Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-12
CAPTURE A TRENCH
TO BREAK STRAIN
French Surprise Germans
Solely Because They Are
Tired of Waiting.
CHARGE is SUCCESSFUL
WITHOUT LOSS OF LIFE
Gallo Embuillance Impels Joffre's
Men to Make Teutons Walk
Spanish After Surrender.
Copyright, 1851
BY HERBERT COREY.

d HERBERT CURE Z.
ON THE FRENCH FRONT.-Some-
thing of this story has to do with the
psychology of soldiers, and something
is of that state of affairs which exists
in the forest of the Argonne, and
something is of the capture of a
famenwerfer trench. Those who told
it believed it to be a humorous story
and laugh consumedly as they repeat
1t. The civilians who heard it find
its humor rather grim. But they be-
lieve it. We heard it first at the
headquarters of an army, and then
at the headquarters of a corps, and
then in a colonels little office, and
finally in the very trench from which
the charging party set out. Every
where it was believed to be Shrek
ingly funny. The different versions
agreed in the main.
We-ha. ha-turned their f1amen-
werfers on the Germans
Then all who heard it would bend
double and slap their knees and give
evidence of the most acute enjoy
ment. But before the reader reaches
this pitch of hilarity he must under
stand what is going on in the forest
or the Argonne. On this front the
French seem to have established that
moral mastery over their opponents
that one often hears of. The French
lines seem to a civilian one wrinkle
OF trenches after another, complicated
by bombproofs, machine gun Shelters
mines. moats. hidden emplacements for
Dig guns Then one begins again
with trenches and goes through the
list everlastingly. 1t is impossible to
conceive that such positions could ever
be forced complete veracity, how
ever. forces one to state that the aero
plane maps show the German lines to
be equally strong.
Fighting of some sort, from cannon
adlng down to grenade throwing, is
going on here every hour of the TWEEN
ty-four- But the French have not been
permitted to take the offensive. Cam
palgn plans are worked out many miles
IN the rear by specialized generals bend
ing over map BILE. If they decide
that the men of a certain sector must
remain quiescent-very well, those men
SIT tight in their shelters. But by and
by they get fdgety and impatient An
Englishman would say they were 'fed
up with peace a horseman would
say they had become "beany" They
are restless and querulous and inclined
TO uninformed but noisy criticism.
Understand, said the officers who
told US the story, they are really fight
ing all the time. Every day they see
men killed or wounded. But they rebel
at monotony. They want to get onto
hoist the German out of France"
Germans Not Nervous.
The Germans opposite are obviously
restrained by similar orders to sit
tight. But the Germans opposite are
not of rollicking and impatient breed
Part of them are Ersatz men, who
never laid a gun over their shoulders
until this war began. good share of
the Ersatz are fathers of families They
Gf1hhnrn a r1 a ed Grl
Their opponents are ready to give
them full credit. No men are more
difficult to drive out of trench. But
they sit tight with sedentary aban-
don that is beyond all praise
we have told our officers that we
will not charge from our trenches"
prisoners have told the French That
IL all well enough for young hellions
are men of position Some of US are
rich. Others have as many as four
children. Let the youngsters go out
and get killed, if they want to- We
will sit tight
So that the phlegmatic sires of the
Ersatz are confronted by a breed of
nervous and fiery men, who run i'm
patient fingers inside their collars at
the thought of their enforced calm.
BY and by a trenchful of these
Frenchmen reaches the boiling point
They must work off their accumu-
lated steam some way. When they
absolutely can stand no more some
kindly elderly officer permits them a
little frolic. Boys" he undoubtedly
thinks. will be boys"
Just across from US was a famen-
werfer TRENCH said the men who
took part IN the exploit The fla
menwerfer servants were all solid.
well settled. middle-aged Ersatz men
One of our scouts crawled near
enough their trench one night to hear
their talk One group was discussing
the cost or housekeeping, and another
the port dues of Hamburg, and a
third was talking literature"
They Charge the Germans.
Over in the French trench volun-
teers were called for to assault that
famenwerfer position. Only fifty
were wanted. but the whole trench
volunteered. Those who were reject
ed pouted shamelessIy, and some Of
them went with the charging party
anyhow. The Germans were not warn
ed by preliminary bombardment
They had just had their hot midday
meal. and. being fathers of four chill
dren and some of them rich, were
inclined TO doze bit IN their dug
outs.
SO we Jumped out of our trenches
end ran like rabbits" said the French
1t seems 10 have been a complete
surprise. The Germans fred but two
or three shots. and not a single
Frenehmsn was wounded. They
lodged through the wires and leaned
to the top of the embankment and were
masters OF the position in-perhaps
forty seconds. Excited men who have
rehearsed every movement can do
many things In forty seconds The COM
posed. middle aged Ersatz men came
crawling out of their dugouts on their
hands and knees 70 find a French rife
pointed at every German head.
But there was the certainty that the
German artillery would shell the trench
as soon as the capture was reported.
Such a sheling would be heartlesg,
perhaps, but not without precedent The
French knew perfectly well they would
not be permitted 70 hold the trench
without fight. They did not want 10
hold 1t. They had only wanted a blood
warming adYenture-a relief from the
deadly monotony Of killing and being
kiiied-Inerely to play little prank
in war.
SO we seized the famenwerfer and
started II going. and turned IT back of
the German trench. II sent up a ire
mendous cloud OF black smoke. The