Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-11-16
GE RNANS 0VERRUN
BY IMPETU0SITY
OF THE FRENCH
Eye-witne88e8 of Battle of
Champagne Tell Of Dash of
Joffre'S Troops on Morning
of September %,

Paris, oct. 3l.-Eye witnesses OF
the battle Of Champagne declare that
the French assault beginning at 9lJ
the morning OF September %. devel'
oped such impetus in the first twenty
minutes that the Germans, though eX-
pccting IT, were simply overrun Men
ON guard ina the trenches had scarcely
time 10 fire The artillery IN the rear,
whose role was 70 maintain barrier
of fire before their lines in case OF at
tack opened only after the three
waves Of assailants had already passed
out of range The troops advancing
from Perthes reached the German
camp behind the lines and in single
rush killed the guards and made
many officers prisoners in their beds.
North OF Beausejuur the first bound
carried the limo to the positions OF
German artillery, in a twinkling the
gunners were bayoneted and the line
went on.
The progression was not everywhere
uniform because the artillery fire had
not everywhere destroyed the armored
redoubts shcltCring mmachine guns
The French advanced IN parallel or
conVcrging columns, according to the
ground in front of the different sec
tors. in some places the object was q
frontal attack for the capture OF
trenches, in others the aim was to
eneircle the encmys positions. over
tho whole line of attack II was only
on the extreme flank at Auberive and
I'm the neighbOrhood of Server that
the Germans held their ground, Tn
able to advance AT these points, the
French pursued their attacks SO Wig
orously the adversary was unable 70
detach any of his men 70 reinforce
the center
White Flag Raised.
The two converging columns that
were to meet az a fixed point behind
the Sabot woods formed their juno
ton before the Germans detected the
move and the 1000 men caught in
side the wedge thus formed raised a
handkerchief in guise of the white
I flag after holding out three days.
Two other columns encircled the
/ height called Mammellc sud on which
were the formidable defense works
named the Trapeze and took more
( than "a thousand prisoners.
Speed, In the opinion Of some au-
thoritios cannot be said to have won
/ the battle Of Champagne alone; there
were first the artillery preparation that
{ comes i'm for a large share OF the cred
I It and then there were many positions
! that were taken only after several
( days Of struggle in which attacks and
counter-attacks were alternately sue
I cessful. speed alone, however. 1t is
I thought. may explain the extent Of
/ the success judged by the German
/ losses in proportion 10 the extent Of
! the field, % 600 prisoners, 143 can
non and 1t5. 900 killed and wounded
over field covering less than fifty
/ square miles.
Prussian Loss Heavy.
Al the battle Of lena the French
I took only $4,000 prisoners and 200
cannon. while the prussians lost 49,
000 killed At Austerlitz Napoleon took
only $4,000 prisoners and 1855 cannon.
Aat Froeschwiller the French lost
1900 prisoners. 5000 killed and TWEEN
t"-el~ht canno0 while at Saint Pri-
vat they lost 10000 men to the Ger
mans 10000
In the battle Of Champagne the
losses in prisoners exceeded the total
In any one Of the above decisive bat
lies and their total losses nearly equal
the aggregate in all four. The losses
OF the units engaged the 25th and goth
Of September. according 20 French
Information, ran from 40 per cent to