Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1916-12-11
PEN PICTURE OF FIGHTING
ON THE BRITISH FRONT.
Details of 6onhardment by Day and
Hand-to- Hand Fighting at Night.

Copyright, 1916, by The Associated
Press.)
With the British .trnlies in France,
Dec. Z. via London, Fec. 9---lFrom a
Staff Correspondent IF The Associated
Press).-The present phase Of the
fighting along the British front May be
classed as essentially imperscnal by
day, but intensely personal not 70 say
intimate, by night.
During the short hours of the gray
wiAer daylight big guns back of the
fighting lines Eurl tons of high explo-
siyes against the German positions.
The targets are far away, and on thick,
Gus, harassing fire are conjectured
rather than seen. This is the .Inper-
sonal side of war.
With the coming Of right. however,
all is changed.
Then men meet face TO face and
hand to hand, the primitive methods of
mortal combat come again into play in
the midst of all the modern machinery
and genius of war. The long, dark
nights are ideal for trench raids and
they are carried out by the British in
great numbers
Few of these raids ever gain the dis
tlpction of mention in the official COM
munications, but in the aggregate they
represent a nocturnal offensive which
Yields most satisfactory military re-
suits. Not only is there cumulative
effect on the German casualty list, but
many prisoners are taken and useful
information obtained.
Styles in trerch raiding change from
time to time. Just now tho popular
method seems to be to borabard a
given section of a trench and then set
up barrage or curtain of shells be-
hind which the raiding, party crosses
that perilous strip Of shell ploughed
ground known, as ttNo Mans Land"
The raiders dash into the trench, clear
it of it's defenders in any way the ext
gencies' require and then dash home
again for shelter from the inevitable
retaliatory shell fire from tie Ger
mans. Many raiders come III ira gging
prisoners behind them
1t is one OF the strange psyt hologies
OF this strange ,war that while grim
death rushed swiftly and surely into
the German trenches with the raiders,
these same English Tomnies OF Cana
dams or Australians, a few minutes
later, may be sharing their hot mid
night rations with the very men who.
Dy good fortune or quick decision, es-
capped the fury of their deadly on
slaught. Later those prisoners are
passed back behind the lines to join
their brethren from other raids,
/ There was a time when the Canadi-
ans carried out raids in true american
Indian fashion. Small parties would
creep snakelike over mo Mans land. .
cut their way through the barhed wire
entangiements and He in wait :ust he
| hind the parapets of the trenches
where they could hear all that was
said and all that was going on with
In. Often it would t:lke two or three
hours to get across '.No Mans Land"
There have been many Instances
where, after work OF this character
hot cocoa mas been sent out to raiders
lying under the German parapets to
warm them and refresh them for the
attack.
On raids Of this sort men are allow
| ed to choose their own weapons. Few
take revo1vers and none rifles. Rattle,
| terrifying trench knives have been in
vented for the work, but hammers
prove the handy and popular weapon
There are often cases where raider.
reach over. grab some half-asleep Ger
| man by the back OF the neck, haul him
| out and hustle him to the home line
without disturbing the peace of the
| Silly night The captured men are
| too startled to utter an outcry until Il
| Is too late to do so.
| :. Service on trench raids Is purely
voluntary. One Of the greatest troubles
| commanders have is to select a limit
ed party from the excess of volunteers
Some men volunteer time after tims
but have TO wait their turn while 9TH
/ ers are given an opportunity.
/ Night life along the fronts is wierdly
picturesque. There are flares, flares
hares. as far as the eye can reach
bursting into brief brilliance and tller
leaving the night darker than ever
! The slightest unusual movement OF