Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-12-05
CRUEL HORRORS OF WAR
Scenes and Incidents of Battle of
Champagne Described in Letters
and in Diaries Of Soldiers.
MEN OF RANKS CRY FOR PEACE

AAAAN VI 0hANRO OAsA 1Oh kGAhOG
Correspondence Of the Associated Press. }
PARIS. Nov. 10.-Letters written by
German soldiers during the battle OF
Champagne. found on prisoners and dead
throw some light on the spirit OF the
troops.
''The battle front has disappeared IN a
cloud ef smoke" wrote one. Nothing
can be seen. for the French artillery fires
almost as rapidly as the infantry. One
pfmored shelter was crushed In and not
one Of tho sixteen occupants escaped.
Mer are falling like flies and the trenches
are nothing but debris"
shells are simply raining upon us,"an-
other wrote. III the end wero only nearl
This is the cry everyone should raise.
Peacei peacer"
Cruel hoursl" captain noted in his
diary. cit il as II the earth were crum-
bling up. Our losses arc very heavy.
One company OF 25o men had sixty killed
last night and n battery close by lost
sixteen dead. A shelter five yards deep.
protected by two rows OF logs and two
and half yards OF earth, was caved IN
o. II II we're only a match; that's a speci-
iren OF the force OF the French shells"
Many OF our men are useless" wrote
the captain OF the Twenty-fourth infantry
In report intended for his superior Off
Ger. I'VE must have reinforcements at
once. Our men are dying OF fatigue,
privation and loss of sleep
Nothing 60 Eat.
Nothing TO eat; heavy losses" noted
another Tho French haven't ceased
firing since the morning Of October 2ist;
Il has gone on sixty hours: how long
will II last7 Every spot OF our position
is 30 bombarded that II is next TO Inn
possible for human beings to hold out
any longer"
six of our mon were killed by shells
yesterday morning." wrote a captain.
Our trench has been nearly leveIled.
The Eleventh battalion has suffered heav-
ily."
How the relnforcements were rushed up
Is revealed by another officer. I'VE were
crowded into autos" he wrote. land
rushed madly from VOUCHERS TO Tahure.
After two hours rest in the rain and
six hours march to our position under
constant sheii4fire. we reached the
trench. losing fifty-six OF $50 men OF the
Second company by the way. We never
lis hours without food IN a trench not
two feet deep. Hell couldn't be worse.
Six hundred more men just arrived; taey
win only replace the killed ana wounded
OF the last few days"
Surprise and Generalization OF the
German first line troops by sustained
artillery fire have both been given as
explaining the considerable number OF
prisoners taken. Orders OF German com.
manders' that fell into the hands Of the
French indicate that the attack was no,
surprise and there has been q natural
reluctance to believe that German organ.
ization and discipline were In default
Information obtained by the Associated
Press from eye-witnesses OF the opern.
lions Is to the effect that the German
counter-attacks were neither spirited no,
we'll planned.
Confusion in Ranls.
IL the attack was no surprise the forcs
OF II was a revelation; It appears to have
thrown certain confusion into the Ger.
man ranks, resulting IN prepicitate and
almost disorderiy engagement OF reserves
The men seemed both exhausted and de.
moralized-incapahle OF properly under
taking general counter-attack. over
confidence In the solidity IN the frs
line trenches seemed to be genera
among the officers. for many Of Their
were found In bed at Trou-Bricot a hal
hour after the attack began. They wer,
ignorant Of the capture OF the first lin,
OF trenches because the telephone wire
had been ruptured.
In the counter~attacks divisions war
broken up and scattered, regiments eve,
were divided. battalions sent to right an,
left In absolute contradiction OF the Ger
man spirit of organisation. There war
engaged between the Maison de Cham
payne and is9 Hin thirty-two battalion
belonsing TO twenty-ons different resi
ments
What acted most on the nerves OF IN
German troops. according to informa
ton brought out by questioning prisoner,
was the continuity OF the French artiller
fire. the weakness OF their own repiy
the extent OF their losses. lack OF foo,
for several days and thirst. They sur
rendered in sections IN many instance
and In whole companies IN some. All
acknowledged they were tired az On
struggle
A fact that Is regarded as sienifican
IL that the endorsements the German
sent up during the battle were mostly q
the contingent OF 1915 with some volup
teers OF the contingent OF 1915 prevlousl
held IN reserve at their bases. The con
olusion drawn by some military critic
Is that Germany Is nearing the day whe
she will no longer be able 70 mainfal
her present force on all her lines.