Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-06-07
TMEs-REPUBLICAN RsHALLTOWN, IOWA: JUNE 4. 1917

has. if anything increased among them.
The recruits Of the younger classes
learn quickly to profit from the expert
encc OF their comrades who have be-
come veterans and past masters in the
art Of furnishing surprises to the en-
envy and after their Incorporation into
the fighting units in the trenches
where they rapidly acquire the routine
of continual watchfulness, they lose
no time in demonstrating their desire
to carry out some act Of individual dar-
ing.
Living among them, as the writer
has done turnout the great operations
Of the Somme, in the Argonne, on the
Aisne. in champagnS in Alsace and
around Verdun, one acquires an un-
bounded admiration for the unceasinS
activity and virillty Of the French sol
diers Of all branches of the service.
Even during the intervals between
great attacks and battles, when II
would be expected they would be only
too eager to seek repose and relaxation
from the hardships and perils of trench
! life, there are always to be found dar-
ing men among them who voluntarily
go out towards the German lines in
search Of adventure always with the
hope OF bringing back. some prisoners
or disturbing the enemy's plans.
One outlet for their OVERLOOKING ac-
tivity Is the organization Of trench
raids in which only a few men COM
pose the attacking force. In these min
or affairs, whose effect on the gener-
al situation at the front is more Inn
portant than at first would appear,
since they harry the enemy and keep
him constantly guessing and worrying
as to what may follow, the French sol
diers have become expert. and they
rarely return to their trenches without
some prisoners and some valuable in
| formation as to conditions In the OPP
posing lines.
The commander of the army Is not
consulted as to the carrying out OF
these raids. Each colonel of a regiment
| has the final word as to whether his
men shall take the risk, and the col
onels take good care not to discourage
their men from displaying their indi-
viduality.
The problem of overcoming the net
work OF barbed wire protecting the
front lines of the enemy's position pre-
scented difficulties at the beginning Of
the campaign, but artillery has now
acquired the mastery of that obstacle
and as consequence the enemy no
longer finds himself in security behind
it, All the French colonel wants to
know, when raid is about to be un-
dertaken. is the hour at which it is in
tended to start. A few minutes suffices
| to make penetration by resolute infan-
trymen possible. Sudden outbreaks OF
artillery fire are so frequent that the
enemy often pays no more attention to
| them than to return some shells, While
the troops manning his front trenches
seek shelter in their dugouts until the
shower of steel has stopped.
The enemy's uncertainty as to what
is to happen frequently leads to his I'M
doing for before he has made up his
mind that the French guns have decid-
ed to quit firing and that 1t is safe to
come out from the shelters again he
finds French soldiers leaping into the
trenches and throwing grenades into
the mouths of the dugouts while call
ing on their occupants to surrender
Refusal or hesitation means further
| yolley of srenades and almost certain
severe injury or death to those inside
| Therefore they shout Kamarad!
throw down their arms and come out to
be chased before their captors back
| thru the broken network Of barbed
| wire to the French lines.
In one division the regiments made
speciality of surprise trench raids and
acquired almost unbelievable skill in
carrying them out almost without loss
to themselves. One regiment in the
course Of the last month, had to its
credit ten such raids, as result OF
/ which, besides killing many enemies
they captured fifty three German pris-
oners, without the loss of single
Frenchman.
The French and German lines are 80
close that a raid rarely takes more
than ten minutes-just the time to race
across the open. make the haul Of pris-
oners and race back with them again.
j----------