The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-01-27
SCOUTS USE PHONE
HOW ARMIES GAIN INFORMATION
OF COMING ATTACKS.
ADOPTED BY BOTH Sides

ADOPTED BY BOTH Sides
Scout Hides Far in Advance Of
Trenches in Hidden Caves and as
the Enemy Advances to Attack He
Telephones to the Trenches Where
and When They Will Attack.
A dispatch from Berlin says the
German army is responsible for an
innovation in methods Of gaining in
formation in the field. This novelty
is the so-called "Lauscherposten," a
term of which listening outpost" is
the English equivalent.
The lauscherposten differ from the
ordinary observation station in many
respects. The latter mainly are direct
artillery fire, although naturally, all
other data of interest gathered care
fully.
AS rule these observation stations
are SO well advanced in the direction
of the enemy's line that they become
very important in infantry attacks.
After the officer in the tree or bush,
or hole in the ground, and now ond
then in small, peripatetic straw
| heaps, has governed the artillery pre-
| liminaries of an action, he will tele-
| phone to headquarters what progress
the infantry attacking parties are
making, summoning reinforcements
when necessary, suggesting changes
in the direction of attack, retarding
arresting, or acclcrating the progress
| of part Of the attacking lines, becom-
ing in fact the general director Of the
operation.
The wide sphere Of this pest may
also be looked upon as Z development
of the European war. The purpose
of the "lauscherpostcn" is to gain
from the conversation in the trenches
whatever information of military
value it may hold. Needless to say
this is no easy task. At first Ger
man officer would slip quietly through
his own lines at night and seek the
shelter of . bush or other naturec
cover near the trenches Of the French
Or English. He had with him a small
telephone instrument and a reel o-
light wire which he would pay out
directly.
Very much like he old time I1diar
of the American i-rest and plains he
would gain the cover that had beer
selected during the day and theI
would report whatever seemed o.
value To understand the converse
ton in the enemy's trenches or out
posts, he had to know both French
and English thoroughly.
In some manner the French and
English learned of the scheme, ant
thereafter cover Offering advantage:
to q "lauscherposten" received espe
cia. attention. While the sheafs O
grain were still feature Of thu
French and Belgian landscape, Ger
man observers would conceal them
selves in them, but this ruse soon wa'
discovered. Another method the1
had to be devised.
At first it was expensive in botf
time and effort, but as the adver
saries began to bring their trenche.
closer and closer together the prob
lem of approaching the French ant
English trenches unseen became cas-
ier. The subterranean passage to thu
enemy's trenches became shorter ant
shorter as the dictance between thu
trenches decreased.
| To-day the listening sentinel
overhears the conversation in thu
French and English lines without
much risk of being detected. He en-
ters the tunnel from his own trenches
creeps through the narrow passage
to where it ends in front Of the
French trench and takes note Of the
|commands, conversations, and Other
noises that may indicate that an at
tack on the German line is immi
nent. Although it is extremely haz
ardous to have the necessary opening
end in the trench Of the enemy, thi:
has been done occasionally. General
ly, however, the opening is outside
the trench.
Information obtained in this man
ner is transmitted to headquarters by
telephone. The many disappoint
ments which the French and English
have had in finding that their plans
for an attack, especially in night op:
erations, were known to the Germans
were due to the remarkable work o.
the "listening sentinels." It is i'm.
possible to marshal the troops for q
sortie from a trench without givine
some indication of what is intended
The "lauscherposten" takes notice OF
this and acquaints headquarters.
There is no way in which the ''lis-
tening sentinel" may be eliminated
Although the terrains in France and
Belgium are small in relation to mil
itary manoeuFres on large scale
they are we'll too spacious to permit
a systematic search for the tunnel OF
a "lauscherposten."
The French and English have not
been slow in initiating their enemy
For that reason soldiers are forbidden
| to speak in the trenches. 1t is pos.
sible, therefore, that sooner or late.
"lauscherposten" will lose his place
in warfare, because nothing can be
learned from men who are silent.
At no time has the military obser-
vation system been developed as il
has been in the present war. The
"feld intelligence service" is an in.
stitution as old as warfare itself, bu'
never before has it been employed SC
generally and thoroughly. Cavalry
scouting and reconnaissance work by
infantry are the oldest Of the methods
employed.
AS was expected, the European war
has established t. at the aeroplane is
the most efficient means Of moderr
field intelligence work. Soaring above
positions and troops the observers in