The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-08-04
Prussian Guard Maintains lis
l.. Reputation for Brav. G
'-.-3 Il
ery.
oVlLLERS A RUBBISH HEAP
British Capture Of Town Result "f
Bitterest Fight In Battle OF
Somme-Doqged and Des-
perate Defense.
BY PHILIP GIBBS.


In all the recent fighting tie
struggle for Ovillers stands out sep
arately as a siege in which both at
tack and defense We're of the most
logged and desperate kind.
The surrender of the remnants OF
its garrison ends an episode which will
not be forgotten In history. These
men were of the Third Prussian
Guards, and the tribute paid to their
bravery by our commander in chief Is
re-echoed by the officers and men who
fought against them. 1t is tribute
to our own troops also, who, by ND
less courage, broke down the stubborn
resistance and captured the garrison.
Town Now Rubbish Heap.
Many different battalions had Il
share In the fighting. All had SUI
fered and then gave way to new men
who knew not the nature Of this busi-
ness, but set grimly to work to carry
on the slow process Of digging out
the enemy from his last strongholds.
It was almost literally the work of dig
ging out. The town Of Ovillers does
not exist. 1t was annihilated by bonn
bardments and made rubbish heap
of bricks and dust.
But after that, when our men wera
separated from the enemy by only Il
yard or two or by only barricade OF
two, the artillery on both sides
ceased the fire upon Ovillers, lest the
gunners should kill their own men.
They barraged intensely round
about. Our shells fell necessarily
to the north and east, so that the be-
leaguered garrison should not get sup
plies or reinforcement; we made q
wall of death about them. But though
now no shells burst over the ground
where many dead lay strewn, there
was artillery of lighter kind, not
less deadly. 1t was the artillery OF
machine guns and bombs. The Prus-
sian guards made full use Of the val
ued cellars and ruined houses. They
made series of small keeps, which
were defended almost entirely by ma
chine gun fire.
& Between the attacks of our bomb.
ing parties they went below ground
into dark vaults, where 1t was safe
enough from trench mortar and hand
grenades, leaving a sentry or two on
the lookout for any infantry assault.
AS soon as we advanced the machine
guns set to work and played their
hose Of bullets across the ground
which our men had to cover.
Guard Finally Gives Up.
One by one, by getting around about
them, by working zigzag ways through
cellars and ruins, by sudden rushes OF
bombing parties led by young officers
of daring spirit, we knocked out these
machine gun emplacements and the
gunners who served them, until yester.
day there was only last remnant
Of the garrison left in Ovillers.
These men of the Third Prussian
Guard long had been In a hopeless
position. They were starving because
all supplies were cut off by our never.
ending barrage; they had no water
supply, so suffered all the tortures Of
great thirst. They were living in a
charnal house strewn with the dead
bodies Of their comrades and with
wounded men delirious from lack Of
drink.
Human nature could make no long.
er resistance, and at last the officers
raised the signal of surrender and
came over with nearly 40 men, who
held their hands up.
The fighting had been savage. At
close grips, in broken earthworks and
deep cellars, there had been no senti.
ment and British soldiers and Ger.
mans had flung themselves upon each
other with bombs and any kind Of
weapons, but now, when all was end
ed, the last Of the German garrison
was received with the honors Of war
and none of our soldiers deny them
the respect due to great courage.