Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1915-09-11
FIGHT LIKE DEMONS.
Bernhard KeIlermann Describes
Trench War at Souchez.
Roads and Paths for Miles Around
Under Fearful Flre-Little Ham
let Now 10 Marked for
All Time.
BY BERNHARD kELLERMANN.
international News Servlce.l

On the Western German 'FRONT.'
have seen them and talked to them,
the men fighting out there In the
trenches of Souchez. Just now they
are resting, but tonight they will be
fighting again like demons. The roads
and paths for miles around are under
a fearful fire. Almost every second a
shell bursts with deafening roar,
Through this inferno they must pass.
Then they will be In Souchez
What is Souchez? A small village
which nobody knew a few months
ago and which now will never be for
gotten again. The little hamlet Is
marked for all time, like Gravelotte
and Woerth II hell keeps books the
name of Souchez must be entered In
large letters
There is nothing left of the village
but heap Of ruins The trenches are
q few hundred yards from the village,
behind a curtain of fire. Through
this curtain our boys in gray must
passages--the French artillery on the
heights of Loretto does not permit
them The trenches can only be
reached over the open field through
the uneeasing hail Of French shells.
But our men are fearless. Their
uniforms we're all field-gray at one
time, but nobody is able to distinguish
their color now. Only the first SER
geant looks as II he Just came from
the tailor shop. His uniform Ia spot
less and his hands are carefully mani
cured.
With the long nails of his little
finger he traces the position on the
map. Before the war he was high
school professor, but now he is sol
dier every inch of him.
"This is our trench" he said, ex-
planning the map to me. "Over there
on the heights the artillery of the
enemy stands.
Yesterday we were under heavy
fire from seven o'clock in the morn
ing till nine o'clock at night. The
trench was destroyed and we were
buried.
about nine o'clock In the evening
the shells began to fly over us. The
enemy was trying to drive back re-
lief column and to storm what was
left of our trench Our lieutenant
shouted a command and In a moment
our trench resembled an ant.heap. We
dug ourselves out. Most of our guns
had become useless, but we had hand
grenades.
THE French swooped down upon
US, but we sert couple of dozens of
grenades into their ranks. The smoke
was so thick that we could not see
each other.
For a moment the enemy recoiled,
but then believing US finished, he ad-
vanced again, as he had received re-
enforcements yelling, singing and
laughing we threw still more grenades.
"At the same moment we noticed
that the Frenchmen were also begin
ming to attack from one of their
trenches at our right, in the direction
of the sugar refinery. Like peas
from barrel they came pouring out
of the smoke. The lieutenant shout
ed: One man to the front with
grenadesp A single soldier advanced
and started to throw bombs. Who
was it?'
"I did IT," answered one of the men,
farmer from Silesia. Il took an
armful of grenades and fired away at
random, but the bombs hit their mark.
The Frenchmen fell back When they
advanced again | had no more gren,
ades and had to run. They sent vol
leys after me, but safely reached our
trench again and jumped into one of
the craters."
Then the noncommissioned officer
continued:
"The Frenchmen believed them
selves sure of their success, but our
lieutenant was ready for them. He
sent eight men ahead into the craters
and the fire OF this little detachment
moved the enemy down when he
came on in close formation. In the
meantime our machine guns had been
brought into action and the French
were driven back In front and at our
flank
But the section OF the trench for
which we fought had become useless
to US. We gave 1t up and slowly re-
treated, keeping the enemy at a re-
spectful distance by heavy rife fire.
For a short while the enemy took
possession of our destroyed ditch, but
he could not hold it. When we re-
took 1t by counter-attack we found
1t filled with the bodies OF dead
French soldiers. We quickly dug our.
selves in again, but tomorrow the re-
paired trench may be In the hands of
the enemy once more. Then we will
have to retake 1t again, and 90 II /
goes on
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