New-York tribune., 1916-07-26
Big Allied Drive Halted,
German Staff Believes
Kaiscr's Advisers Confident That Offensive on Western
Front Has Spent Its Force-Gaps in the Ranks
Filled Up by New Men.

, tion with troops coming from the front
! lines. particularly common soldiers,
whose Viewpoints often give valuable
clew to the tide the battle is taxing
Tho correspondent visited hrst a
grenadier regiment which had just been
relieved from forward trenches aiter
beating off French onslaughts IN the
vicinity Of Estrees for several days.
The soldiers described In unconyen-
tional language the French charges,
particularly the great attack of FRI
day. the chief force Of which fell on
this regiment. The onslaught was pre-
cedod by three hours of intense bonn
bardment, touching the extreme limit
cf the possible for the efficient french
artillery.
1t might have been expected that the
front trenches would have been de-
moished and their defenders demor-
rized after this pounding, but the SOL
diers unconcernedly related now, "nen
the artillery curtain lifted and freneh
white and black regiments charged, the
Germans jumped from what was leit
Of their trenches ana advanced 10 meet
the French in an open, desperate,
hand to-hand struggle, in which hand
grenades were almost the exclusive
weapon.
French Beaten Back.
The French finally recoiled to their
own trenches. followed by the Ger
mans, some Of whom even leaped into
the French trenches and continued the
struggle until herded back by their re-
naming officers and on-commissioned
officers to their own lines.
"WiIl the French be able to break
through the Grenader regiment ~
was asked of the soldiers.
"Neverl" was the reply, which ex-
I pressed evident pride in their regi-
ment, but was given without touch
OF bravado
(Which is the better French SOL
der. the white or the black?"
"The white, by all odds, is better and
braver," was the instant judgment Of
the soldiers, who added uncompli-
mentary references TO the fighting Gus
toms Of the Senegalese troops which
had resulted in very few prisoners be-
ing made from among these regiments.
Wounded All Cheerful.
The next group encountered was a
detachment Of lightly wounded men,
walking back from the dressing station
to the railroad head. No dependency
was evident among them. Another
regiment visited had just returned
from another section Of the Southern
front. Its experience had been much
the same as that Of the first regiment,
and the soldiers exhibited an Identical
feeling of absolute confidence that they
had the upper hand over their enemy.
One man, when questioned, said that
he had not seen the great French
charge. He had been buried in a
trench during the preliminary bonn
bardment and was dug out after two
hours and sent to the rear. HIS
nerves apparently were not at all
shaken By his experience. He, like
all the others, took his return to the
trenches as a matter of course.
French Prisoners Happy.
The correspondent also visited a
group of several hundred French pris-
oners captured during the fighting at
Estrees. 1t must be said that they,
too, made an excellent impression.
They showed no trace Of dependency
or demoralzation. They were mostly
Bretons and colonial infantry.
The troops had been ordered in by
General Foch in a vigorous endeavor TO
open the German sack position and
give the British and French the neces-
sary elbow room for further effort.
Lateral expansion is the object also Of
the British strategy, and the British
efforts to this end have been far great
er than those Of the French.
Huge British Forces.
General Haig has employed two SOL
ders 10 every one by General Joffre.
and his losses have been proportionate-
ly even greater, it is said The i'm
mensity Of the British effort may be
judged from information supplied the
correspondent by the commander-in-
chiefs intelligence officer. that thus
far i'm the July offensive over half the
available divisions Of the British army,
counting even those Of the Orient, but
excluding the divisions in England not
yet ready for service at the front, have
been used on this comparatively mar
row front.
I've have them stopped now" was
the confident verdict Of this officer
agreeing with that Of the commanders
staff chief.