Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1916-12-29
new LIGHT ON
NEUVE CHAPELLE
Frederick Coleman Tells WIT
Went Wrong in That
Battle.
FAIL TO FOLLOW SUCCESS
Writer Discourses In an Interesting
Manner Concerning Famous
Battle and Its Outcome
Staff Is at Fault.

London.-In "With Cavalry in 1915"
MIR, Frederick Coleman throws new
light on a famous fight. Over and over
again has been heard the question,
"What went wrong at Neuve Cha
pelle?" Some explanation OF the dltfl-
cnlties encountered on that early effort
st a ''pnsh" is given by Mr.. Coleman,
though he is careful to say Let the
writer of the future dig the story out
of the tangled orders of the day.
Nevertheless, he was on the spot;
he served Gen. de Lisle as volun-
teer chauffeur, and was in close touch
with the principal actors in the
drama, and to some extent he raises
the veil behind which-quite properly
many will agree-the details of that
engagement are at present hidden.
General Haig had been quite rea-
sonably correct in his estimate of the
eremy's strength" Mr.. Coleman says.
"Our chance to break through the Ger
man line was the finest opportunity OF
the whole war. That with such odds in
our favor, with preponderance OF
guns, and shells as we'll, we would have
so signally failed and lost $4,000 men
into the bargain required some expla-
nation.
1.-The tragedy of Neuve Chapelle was
q failure to take advantage of an ini-
tial success
He outlines the dispositions Of the
brigades engaged and then continues:
1.-THE initial success won, the whole
line waited, eyes on the right, for the
signal to go on. Before nine o'clock
In the morning all was ready, and the
road cleared.
"All day the watchers waited in
vain.
ernoon before the word came. 1t was
then too late. The great opportunity
had been lost, and lost forever.
Tracing the Fault.
"The Germans had rallied, filled
farms with machine guns, and moved
down the gallant Twenty-third and
Twenty-fifth brigades, who had so
dearly woa such splendidly advanced
positions.
"The Twenty-fourth brigade had
come on part way, then concentrated
and was sadly cut up. That the line
on the right had dug in instead of
moving forward had resulted in de-
feat when a great victory was within
grasp. And who was to blame?
"A brigade commander and the gen.
ernl in command of the artillery on
certain division were promptly 'stellen-
bOsched' A divisional commander was
reported and sent home, and his case
reppened when he declared the fault
was not his, as could be proved by GER
tain hitherto unproduced papers from
corps headquarters. A further inquiry
resulted in his being reinstated. His
corps commander went to England.
sent home said many. Shortly after
ward back he came, to the discontinue
of the prophets, and took up his old
command"
Mr.. Coleman's final comment is: mo
battle of such magnitude could be won
without fine staff work, and the work
of more than one staff on that March
10 left much to be desired"
There are other disclosures of fail
ure on the part of the British in the
early days of the campaign-failures
due far more to inexperience than to
incompetence, and failures which are
not likely to be repeated. Through Mr..
Coleman one is able to appreciate
all the myriad difficulties with which
brigade, divisional and corps command
ers had to contend throughout the cam
paign of 1915.
transportation at Fault.
There is, for example, the tragedy
boh;.5 +ho coonoc of tha prpat Coma