The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-02-04
Twelve FIGHTS
N ONE NIGHT
FOR Tree STUMP
HartmannsWeiler-Kopf in the
vosges Is Scene Of Constant
" Fighting.
TRENCHES FIVE YARDS APART

Character Of Warfare That Has En-
gagged Armies In AIsaee for Seven.
teen Months-capture Of Gene.
terry Costs More Dead Than
Were Ever, Buried In It.
London.-The following is published
In tho London Daily Express from its
correspondent in Paris:
When the snow-laden wind comes
roaring over the Alsatian hills. it's icy
blast chilling the body to the bone
the poilus. huddled together, many
feet below the ground, draw their
blankets closer around them. for the
blizzard creeps down every nook and
Granny, and the men, now experienc.
ing their gecond winter campaign in
the Vosges, mumur: How cold the
Boches must feel!'
This note Of cheerfulness prevails
throughout the French lines, and no.
where more than in this sector of the
front. have chatted with Turcos,
who now see snow for the first time,
and with men whose extremities were
frost bitten last winter. but everyone
is happy with the idea that, no matter
how much he feels the cold, the plight
Of the Germans must be much worse
Here we are in German territory:
there is no gainsaying that aid to
cheerfulness. How far we have pro-
crossed am forbidden to state, but |
can affirm that no fewer than twenty
Alsatian towns are now within the
penny postal rate Of France. Every
yard gained Is q step nearer the Rhine,
bu, for every foot of ground conceded
by the enemy there is bloody fighting.
Hartmannsweiler.Kopf has become q
symbol Of the conflict In Alsace; In no
other sector of the front, so the French
general stan say. has the fighting been
20 severe, but the importance of its
loss or gain must not be exaggerated.
The summit, it is true, commands
. great portion of the plains of Al
SAGE; but ever since the French first
reached the foot Of the hill the whole
Of Hartmannsweiler-Kopf has never
been wholly in the possession Of either
French or German.
Warfare In Black and White.
Here is warfare in black and white.
The black uniforms Of the Chasseurs
Alpins are silhouetted against q back
ground Of snow. 9 Fromkan4 observations
post one sees columns Of sure-footed
mules carrying parts Of guns, and COM
panies of men, like myriads of ants.
crawling through the mountain passes:
or again. patches of black, vague
smudges. ,whirling over the snow. More
Chasseurs Alpins rushing on skis
over hill and dale, stopping, twisting.
firing and rushing on again; agile lit.
tie men who are the terror of the Ger.
mans lives in this sector.
Tales of their daring are legion. 1t
is not 80 long ago that handful of
them crawled throug b the German
lines and brought back a munition
train! It was In the early hours of q
winters morning. They found the
train with steam up; the engine was
started, the enemy was taken COM
,pletely by surprise, and the train was
brought to a spot near enough to the
French lines for the men to remove
the munitions and destroy the train.
THE Chasseurs, Or blue devils as
they are called, were concerned in the
taking Of Sudel farm, which opened up
the road to the Reinbach valley. After
some diminishing between outposts
the French established themselves on
the River Sutz. The snow was fall
ing thickly when the French began
their advance in the teeth Of a hurri-
cane of shells that came from the
German batteries on the hills behind
,Cernay, but nothing daunted the
devils" although they were two days
en- the way. sleeping in the snow.
AT dawn on the third day the French
outposts heard the sound of firing. 1t
was caused by the skiers, who had
been out all night looking for the
enemy. They returned, bringing back
with them two wounded German off,
GERS and six men. "s..
4 The ruins of the Chateau Freud
stein concealed the guns, and massed
IN neighboring valleys were the Ger
mans. Enemy airmen had been hover.
Ing over the column since it set out,
and undoubtedly the enemy was trying
to draw the French into trap, but
'reuton slyness went astray. Soon
the enemy found he had no chance Of
ambushing the French, and he changed
his tactics and sent out one company
from q Bavarian regiment to wipe out
the blue devils The speed of the
men on skis was too great, however
Tor the heavy-footed Boches and they
were soon outdistanced. A French
battery Of heavy, artillery received q
telephone message giving them the ap-
proximate range, and after period Of
bombardment the guns in the ruins of
the chateau were silenced.
Storming Sudei Farm.
Then came the opportunity sought
by the devils they began their attack
against the center of the German posi-.
ton. which was Sudel farm. They ad,
vanced under cover to within about
a. -s>-~~-s~~S~~se~~~~
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