Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-11-30
Miseellaneous Readina.
BATTLE AROUND LooS
Unseientifie and Most Horribly
Bloody.

Il
foremost positions Of the German lines
in September, is still the subject OF
descriptive reports in the press. One
of the most animated Of such descrip-
I tions is from the pen Of Bernhard
Kellermann, known in America as the
author of THE Tunnel" He says that
after four days of inconceivabie heavy
artillery fire the British began a gas
attack en- the morning OF September
25. Four separate waves Of gas, al
ternately white and dark gray, were
blown forward toward the German
lines; and at the same time the British
artillery was hurling gas bombs upon
the Germans. The latter coughed and
held their ground as long as they
could, but many fell, unable to resist
the fumes. In the midst Of all this the
Germans were preparing for the ex-
pected infantry attack. Finally the
British appeared, emerging suddenly
as If from nowhere, behind a cloud of
gas, and wearing masks. They came
on in thick lines and storming
columns. The first line Of the attack
ers was quickly shot down by the hail
of rifle and machine gun bullets that
rained upon them from the shattered
German trenches; the hand grenades
especially wrought terrible havoc,
some Of them cutting down six or
ad
soon lay like a wall before the Ger
man position. The second and third
lines Of English suffered the same
fate. 1t was estimated that the num-
Der of British killed before this Ger
man division alone reached 5000
to 10000.
Fourth Line Succeeded.
The fourth line Of attackers, how
ever finally succeeded in over-running
the decimated front line Of Germans,
who stood by their guns to the very
last; those Of them who had not fallen
were made prisoners. Not one OF them
returned to tell what happened in this
terrific fighting. On the neighboring
front, too, the British succeeded in
breaking the German first position;
and gained here from 500 to 1000 yards
of ground. At the second German posi-
ton, where their reserves were In
waiting, the attack was completely
checked. The fighting lost something
of it's fierceness as the afternoon
waned; and September 25 ended with
hand hand encounters and hand
grenade attacks at various points
along the front. The Germans made
an attack during the night and re-
gained a part Of the lost ground.
The British renewed the next morn
ing their attempts to break through
the German lines. "They tried with
quite new tactics-or, rather, with
very old tactics that are not Of date in
this war. It was a thing wholly un-
expected; and the staff officers looked
on with open-mouthed wonder. Short
ly before noon it was observed that
the British thickly massed and in
echelon formation Of eight ranks were
advancing from Loos to attack US.
Their artillery was sending down a
hail of shells to beat open a path for
these storming masses. At the same
time the enemy mounted artillery, in
broad day light rode up to take up
position upon Hill 70, to the east Of
Loos, which Is nothing more than
slight elevation in the landscape hard
ly noticed in riding across the fields.
The batteries were carrying bridge
material with them to enable them to
make crossings over trenches and
natural distractions. Still more-one
or two mounted cavalry regiments
were observed on the plain far to the
rear.
Old time Battle Plan.
Eight ranks Of infantry. mounted
artillery, cavalry in the background
that was too much! A veritable battle
plan Of past age, the product Of
mind in it's dotage and half-century
behind the times! Commanders Of
armies get out Of date in our times as
rapidly as inventions and sciences,
whereas the lesson taught by this war
is that the lives of soldiers should be
entrusted only to the most modern, the
most elastic, and most highly endowed
minds-the very pick Of nations
best talent. The English should have
sent back their old celebrities to take
charge Of the communications.
"Splendidly, with admirable courage,
the English troops came forward to
the attack. They were young, wore
no decorations, they carried out with
blind courage what their senile COM
manders ordered-and this in a period
Of mortars, machine guns and the
telephone. Their behavior was splen-
did, but all the more pitiable was the
break down Of their attack.
THE eight-ranks columns, before
they had advanced ten PAGES. got into
our mixed fire Of rifles, machine guns
and artillery-all at the call Of the
telephone. Our batteries were only
awaiting the signal. His English
excellency was not prepared for this.
Fresh reserves were put into action,
only to be moved down by the cross
fire from our machine guns. The
English mounted artillery had a
wretched end; 1t not only got into the
range Of our machine guns but at the
same time our heavy motars (called by
telephoneD raked it so rapidly and
thoroughly that the men did not even
have time to timber their guns. The
cavalry regiments waiting in the back
ground for the order to attack were
greeted with some salvos Of heavy
sabres from their scabbards. That
ended the battle. The attack broke
down in front OF our wire entangle-
ments.
"An enormous number of dead lay
before our trenches. - The enemy's
losses for the two days before this
German division alone amounted, at a
low estimate. to 10000 men," The
lesson that Kellermann thinks should
be learned from the fighting here is
that war is not a sport in the hands
of dozen privileged diltetantes."