South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-10-27
WAR IS INVISIBLE
AS FOUGHT TODAY
British Artillery Officer Tells
of Battle Between Eng
IiSh and Germans.

A<Af-N ltNN4M- NINN. -N--- " ar as con-
Quoted today is mostly invisible.
Looking at "a fortified position from
a slight distance, it is hard 10 realize
the difficulty of taking it, So writes
an artillery officer in a letter home
from the British front in France.
He says.
Nights are, think, the most
wonderful part Of the "a hours in
our battery position. Standing up
above ones guns and looking
around. the whole country appears
10 be splitting fire. There are guns
everywhere. And over the front
line "a tremendous drework display
goes on the whole night through
Rockets and colored flames are
forever going up silhouetting against
the skyline the remains of bars,
stricken trees, and here and there
small groups Of tiny black figures
working parties and reliefs going
up-in this direction a ruined Wiz
lage. or over there, gaunt and
ghashly. what was once a wood or
COpse.
"The occasional cracking of
machine gun can be heard pene-
trating the continual boom of the
guns in the distance. while over
head shells of all descriptions Shrek
and wall increasingly.
The other day I was able 10 wit
ness an attack from our o. p, and
for the first time saw the enemy's
country The position was "a strong
one. and I must own 10 being sur
prised. almost 10 a state of disap-
pointment, when the Hun lines were
pointed ont 20 me-
Il had a good view and was com
paratively close TO them. but the
scene appeared 10 be so very ordin-
airy. one mass of upturned earth
and debris. Everywhere one goes
is debris and ruin. It is nauseat-
ing; at times depressing. The near
or you get 10 the front line the more
ibis is noticeable. The ground there
is the most frequently bOmbarded.
Men have too much TO do to keep
tidy SUCH places; they can wait until
the line is pushed further forward.
There is debris everywhere. In
places il is one tangled mass Of tele-
phone wire or barbed wire, empty
tins of every description. Offal and
refuse all swarming alive with in
sects bluehottles and flies. They
make the air thick. buzzing and
kissing angrily as one d.stUrbs them
in passing.
The place is unhealthy. 1t doesn't
co 10 stay and ponder. one knows
what the earth contains.
ITO come back TO the attack /
witnessed 1t was well-nigh impos-
sible in the first place TO make out
distinctly which were our trenches
and which the Huns. Being a nov
ice, il all appeared TO be the same.
one huge mass Of disturbed earth.
with shell holes everywhere.
1T seemed impossible TO believe
that the position was a strong one
and wanted some taking As / was
watching I became aware that an
attack was about 10 be launched.
Through my glasses / could see
groups Of figures Gin khak) form
ing up behind a small rise i'm the
ground in the near distance. Every
where small khaki figures now were
appearing.
suddenly. as if one. the whole of
the guns on the British front az
peared 10 let loose their wrath. The
air was literally full of shell.
shrieking and tearing overhead.
Thicker and thicker they came. The
Khaki figures moved slowly forward.
Il then. for the first time, made
ont the Hun lines. The earthworks
in front which before showed no
signs of life were now alive with
little blue caps. At one point a ma
chine gun could be clearly seen. It
was manned by brave men and was
doing deadly work.
The khaki figures still massed
forward. Men We're falling here and
there. but the khaki figures still
went On until lost in that smoke and
dust i'm which the Hun line was now
covered. The air was reeking with
the smell of gunpowder. I could
watch for only a few minutes longer.
The atmosphere was becoming
thicker and thicker, and the whole
sight was lost from view in thick
smoke and dust.
1T was all so fascinating 10 watch
that one remained as if mesmerized.
looking over the parapet with glass
es glued on that cloud OF smoke i'm
front OF one. knowing that it was
getting thicker and thicker, but
anxious. if only for a fraction Of
second, for it 10 break SO as to see
what was going on. Ny telephonist
from below called me. The wires
had been cut Ii was then that I
realized that the Hun had been re-
taliating, and that looking over the
front of a trench wasn't the wisest
thing TO he doing
"Krump, We are covered with
dust and dirt The parapet "a yard
or two lower down has been broken
I'm by a Hun she'll The fight goes
on. and the bombardment on both
sides continues all night"
IIr 10 A IATODhH nINNEn