Evening star., 1916-03-09

PARIS, March 9.-An artillery officer
who took part in the battle of Eerdun
has been authorized to make the fol-
lowing statement of his experiences
and observations:
after February 81. when the Ger
mans began the preparation for the
attack with that fury which has al
ready been described. we understood
that a decisive struggle was about to
he engaged in. Our group was then in
position to the southeast of Haumont
wood a battery was divided up for
fianking purposes on three positions.
one to the east of Haumont wood, one
to the south and a third to the north of
SamoSueux. The two other batteries
were to the south of Hill No III,
which lies to the east of Hill 344 we
We. supported by battery OF SIN
pieces of 9O-millimeter guns.
Now Down Entire Ranks.
I'VE naturally replied at once to the
German attack with Il curtain fire to
prevent. as far as possible. the enemy
infantry from opening a path into our
lines one of our sections even went
opened fire at 100 meters. But the Ger
mans despite enormous losses of men,
commenced to overflow on all SIDES
They arrived at the taures WOOD oS
the tops of the hills which run between
the Haumont woods and the Caures
wood and they progressively invaded
the positions. The section Whlch was
trying to retain them kept shortening
its fire as they advanced, moving down
entire ranks. New waves replaced those
of I'll
tion Kept on firing. exhausting us am
lnunition. 1t was hard at Work When
groups of the enemy who mad Succeed-
ed in penetrating got behind the guns.
Although they had been turned. our ar
tlllerymen did not lose their presence
OF mind. They blew up their guns and
retreated. carrying off a sergeant VINO
had been wounded.
Battery Is Wiped Out.
"A battery of ninety ymiilimeter guns
established at Haumont. although 1t
had been reached by an Internal fire,
xaliantly carried out all instructions
gwen to it. Shells of 30o-millimeter
ealiber from the German heavy guns
literally rained around this battery: In
less than a minute thirteen OF them
fell around our guns, and the battery I
OF. nineties. after having wiped out
laTge number of the enemy. was
obi iged to cease firing. At this mo-
Inent a sergeant major of a battery of
ae1d artillery, named Pierrard. APP
ISsoached the commander of the group
OF batteries and said: Commander, my |
lxttery of fifty-eights no longer en- /
lists. Please employ me elsewhere.
=" Very Well replied the commander. !
Put yourself at the disposal of the |!
battery of nineties.
-Pierrard collected the men who had I;
been working with him and brought |
them to the battery Of nineties, and |
opened the fire again. and with ad- /
mira BILE vigor. He served the pieces i
for forty-eight hours and kept con- |
stantly in communication with the
commander, demanding ammunition for |
Ids duel, Il veritable epic duel with the
German guns. Unfortunately it was |
impossible at last to send him sup
plies.
=" Use up what you have in the way
OF ammunition ordered the command
er. and then blow up your guns |;
= Blow Up Their Guns. !
S"The enemy was approaching. Their |
first ranks came SO near the guns that |
Pierrard and his compa MONS had to de- |
fend themselves with their carbines. |
Then they began to fire again with the