The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-10-23
Description Of
Battlefield is
Most Graphic
One In Champagne Was Studded
With Graves and the Works Of
German Military Science

ParlS, oct. zO.-The correspond
ent in his first view of the field Of
the great battle in the Champagne
looked across a rolling land whose
thin soil was studded with graves
and thickly sprinkled with dwarf
pines which stood out against the
almost snow white system of chali
like redoubt, trenches, traverses
communication bitches and other de-
fensive constructions by which Ger
man military science had in vain
sought impregnability. The popula.
ton was meager in this camp OF
Challons Only the village of Per
thes, whose slight cluster of houses
have become typical ruins through
shell fire, was in sight from the spot.
Walking over the course of the
French advance, the correspondent
witnessed the results of the most
powerful defense against the most
powerful attack of the war. The
famous hill, the butte of Tahure, the
occupation of which clinched tho
French success, resembled small
wooded hill in an eastern American
state. Shells were seen bursting at
a distance over the railroad at Som.
me Ply. Thus this important German
transport line has been cut or de.
stroyed by French gun fire, rendering
the railroad useless.
Two Million Engaged
Considering the immensely of the
operation-at least 100000 men
were engaged on both sides along
the narrow front-it was amazing
how apparently small had been the
number of French casualties, Official
charge said that the German losses
had been heavier than the first off.
cial estimate and must rave reached
10000.
Twenty-Five thousand German. pris-
oners, they said, was a small proper
ton to the number of Germans killed
by the high explosive shells and in
hand to hand fighting in the trench.
es.
The barbed wire front of the first
line trenches had been cut to bits
and 1t was impossible to live or to
make resistance during the prepare
tory bombardment. Soldiers agreed
that the rushing of the first line was
walk in, there being neither rife
nor machine gun fire to stop them,
so excellent had been the work of
the enormous concentration Of the
French artillery. Serious resistance
developed at the second line. where
the trenches for the entire 10 mile
smashed and the wire not always
cut. BY the state of the ugly mess
es Of wires, rusted from years gain
the correspondent was able TO tel
where the tide had advanced, halted,
and flowed through the opening made
before rolling on.
The labor that had been expended
in constructing the German trenches
and Notifications was enormous. 1t
was as If hundreds Of thousands Of
human beavers had never ceased
their toll in preparing for their pro-
lection. French officers said the
Germans knew that the attack was
coming and thought their positions
were impregnable, but were over
wielmed by the number of French
guns and the masses of the French
troops.
Tales Of Heroism
An officer pointed out the spot
near a clump OF trees where General
Marchand standing on a parapet OF
one of the German trenches, fell
wounded as he was directing the
charge toward the next trench. Tales
Of heroism and qualities of leader
ship and initiative OF both officers
and privates were heard without end.
A general of brigade who had seized
a rifle and led the charge of regi-
ment after its colonel had been kill
ed, retrieving a critical situation has
now been promoted to be command
err of division.
On the front line the French and
Germans have settled down for the
same distance apart as before the
battle, this varying from so to 300
yards, according to the ground. oc'
casionally there are machine gun
duels of aeroplanes, or a shelf VIII
burst sprinkling the landscape with
its contents as both sides continue
to organize their positions.