The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1916-02-25
Possession Of Point in Dispute Of No Par
iicular Strategeic Importance but
Both Sides are Bent on
Holding Il
CONSTANT STRUGGLE
CONTINUES YEAR
Coveted Position is Taken and Retaken
Many Times During Course Of Des-
perate Contest Which Still
Stubbornly Proceeds
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMS.

py WILLIAM PHILIP SIMS.
Omitted Press Staff correspondent.)
WITH THE FRENCH ARMY IN
ALSACE, Jan 20.-(By Mail.)--A feud
in the middle of big war, that is what
this position of smannsweillerkof
is; a feud just like they have down
IN Breathit county, Kentucky. For
French officers will admit and so wiz
German officers, that this position on
the western battle front has no more
and no less Importance than scores
Of other points elsewhere between the
sea and Switzerland.
Every few days the French and Ger
man communiques mention scrapping
on the knob in the Vosges mountains
known as "Old Armand" or Harts-
inansweillerkopf. One might imagine
that thet side holding this crest held
the key to Paris or to Berlin. 1t 10
not so. It's simply the feud going on,
each side determined to have the hon
or Of holding the top of the mountain.
1t is like the struggle about a flag:
a matter Of pride in taking and hold
ing
The quarrel began exactly a year
ago. A small detachment of French
Chasseurs established All advance post
on the summit Of Hartsmannswciller-
kopf. They we're surprised by larger
force, surrounded and beaten. This
was on January Is, 1915.
Fortifying the position strongly as
an observation point, the Germans held
The crest until March 23, when the
French stormed the hill, took the
trenches at the top, captured 10 off,
GERS, "a noncoms and 313 men, all
wounded.
Early in April the Germans recap
tured part of the lost trenches, but
the French. on April 6, charged again.
took all they had lost. together with
the big rock on the far side of the
summit.
Humiliated, the Germans prepared a
counter attack which they launched
April &c, taking everything back to and
including the summit where they fever
ishly set to work organizing the posi-
tion so it would be stronger than ever
All night they worked, but with dawn
came the Blue devils, as the Alpine
Chausseurs are called, swarming up
the precipitous slopes Of "Old Armad,
and despite machine guns, rifle fire
and bayonets, they reached the top
and put the Germans to rout once
more Immediately the Germans tried
tc rally but failed, though they estab-
lished trenches within seven yards Of
those of the French at the top.
Throughout the summer the little
war in the middle OF the big war kept
going, first the Germans gaining
section of trench at this point or thar.
then the French driving them out and
taking a corresponding slice Of the
German trenches a bit lower down the
slope.
On September 9, the Germans, after
a period of comparative calm. slam
med home surprise attack and retoolz
the summit. The French, undismay-
ed, came back at the Germans the
same night and in the dark fought
like the blue demons people called
them. They retook their trenches and
many German dead we're left behind.
The same thing happened all over
again October Is when the kaiser's
men sent wave after wave against
the bitterly contested mountain top,
finally taking the whole works, drig-
ing the French back down the hill IN
the direction of France. But on Octo-
Der 16 the French came tearing up
the hill again and drove the Germans
out
The Germans came back in Deceni-
her several times, gaining a foothold
but just before Christmas the French
drove them back with heavy losses,
includinc nearly 1,400 prisoners. Two