The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-08-17
40 CAvALRYMEN
CHECK GERMAN
SHOCK TROOPS
Hold Position to Northwest
of Verdun Against Half
Battalion of Enemy.

FRENCH FRONT, July 19.-(By The
Associated Press. )-Forty French cav
alrymen were the heroes OF one Of the
most brilliant feats OF arms which
stands out by itself among the innum-
cradle stories of heroic deeds OF this
war, during the German attack on
June 20 on the French positions
around the Mort Homme, to the north
west OF Verdun.
These few men. who were in charge
of sharp salient whose point stuck
far into the German position, not only
held out against half a battalion OF the
famous German shock troops support
ed by flame projectors, grenades and
machine guns, as well as by one Of the
most intense artillery bombardments
ever experienced, but beat them back
after inflicting on them heavy losses.
Shock Battalions Leads.
The German attack, preceded by
bombardment in which more than 500
of their cannon rained shells on the
French positions along front OF only
about 1900 yards, was led by the mod
ell battalion of German shock troops
headed by Captain Roehr himself, the
inventor OF the new system of select
ing special troops to make sudden
strong rushes on the opposing posi-
tons.
These shock troops. while their COM
rades were attacking the other part Of
the French line, came forward with
an impetuous rush on to the little
salient held by the forty dragons, since
ii was most important for the Ger
mans to take that point If their attack
was to be completely successful.
This overwhelming force did not al
feet the nerves of the gradoons, who
belonged to the determined Bretons-
their regiment the Twenty-fourth is
recruited in Brittany,-and had all par
ticipated in the cavalry fighting of the
beginning OF the war as well as many
battles in the trenches. One Of their
sergeants took command. Their rifles
spoke out with rapid fire and their
portable machine gun worked unceas-
ingly.
XIII Many Germans.
Soon they saw Germans falling ev-
erywhere in front and the frontal at
tack on the salient wilted away. The
Germans, however, were determined to
take the salient and they Immediately
organizd a flank attack, but 1t was
foreseen by the French sergeant who
placed two Of his men kneeling on
each traverse with three men below
in the trench to supply them with gre
nades. Gradually. the Germans ad-
vanced as the Frenchmen fell back
wounded, but for each section of
trench they were compelled to make
fresh fight until the Frenchmen had
retired for a distance of 200 yards
along the front trench.
1t took three hours to make this pro-
gress and by that time the dragons
had reached the opening to a COM
munication trench leading to the road.
Here they decided to form a redoubt
and make their last stand.
Just then the sergeant in charge
Of the dragons noticed relaxation
in the German attack. He gathered
all his remaining men together, made
a dash forward and in less than half
an hour had reconquered the entire
salient and had taken four prisoners.
He then hastily wrote a report and
sent it to the rear: Quiet has been
restored and nothing has been lost.
The roll call showed that only 20 OF
the dragons had escaped wounds or
deaths. They had accounted during
the fight for two full companies of
Germans and entered the salient
Germans which entered the salient
charge.