The Washington herald., 1916-04-02

resemble nothing so much as troops
answering the roil-call. One after an
other they respond in battery fire reg
ularly and unintermittingly.
Standing on the top OF a famous
hill which the French held for months
until the, other day, 1 was able to
visualize this artillery battle with re-
markable clearness. One could make
out the exact location of only few
of the guns close by, but the smoke
revealed the rest.
In front of us and to the right and
to the left tive were almost due north
of Terdun) they were bomoardlng
Verdun and the Immediate fronts while
the French, due south at Verdun. and
ON their right and left were replying
in kind. but replying with far less
vigor. Still they were keeping up an
uncomfortably accurate fire as far as
the eye could reach.
Cannon Hidden from French.
The Germans were absolute masters
of their guns, which were so effectively
concealed that the French failed to To-
cate their positions with hits.
Through strong glasses We could sec
that the Germans were having better
luck, as fires were springing up very
where. From the south OF NauN and
of toward Verdun flames fiecked the
landscape as whitecaps spring up at sea.
To our right a German battery of small
guns. which had been playing for half
an hour on one French position, APP
parenty was finding the desired range.
for the French battery was beginning to
smart under the fire and was angrily
squirting the ground at our feet, trying to
locate the intruder.
They failed, at least as far as we were
able to see.
The German air control of the artillery
is one Of the most remarkable spectaCles
Of the combat. Captive balloons are
everywhere, two so close that we can
plainly define the observe in the basket
Other recede in the distance until the
last visible bags are mere specks against
the sky.
This area is patrolcd by the Fokker
and the heavier aeroplanes with the reg
ularity of a sentinel.
German Losses Exaggerated.
Close inspection of the captured French
positions over a wide expanse of terri
tory seems to belle the reports of terrific
German losses. There surely has been
prodigality In the expenditure of am
munition, but there have been few losses
The French positions many times
have been subjected to artillery fire
from two sides before the infantry at
on an average OF eight hours before
the assaults were attempted. The
result has been either that the
French have been driven out by the
shells or have remained in their
shattered trenches only long enough
to send a few volleys into the Ger
mans who, many times, advanced
through wire entanglements that had
been uprooted and hurled in torn
GaVa I'D no he
themselves.
have seen long stretches of
trenches thus covered with barbed
wire, while in front there were so
many she'll holes that a whole caval-
cade of hussars were watering their
horses in a miniature lake.
Some few positions have been so
recently taken that the Germans have
not yet had time to clear the battle
belts, filled with cartridges, and
stacks OF unexploded hand grenades
which the French apparently had no
time to use.
French Comfortable in Trenches.
Near a stack of French helmets and
guns I picked up letter written sew
eral days previously by a French pri-
waite, who assured the home folks that
ne was SLIl comfortable In the
trenches which. he said, since the
OF spring. have been thor
oughly cleaned and strengthened I'M
til they Were not only habitable, but
also impregnable. He thought they
would be able to hold out forever in
these trenches, should the Germans
come, which, so far. they showed no
signs of doing.
This particular trench was, indeed,
and might well have been
considered impregnable before being
chopped to bits by the German guns.
The Landsturmers may be fighting
here. but 1 have not seen them. The
troops returning from the front for a
respite in the old French positions
generally are between 20 and IS years
of age.
Some of the more recent arrivals wear
the countenance of men who but lately
have looked on terrible things, but their
spirits are invariably good. They are
spending their time cleaning themselves
and their equipment The weather has
been extremely crisp and cold, but that
does not deter them. in their zeal to be
clean, from bathing in the water-flled
5hell-holes and small creeks.
Men older than these are taking part
In the Verdun advance or are being
used behind the lines in building rail-
roads and handling ammunition in the
captured territory.
Ammunition StiII Plentiful.
Already a network of narrow-gauge
roads have been laid down.
OF ammunition the Germans still seem
to have limitless supply. The great
shells in their wicker carriages are piled
as acres of cordwood while tiny trains.
supplemented by horse carts, take 1t to
the front in endless columns.
Wandering about the artillery positions
Is. not unlike dancing on a conclusion
cap. One Is forever almost stepping on
concealed guns.
Crossing an open field north of Nouau-
mont I was stopped by the call of some
one in the rear. Turning. l saw an ar
dllery officer, who saluted politely and
informed me that I was standing in
front of his battery and would 1 kindly
step more quickly to the edge of the
wood. This 1 did a great deal
more quickly. and he then let his nine
guns so in battery fire. which was taken
up by the guns on his right and car
ried on out of hearing.
Enemies Lie Side by Side.
In this wood the work of burying the
dead yhot