Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-02-18
TERRIBLE BATTLE DIN
SEEMS TO SHAKE SKY
Thunder of Great Guns Inccssnnt
and Men Work as il in
Nightmare
NO ONE THINKS or DEATH
russian Commander Nividly De-
Scrihe> FrightfuI Experiences OF
Battle When Germans Attempt TO
Hush Bzurn-Rawka Line.

Especial Cable to The Times Dispatch
II fErEoGRAD. February 1.-THE SUI
F, preme elimination Of the German at
temptS to rush the Bzura Rawka line
! was the desperate lighting lasting sew
crai days. Tor the possession OF volva-
! shidloNSka. In - number of battles
! Which brought into action large ma sscs
! OF troops in a comparatively restricted
area. the lighting surpassed all other
battles since hostiliticS commenced
Nhi!c infantry fighting was going
/ on ~ close quarters. the fire OF 10
/ German batteries assumed unprcce-
dehtcd dimensions. The Germans con
contracted successfully on predetcr-
mined squares of the area under bonn
hardnient. Their aim evidently WAS to
DrihE the fire of several batteries TO
hear simultaneously on one Russian
battery.
Into this area the Germans flung
hitE-siN OF their enormous "por,man-
teauN" within two hours. captain Vim.
commander of ono of tho RUSSIAN bat.
teries. gives the following account of
ono OF the hottest days of battle
by II o'clock real hell rciencd. Sep
ar;ttc shots were no longer heard The
terrible ain seemed to shake the sky
and to echo away on the distant no
rizon. Bursting over nearer and nearer.
the 'portmanteauX' ut last fenced US in
with a close ring. My head began to
a
strange. indctinablc feeling. The COM
mandcr had to issue his orders from
car to ear.
BATTLE EXPERIENCES
HORRIBLE NIGHTMARE
The incessant thunder grow and
grew. asorbing, as it were ones whole
existence and leaving no room for
thought or mental concentration The
experience was nightmare. At last
II became matter Of indifference
whether 'portmantcauX' burst ut
distance or right beneath our gun. OF
the possibility OF death or wounds. no
one thought. The nervous strain was
such that all feeling was atrophied.
1T was Il frosty, sunny day, but we
were enshroudcd In gloom. The dense
smoke OF tho battle obscurcd the sun
We fought in sort OF twilight The
be seen only himly, nitting to and fro
doing their work almost like pieces OF
mechanism
No one gave a thought TO tho cold
one after another, the soldiers flung off
thcir warm coats and shirts and re-
n',n"d in their undcrshirts. bare
headed. blackencd by smoke, fever
ishly and automatically working the
guns
Tn" hattrios stood in AN exceeding
~ EXPOSED position Between our front
ana the reserve line. In close contact
with the enemy, we could distinctly
sec the target at which we were firing.
In distiilery in Nolyashidlovska the
Gcrmans had concentrated nftN ma
chine guns. These were placed in the
uprer stories of the building. which
looked like 4 real fortress
Ti:URIBLE EXECUTION
DOM: HI MACHINE GUNS
The machine guns did terrible exc
cution among orr infantry. The task
OF eNpcllnG the enemy from tho build
inS was first both in time and i'm
pori1ncc. Our first shots set the dis.
'illcry on fire. The wind and whirl
oC our proicctiles carried the flames
from one building to another. ana soon
the whole place was smothcr.d in
smoke
Huge tongues OF flames told us
where the target lay. We dung shell !
after shell. and finally the big three
story building collapsed. buryine in it's
ruins all the German machine Guns and
many soldiers. The Germans had long
Nnd ohst'natcly cluu;s TO the building,
not foresceing the annihi!iating force
of the Russian artillery fire. Their con-
hdcncc was so great that they did no,
take the prccuatlon OF removing the |
men and guns One Of our last shots
completely destroyed a motor mounted
gun. which stood among the burning
buildings"