Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-09-22
Reeaature of Hooge.

The British have retaken the mine
crater at HODGE in one of the most
picturesque actions seen along the
British front for long time. Hooge
is the name of what was once a viii
lage in a region as fiat as a billiard
table. 1t is in the Ypres salient where
it is generally agreed more blood has
been spilled than over any similar
length Of line on the western front,
with the exception Of Souchez, where
the French made their first attack in
May and June.
The blowing up of a mine under the
German trench recently made HODGE
about the hottest place in the Ypres
salient 1t was one Of the largest
mines the British have exploded, and
it made a hole in the earth about 40
feet deep and 70 feet across. The
British charged and took possession Of
the position.
In reply to- the mine, the Germans
ratus, which they had tried on the
French before, but now used on the
British for the first time. Around the
edge of the mine-crater the English
men and the Germans were, at one
place. only five feet apart. The crater
was so big and it had so disfigured
| the landscape that it was difficult to
consolidate" the position, as the off,
cial bulletins say, particularly when
| showers of bombs from either side
punished any enterprise on the part
| of the other.
On top of a bombardment of all the
| neighboring part of the British line
where the trenches were farther apart
and of bombardment with mortars and
| bombs where they were close together
the Germans suddenly sprayed the
| British front with fire over a section
where their infantry attacked. The
British had to give up their crater and
| Eooge, too, and some 800 yards OF
| trenches. When they sat out to re-
cover the lost ground at first they
ling with machine guns, so they re-
gained only one Of what they had lost
The rule in the Yypres salient seems
to be never to lie down tamely aftel
any setback, Both sides fight to>re'
cover a loss no matter what the cost
acres OF ground. All one day the Brit
ish kept an almost continuous roar o
shells over other parts of the salient
They made the German trenches boi
with dust under clouds Of shrapne
smoke. The German guns replied.
They threw in some more II Incl
sheels into the ruins OF, Ypres and int
other points which they had not con
sidered worthy Of II inch before. TIL
thunders of this artillery duel coul
be heard thirty to forty miles to tn
rear. 1t made a sound like the roll O
a drum with almost no interval be
tween the shots. Nothing heavier ha
been heard since SoucheZ.
About 2 the next morning gun
which had been silent before came in
to action. They were all directed o
. the German trenches at HODGE, send
ing tons of high explosives and storm
of shrapnel. Then at 4.15 by all tn
, watches of gunners and infantry me
the guns stopped. The next minute
British major at the head of q battal
: ion line leaped over the parapet. A
he said, he found nobody at home
The Germans were in their dug-out
according to the custom on such occa
4 sions, taking shelter from the tornad
Eof shell-fire which makes even a look
out hardly possible. Turning the col
ner of a traverse, the major fair
Q bumped into German who had CON
| out of his dug-out to see why II
Smelling had stopped.
. You're minei" said the major, pu
Q ting his revolver muzzle to the Gel
O mans breast. He promptly agree
y that he was" as the major expresse
it.
The happiness of the officers ar
men as they told the story OF tn
s. fight to the correspondent turned {
9 gratitude to their artillery supper
at shows what artillery can do" sa
n the colonel, and what the infantl
can do when the guns give them tn
kind of aid. Their work was perfe
81 straight on there in front of the mer
= noses with no shells bursting shol
: and then they all stopped like an o
, chestra at the end of a piece. My Of
20 ly trouble with the men was TO no
them back from the front Lima