The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1917-12-06
GERMANS HURT IN
PRACTICE FIGHT
Diary Exposes Carelessness of
Teuton Gunners With Their
Own Men.
REHEARsE FOR Big BATTLES
Realism Carried to the Extreme by
Germans in Preparing for Trial of
New Strategy--Says Human
Strength Is Powerless.

Strength Is PowerlesS. :
With the French Armies.-It is now
pretty well known that both the
French and Germans frequently re-
hearSe their battles, under conditions
AS realistic as possible on specially
prepared maneuver grounds. But,
whereas the French on these occasions
ERke great care that no men shall be
injured, the Germans have carried
realism to such point that each exer-
else of this kind costs them a number
of wounded. The fact is attested by
the following extract from the note
book of a German of the 218th regi-
ment of infantry:
asThe exercise was to represent a
new method of attack used by the
French, and was to take place on the
21st, in the presence of the duke of
Wuerttemberg, and other persOnages.
~On the 18th our artillery regulated
It's fire preparatory to the exercise.
Men Wounded in Drill.
sAOn the 21st we were put in place
at 8 10 a. N. From $50 to 10 80 the
artillery and the trench mortars fired.
We were given each fifty explosive
cartridges, while the men of the first
and second waves were given each,
respectively, six and two loaded gren-
AIDES. From the start, during the fir
ing of the trench mortars, men were
wounded by splinters. At 1920 the
business began, and toward 80 p. m.
our companies were assembled for the
goose step parade on the Hochwalsch-
Walderystal road. This parade also
took place before the duke of Wuert-
temberg. The exercise, it appears,
satisfied these gentlemen entirely. So
It will not be long now before we en-.
ter into the hell. Unhappily, several
men were wounded, one seriously. II
t8 really sad to see exercise of this
kind carried out. with real artillery
and trench mortars. Aside from the
TACT that 1t costs great deal OF
money, men are wounded almost regu
larly. So 1t is not enough that VIZ
should risk our lives when we are al
the front, we must even be exposed
TO danger when we are supposed t,
be at rest"
And here are some extracts from tn,
notebook Of a German captured latel,
at Hill 304, near Verdun:
Yesterday just after midnight W.
went up to the first line. The marcI
was terrible. We were shelled from
every side and the night was black
We got lost and had to wander two
and half hours in the open. Aftel
difficulty of every description We
finally reached our shelter. And wha
a-shelter! The entrance and the ext
were half caved in. l hope the shells
won't finally block them, for escape ir
such circumstances is not to be
thought of. Our safety depends only
on divine aid; human strength is pow.
erless.
"Next' day, $50 a. MI have JUS
got up. In spite of the violent bonn
bardment of Shells and torpedoes
SN~>NNNSN AZ SWUNG lub1S# VI IcSs
sleep. But we have gone without eat
ing or drinking, as the supply mer
have not been able to get through The
barrage fire. / still have a piece Of
bread and little to drink; I will re
lain myself as long as possible. Who
knows when we shall be revictualed? 2
Why He Could Not Write.
On the day following the same sol
der wrote a letter which was found
on him when he was captured. I Civ,
this extract:
Thou hast been waiting a long time
for news of me, my dear Gertrude, bu
j can send thee nothing because the
artillery fire is generally SO intense
that the supply men who take our let
tiers cdnnot get to us. Last night, OF
rather today, we went to gather wha
the others threw away when they ran
and had some success, otherwise VIZ
would have had nothing to eat 'ol
drink. To suffer hunger and thirst
) thou seest, is terrible. Every one
says: IF the French come now it's al
.up.' Thou seest in what state We
are"
And then the French did come
Paul Scott Mowrer in the Chicago
News.