The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-05-05
GERMAN MACHINE
GUNS NOW DOWN
RUSSIAN MASSES
Terrific Assaults OF the Cars
Soldiers in Ten Days
Bloody Battle.
DEAD PILED HIGH ON FIELD
"NszsIfEesD., but Criminal" Says Te"'
ton Officer, in Describing 49,
vance MADE by S'ays IN
face Of Certain Death.
ey OSWALD r. scHUETTE

tseeefsi Correspondent o. Chicago
/ Daily Rs"sy
With Field Marshal von linden
! bargs Armies. Near r0staEy, Russia
--; have come 10 ,hsse bloot;<rsneEed
battlefelGa too late 10 gee the ter
I rife assaults Of the great Russian Of
sensiye, 10 can only tell the story ri
this battle that ragged day after day
1 BIZ pfctHr!ng the scenes an find them
and pieeing together into one ghaStiy
mosaic the fragments OF what ] am
told, ! have talked with officers and
men Of the German regiments that
| held back the Russian del',g" and have
| carefully gone over the statements OF
| the Russian prisoners,
| This battlefield consists OF an open
I glade cut through the R8ss3an prime
val forest. II runs almost due north
and south and varies In width from
800 TO ! so yards. TIE Russians
we're intrenched along the eastern
edge Of this opening, while the forest
behind offered splendid opportunities
for conceaIIng movements OF troops
and emplacements OF artillery. The
German lines skirt the western edge
II the flads.
Battle Lasts Ten Days.
The Russian fighting al this point
lasted ten days before the cars
troops finally gave up their attempt to
break through the German lines. On
the first day the Russian fire was spo-
radio, apparently TO make certain the
range Of the guns. Then for two days
more the Russian bombardment con-
tinued, but now It was real drum
fire" This means that the cannonad.
Ing In NO heavy that 1t sounds Ike the
rattle Of a drum.
On the afternoon Of the third day
the Russian drum fire was suddenly
lifted from the German trenches and
converted into "sperrfener" lcurtain
fire. back Of the German lines to pre-
vent the bringing UP Of reserves. 1t
was the signal for . Russian attack.
Out OF the forest came the stOrming
Russians straight for the German
lines, straight into the curtain OF Ger
man artillery fire that tore great gaps
in the attacking columns. though these
quickly closed up.
+ In the meantime the German troops
rushed out OF their dugouts into the
water.flIled and shell-torn trenches. Al
most In a moment the machine guns
were jerked out of the bombproof
protection, and after being hastily
mounted on the wreckage OF the
breastworks, began to sputter their
fearful greeting to the Russians.
Between the machine guns ratified
the infantry fire. There was no time
for giving commands and there was
no need OF any. There were no vol.
leys. Each German soldier fred az
fast as he could. The gaps in the Rus.
sian line widcned, and then the Rus.
SLAMS would halt and fire toward the
German trenches. but It was hard to
aim, and the bullets scarcely checked
tho whitening crash OF machine gun
and rife fire.
stopped At earbed Wire.
The Russian wave reached the
barbed wire entanglements before tho
German breastworks. but came no far
Their. Torn, beaten and shattered into
a thousand fragments, the remnants OF
the Russian host beat q retreat. How
many reached the protection Of their
trenches under the unceasing German
fire no one can tell, but the ground be-
tween the German and Russian lines
was covered with dead and dying.
There was no further attack that
night
Toward morning the thunder OF the
cannon quieted and the cries OF the
wounded were almost stilled by day,
break.
Tho great battlefield was asleep only
for an hour when the action OF the
fourth day began with another terrific
drum fire, which lasted until long past
noon.
Again the Russian wave broke from
the forests, but It had hardly got out
Of the woods before the German
artillery opened fire. Again shells
tore open the ranks; again tho ma
chino guns piled up the dead. The task
was more terrible than on the day be.
fore. as the Russians had to storm
over the bodies of their dead com.
radeS.
Again the night was freezing cold,
again the hours were hideous with the
cries OF the dying men out there on
tho battlefield and again the darkness
was filled with the thunder Of cannon.
TO prevent night attack. the Ger.
mans kept up discharge of illuminat.
INK rockets and blue.greenish glare
added to the ghastliness OF the field of
death. But no Russians dared to I'D.
vance.
At daybreak the Russians opened
with q third drum Are. This time It
was more terrible than on the previ.
GUS occasions. for It was directed not
only on the German trenches. but deep
into the lines behind them, to hold
eAANe~~~~~~e~~.ee