The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1916-08-29
.BUCHla DENIES EAslLND's
NEW ARMIES CAN'T FIGHT
BY JOHN BuCHaN
England's Foremost Military Critic
written for the United Press

LONDON. August 29--In reports
Of the great battle Of Picsrdy. being
circulated in neutral countries today
the commonest misstatement is that
the new British armies don't know
how to fight
II is admitted that the old expedi-
tionary force was fine material. but
the new armies raised in the last two
years are described as undiscipiin-
ed and feeble in attack and irreso-
lutte in defense; formidable only be-
cause OF their numbers which are
vanishing under German fire.
No item OF the statement is true.
The casualties have not been out OF
proportion to the ground gained. In
the attack of July IA which carried
a large part of the German second
line the British losses we're extraor-
dinarily small. The individual fight
ing value of the British troops has
been equal to any in the campaign.
For example, wood was taken by
the Germans with nine battalions;
IL was recaptured by the British with
two. The British new army which
showed its merit at Loos last Septeni-
Der, has won great glory in every
phase OF Pieardy battle.
The whole British force in one
snese is now The famous old regi-
ments of the line have been renewed
completely since Mons, and heir
drafts are drawn from the same
source as the men of the new
battalions. The ninth and fiji
teenth divisions WHOLLY new
brought from Loos reputa-
ton second to none in the army
Take the great fight of July IA
when from Pozieres TO Delyille wood
the German second line was carried,
and the third line pierced. A dis
French soldier doubted
the possibility OF success. An Eng
lish general offered to eat his hat if
it did not come off. When the
French general heard of the result
he said, .C'est bien. LIE General X
ne mango pas son chapeau.
(Roughly translated - "You via.
Don't eat your hat"
In an attack certain historic
British division advanced on the
line between northumberland AMI
Longueval In each of its three
brigades there were two battalions
of the New Army and two of the
old. The attack was made by two
and the general command
ing put the four new battalions on
the first line.
The experiment proved the worth
of the new army To begin with
they managed to cross the interyeh-
ing ground and get up to within
200 yards OF the enemy's wire prac-
tically without casualties--a remark
able proof of discipline. When the
intense British bombardment ceased
Just at dawn they attacked with
superb yigor and devotion. In one
place the German wire had been i'm
perfectly cut, and they had to make
their way through it under deadly
fire. But by little after midday
the work was done. The German
second position was in their hands,
as we'll as $50 unwounded men, IS
including battalion com
mander, four howitzers, four field
guns, and fourteen machine guns.
Such WAS the achievement of four
battalions OF the New Army which
had never before been in action.
The Germans were not weak in
that section. The misty weather
had enabled them to mass guns
whose positions could not be de-
tected. They had brought up some
of their most famous troops The
truth is that it is idle talk of old
and new armies. The British army,
Old army, New army and Terrific
rails, Home divisions and Colonial
division have alike proved them
selves adequate for the task of war.
Today on the plateau between the
Ancre and the Somme il is no patch
work force that is engaged, but the
flower of the manhood OF the
British Empire.