Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-18
IH|GHLY TRAINED TROOPS
IN BRITISH INDIAN ARMY
Capacity to Fight Side by Side With
English Regulars More Than
Proved.
NEARLY ALL LoNG-sERvICE MEN
Present Thcatcr OF War Cnfavorable
for Bringing Ont Finer Points OF
Their Natural observation-disclosures
Tales of Their Terrible SufYcringS.
ny e. AsuMEAD-nAnTLE1~r.

A TOWN IN FRANCE, April l7.-At
The commencement OF the war many
1also estimates were made rs 10 the
role which tho Indians would play ON
q European bnttlo field. The indian
army has more than proved It's excel
lence and Its capacity 70 nSht side by
side with tho British regular troops.
Tho soldiers OF India are. perhaps.
the most highly trained IN tho world.
They arc nearly all long service men.
Some of the countcrattacks have been
models OF dash and SIKH. They are in
fact. above all else, good In attack.
This Is generally the case with high
ly-tra;ned troops. Their behavior in
face of tho enemy, largely on tho lead
ing OF their white officers. has been
semarkable.
AS long rs thcy have had their Of
rcers with them they have never
turned back or shown signs Of de-
moralizntion. Unfortunately. tho losses
have been very heavy amongst the
officers, who cannot he replaced ut IL
moments notice.
a man present during an attack on
n village IN the lighting around La
Bassee for tho position OF tho famous
fbrlclt fields told mo he had seen n
mixed battalion make most gallant
charge and capture u village NJ the
point of the hayonet
Tho Germans countcrattackod, and
every white officer WINS placed hors de
combat. Tho battalion was then left
without leader. and abandoned the
position. There was no panic or sud
den flight. Two officers were spared
from another battalion to rally them.
They were then led forward TO the at
tack and retook the position.
TIME TO BECOME ACCUSTOMED
TO MODERN ARTILLERY FIRE
when they first arrived at the
theater of war they took some little
lime before they became accustomed
NO modern artillery fire. Since the In
dian Mutiny the Indian army has
never had 10 face any sort OF she'll fire,
except in the expedition TO Picking
1t can be easily understood what the
hrst impression on the native mind
must have been when the white purfs
OF shrapnel began bursting over their
heads. interrningled with the dcafcning
and devastating reports OF tho high
explosive howit2erS. Their enemy was
Invisible. They could not see who was
hrinE at them, and where the shells
arrived. Under these circumstances. 4,
is astonishing how we'll the Indian
troops stood tho strain. Quite apart
from. the shell fire. tho Indians have
had 10 face all through this long and
trying winter conditions OF warfare to
which they were totally unaccustomed
They are essentially an army trained
for open order lighting Tho Ghurkas.
Tor instance. are hlimen. and adepts
at scaling heights or crawling. unob-
served, over broken ground, or making
their way through dense forest They
possess an unerr!ng instinct for ind
ing their way.
They are born natural hunters They
delight 10 stalk an enemy In small
groups. Of @ dozen or so. and in this
Kind OF lighting their equals arc no;
10 be found in Europe The who'll.
Indian army has. In fact. been trained
most highly in attack, In those prea,
sweeping forward movements covering
q wide stretch OF broken country
where the men must show their !n!,ta-
tive and their native instinct Of keen
ing direction when marching on n
particular objective.