Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1916-12-30
Frederick Coleman Tells Whit
Went Wrong in That
Battle.
FAIL TO FOLLOW SUCCESS
Writer Discourses in an Interesting
Manner Concerning a Famous
Battle and Its Outcome
staff is at Fault.

MIR. Frederick Coleman throws new
light on a famous fight. over and over
again has been heard the question.
"What went wrong at Neuve Cha
pelle?" Some explanation of the diff
culties encountered on that early effort
al push" is given by Mr.. Coleman,
though he is careful to say Let the
writer Of the future dig the story out
of the tangled orders of the day"
Nevertheless, he was on the spot;
he served Gen. de Lisle as vOluu-
teer chauffeur, and was in close touch
with the principal, actors in the
drama, and to some extent he raises
the veil behind which-quite properly
many viii agree--the details of that
engagement are at present hidden.
''General Haig had been quite rea-
u 'sonaby correct In his estimate of the
cremys strength" Mr.. Coleman says.
our chance to break through the Ger
man line was the finest opportunity of
the whole war. That with such odds in
our favor, with preponderance of
guns, and shells as well, we would have
SO signally failed and lost $4,000 men
into the bargain required some expla-
nation.
''Ihe tragedy Of Neuye Chapelle was
failure to tuke advantage of an ini-
tai success"
He outlines the dispositions of the
brlgades engaged and then continues:
The initial success won. the whole
line waited eyes on the right for the
signal 10 20 on. Before nine O'Clock
in the morning all was ready, and the
road cleared.
IAN day the watchers waited in
vain.
ut was Pster four O'Clock in the aft
ernoon before the word came. 1t was
then too late. The great opportunity
had been lost, and lost forever
Tracing the Fault.
"The Germans had rallied. filed
farms with machine guns, and moved
down the gallant Twenty-third and
Twenty-tfth brigades, who had so
dearly w0a such splendidly advanced
positions.
The Twenty.fourth brigade had
come on part way. then concentrated
and was sadly cut up. That the line
on the right had dug in instead of
moving forward had resulted in de-
feat when Il great victory was within
grasp. And who was to blame?
a..
ernl Ia command of the artillery on a
certain division We're promptly 'stelen-
bosched.' A divisional commander was
reported and sent home, and his case
ge1pened when he declared the fault |
was not his as could be proved by GER |
tain hitherto unproduced papers from |
corps headquarters. A further inquiry |
resulted In his being reinstnted. His |
corps commander went to England
sent home said many. shortly after |
ward back he came, to the discontinue |
of the prophets, and took up his old |
command"
Mr.. Coleman's final comment is: mo |
battle of such magnitude could be won
without fine stan work and the work
of more than one staff on that March
10 left much TO be desired"
There are other disclosures Of fail
ure on the pnrt of the British in The
early days of the campaign-fnilures
due far more TO inexperience than TO
incompetence and failures which are
not likely to be repeated. Through Mr..
Coleman one is able to appreciate
all the myriad difficulties with which
brigade, divisional and corps command
ers bad to contend throughout the cam.
palgn of 1915.
transportation at Fault.
There is, for example. the tragedy
behind the scenes OF the great Cam
dian fight before Ypres and the strug-
gle for hin GO in April. 1915:
~ run TO CaSSel at daybreak was
maddening experience, the road from
Steenvoorde TO Poperlnghe being
packed and damned with all manner
of horse and motor transport A big
fiye-ton loIry belonging 10 the Cana
dams had broken down as Ii was be-
ing turned in the narrow ROADWAY
Result, an .mmovable barrier across
the pave
Truly an ounce of prevention In the
way OF road organization and route
selection by some competent authority
would have been worth many pounds
~ condemnation poured forth with vol
utility by all road users in those DAYS
OF tiresoms traffic tsngles."
There were other little things that
wanted organization-and have since
been seen To, In the Hooge battle an
officers diary records a message seut
TO brigade headquarters asking for
''two dozen extra detonators per regi-
ment, as the bombs here are without
detopators."
But Mr.. Colcman'S book is not all
tragedy. There Is much of the light
side Of war in 1t also, and Ct gives a
wonderfully rronhjc pictlrp of Sofne