El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-08-02
VERDUN COURIER
IS NEW WAR TYPE
Utter Disregard Of Danger
Marks Men Who Garry
Messages Through Fire.

Paris. France Aug. 2-The unexam-
Fled conditions of fighting before Yer
dun have developed a new type of
soldier called the couriers of Yer
dun" They are the men who main
| tain communication between the troops
in the midst of the meles and officers
commanding from the rear The bat
tlefield into which they dart with or
ders or after information is a desc
lated zone where nothing but thick
smoke. sometimes white. gives appear
ance of life: excepting during the brief
time Of an infantry attack, il is to all
appearances deserted. the sharpest eye
discovers no movement Of humanity.
The earth is everywhere furrowed by
freshly stirred earth. but no one sees
the hand that stirred it
Messengers Desperate Risk.
Occasionally form is seen going
over this desert land something after
the manner of a rabbit. bounding into !
sight out Of the herbs and above I'M
even ground TO disappear again; leap
ing from obstacle TO obstacle, from |
ditch to ditch. from shell hole to she'll !
hole as it approaches the front line,
al times vaulting. a others crawling, I
and sometimes kept motionless for con- |
siderable periods by showers of pro- |
jectiles sent over from the other side |
OF the line for his personal benefit |
This is the messenger of modern bat
tie; he was never more needed nor /
more useful than at Nerdun and the /
type viii probably bear the name for !
years to come Of ''the courier of Yer
dun"
Not a telephone line can resist the
incessant bombardment that digs Up
the soil and levels all field work along |
the whole line in front of this fortress:
consequently 10 assure communications |
between the front and the rear is I
dlffIrulr DrOnlPm- Com r11r1fra ri0US hvr
carrier pigeons are very uncertain and |
optical signal are insufficient for va |
rlous reasons Nothing is certain eX-
cepting the man himself and to trans
nit informa ton and orders across that |
beaten field requires something extra
ordinary in the way OF man. He must
above all, he must have a stout heart.
CanOnt Use the Trenches
The courier of Verdun is unable to
use the communicating trenches where
he would be out of sight of the enemy |
because that line is crowded always
front line, with wounded being carried |
back, with men of the commissary de-
partment carrying provisions to the |
men on guard. That is too slow a route |
FOR the courier OF Nerdun. he must take |
MS chances of being sighted-and hit |
above ground
The first formidable obstacle is the
LCne that is beaten by drum fire"
where eight inch, six inch and four
nch shells are bursting with formida-
de explosions. sending showers Of
ihrapnel over the whole zone In go
ng through this ordeal. the courier
ices everywhere the spectacle OF death, |
itumbles over corpses. sometimes runs
nto cloud Of poison vapor before he
within range of the smaller German
-uns and the quick firers.
Nerves nj High Tension.
During the whole distance Of a mile
T two miles. according 70 the posi-
ion, his nerves are at the highest
nsiOn. with his mind on the end OF
Is mission and at the same time on
be obstacles that are multiplied each
lstant in his path.
Some OF these couriers get through
Untouched, others crawl back 10 the
arting point bruised or MANNED Some
them never come back TO tell the !
DRY OF their heroic effort
Display Heroi<m.
The couriers Of Nerdun maintained |
communication from the rear with the !
eroic troops under the orders of COM
lfantry and a machine gun section
the 53d-whO held the fort of Vauz
-veral days against overwhelming ]
cmbers Of assailants. They were all
olunteers selected from cOnsidera-
le number Of men who offered them
lives for the dangerous mission. One
them was a boy Of the cOntinge |
1916 of childish aspect. who every
me volunteers were asked for was
le first man TO the front He had
carcely returned from one of these
erilous missions" said his captain,
when he pleaded to be sent out |
gain Another. literally riddled BY
-agments Of a shell that had burst
his path, had dragged himself back.
Tough unable TO rise to his feet, sa-
tied his colonel and said: Colonel.
am done for. but I have got enough /
IT in me TO give account of my mis-
on" He made his report and that
Of lie ~fra TO- HI
Are Sent in Couples.
The risks are so great for these mes
myers that they are generally sent
couples If one is hit. the other may
u through. Two of these men from
e commanding post of a brigade
ossed the Fumin woods; they were
most at their goal when the shell Of
German 3 incher struck one of them
II in the chest His cOmrade stopped
ID searched the body for the message,
It found nothing; the shell had car
ed away the pocket and the paper
at was in it. He made his way back
the post, seemed almost ashamed
t to have executed his mission. and
ked: Colonel. give me a duplicate
the message" He received a pint Of
alter, which was in those days the
urier's greatest recompense, AMI
arted off again.
Had "Urgent'- Message.
One of these couriers presented him
II at the commanding post Of a col
el, painting. covered with mud. and
eedinG freely. He had passed
rough the zone Of drum fire that !
oughs up the ground yard by yard
He held out the enve- !
pc containing the message However
/ you get through" asked the col
ell
Colonel" was the reply. It don't
Ow; I only noticed that the envelope
IS marked urgent"