground over which the battle then
swayed is now labyrinth OF approach
trenches. Eig-zag and parallels. marking
ahe successive stages by which the Ger
man troops Slapped and fought their way
forward 10 their present lines. They now
hold the greater part of the southern
slope.
The allies lines, now occupied by the
French instead of the English. are in
the low lands of the valley. All the
high points on this side of the river arc
held by the Germans. so that the French
have no observation points from which
10 direct the fire OF their artillery. They
can only fire blindly over the ridge at
points where they suspect the presence
OF German batteries or infantry sup
ports. notably at a little village called
cerny. which is now an picturesque n
heap Of ruins as can be found along tho
whole Aisne front
In the noon luncheon hour during which
the French artillery IA usually silent,
visit was paid In reasonable security to
the village. During the rest OF the day
and night shells are dropping In II at
intervals. Particular attention is paid to
the village well. the assumption prob
ably being that the Germans come there
for water. and although the French artil-
lery practice il not so good as was that
OF the British. German officers discour-
'age their men from the use OF that
spring.
Drop Shells vigorously
Half mile away. In a sheltered spot
in the valley, within a radius OF fifty
yards. the correspondent counted fourteen
fresh shell holes ''rhs French guessed
that ono OF our batteries might be in
that spot" said the artillery lieutenant
acting as guide. "and have just dropped
a saivo OF shells there. The battery Il
not there. however. as you see."
Occasionally the French send up one
of their aeroplanes to attempt a peep
over the ridge to locate batteries but
the antl-balloon and machine guns
adapted TO high angle fire generally drive
she flyer off before he aecomplishes his
mission.
The sight, as witnessed this morning on
another part OF the line. is ono OF the
prettiest In war. Perhaps 5000 feet up. a
gray smoke ring suddenly marked itself
against the blue sky. as symmetrical and
well defined as the whirl puffed out by n
smoker or as the halo around a saints
head In an old masterpiece
Before the eye could pick out the aero
plane, darling black speck against the
blue. there were half dozen other
smoke whirls painted on the sky. The
acIOplano doubled back out OF danger,
but from shrapnel already under way
six OF eight more of the gray wreaths
tumbled out into the group. The rings
held their shape for five minutes or 50
and then slowly blanehed into thin haze
Flyers Hard 20 hit.
half hour later the French flyer
again essayed TO cross the German lines
AZ a point few miles away. The shrap-
mel this time seemed 70 burst all around
him. but he got away unframed. He
usually does. as aiming at such targets
u as yet an empirical art.
Before the war. c. was a picturesque
little town clinging 20 the side Of a
steep hili near the Aisne. with nearly
100 Inhabitants. a fine chateau and ex-
tensiye wine cellars. Now Il is an equally
picturesque heap OF ruins and fortress
with a garrison Of German rifiemen. A
line Of Entertainments runs along the
southern rim OF the town and below on
tho flats and IN the woods are the
French trenches, 400 TO so yards away.
The regular roads leading to the town
have been abandoned because they are