The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1915-10-06
TELLS OF ARMY LIFE
"RELIARLE" DISPATCHES FROM
BARON MuNCHAUSEN
According 60 His Reports Soldiers
Are Having an Enjoyable Time,
but Of Course One Need Not
Believe Him.

The hardships Of warfare in the
trenches have been SO grossly eXag-
gerated that 1t is time, l think, to
put forth the real facts Of this fea-
ture Of the war. Rocking chair CORE
from the scene of action, draw SO
largely upon their imaginations that
very little. If. in fact, any truth per-
colates through to the ultimate
reader. l had read with interest,
though with skepticism, their reports
of the intense suffering Of the troops
compelled to fight in the trenches, SO
while | was with the German army in
Poland determined to investigate
the matter fully. Needless to say,
found the soldiers enjoying comforts
in their subterranean shelters that
rivaled those of the most luxurious
homes.
| had the pleasure of visiting the
German position in Poland as the per-
sonal friend and guest of General Won
Hindenburg. The first thing that
struck my notice was that the
trenches were about half filled with
water, in which the soldiers were
standing up to their waists. So ac-
customcd had they become to it, how
ever, that they found it uncomfortable
to stand on dry ground. and when,
unhappily. as sometimes happened,
the water drained away, they made
special provisions for renlling the
bitches, drawing their supply from
nearby streams.
The water served double purpose,
that of keeping them warm and Of af-
fording a hiding place when the Rus.
slams advanced in too great numbers.
The soldiers would in such case
! merely duck completely under the
water, until the attacking force had
again retired. The Germans also
| found the streams that constantly
flowed through the trenches Of ines
| Unable value in the transport Of ra-
| tiOns and ammunition from one point
| TO another, and by the skillful use Of
| specially constructed rowboats they
were enabled to rush re-cniorccmcnts
| TO threatened spots.
One difficulty they had coped with
unSucCcSGtully was the freezing Of lha
water in extremely cold weather. Tho
disadvantage OF ;his was that it rem
dercd the entire army immobilc in
| the event of attacks, and General Won
| llindenburg was often at q loss when
| he found troops needed at particu-
| lar point held fast by the ice in their
positions. on fixed post, as it were.
| / suggested that if the soldiers were
ordered all to Jump upward at the
| same time thcv would bring the ice
with them. a. ,ould, moreover, pre-
| sent a united :. ont to the foe. This
scheme was tried on the next cold
night With unparalleled success. The
German lines, linked together by ice
walls, advanced literally by leaps and
| bounds, and SO startled the Russians
that they fled rrccipitately
Two companies il returning had a
laughablc experience, for inadvcrtent
! ly each attempted to enter the trench
OF the other. The irregular ice, OF
course, did not fit in either case and
the soldiers efforts to force their way
into the wrong shelters was so ludi
crous that was fairly convulsed with
laughter. After the difficulty had been
| pointed out the two commands eX
changed places, and without further
trouble got into their proper shelters
| brooklyn Eagle.