The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1917-08-21
BASQUE PITCHING
RET|RES GERMANS
Expert "Pelota" Players Strike
Out Teuton Regiments With
Hand Grenades.
ENEMY GUNNERs ARE BAFFlED
Pyrenees Troops Hold craonne Key
Position Despite Desperate A.
taeks-German Artillery Fires
Almost at Random.

French Front.-Grenades thrown
with wonderful precision by devotees
Of "pelota," the national game of Cuba,
Of Spain and of the Basque country in
the southwest Of France, have done
much toward defeating the almost In
cessant counter-attacks by the Ger
mans on the plateau Of California,
overshadowing Craonne, and on the
Classmates plateau, further west along
the Chemin des Danes, which are
Joined by narrow crest.
These men, whose homes are In the
Pyrenees, have fought calamity since
the outbreak of hostilities. 1t was they
who took Craonne, the key position OF
the eastern end of the Chemin des
Danes, and II was they who were in
possession Of the town and Its vicinity
when the Germans made their repeat
ed efforts to reconquer the ground, to
which their commanders attach SO
much Importance.
The latest vain German effort was
made on June 3, when General Won
Bohm with two fresh divisions Of
Rhenish troops, the Fifteenth and the
FOrty-first, who had just been hurried
back from the Roumanian front, as
saulted the California and the Case
mates plateau with suddenness and
fury such as has rarely been noted on
the part Of the Germans.
Snug In Their Shell Holes.
The attack opened with q most In
tense artillery bombardment, under
which, however, the Basques sat tight
In their trenches improvised out Of
shell holes. When the awful hurricane
of shells ceased the occupants Of the
trenches saw advancing toward them
wave after wave of German infantry,
who crossed the torn up ground elbow
to elbow, their numbers far in excess
| Of those of the French defenders.
Not sign, however, was given by
the Basques Of yielding ground until
/ the German ranks opened and brought
| to view men equipped with implements
throwing liquid flames. Then and only
then the Basques fell back at those
! portions Of their lines which were
sprinkled with blazing spirit. This
retirement was but temporary one.
The French soon organized counter
attack with grenades and bayonets.
The hand grenades were thrown by
them with such precision owing to
their lifelong practice at their favorite
game that they forced the Germans
out again rapidly and In the fury of
their onrush even advanced beyond
their original lines.
On the right Of this Basque line the
famous chasseurs had an equally Sc
we're fight with the attacking Germans,
who were eventually thrown back, aft
er suffering great losses.
German Gunners Baffled.
Not an inch Of the ground gained by
the offensive has been lost. The Ger
man artillery is compelled to fire al
most at random, since the French pos
sess all the most valuable Observa-
tories, whence they can watch the
movements Of their enemies In the
valley Of the Ailette down below and
on the crest at the other side, which
before the French offensive was the
third German position.
Information gathered from the pris-
oners shows that the German high
! command cannot reconcile itself to the
loss Of Craonne and the Chemin des
Danes, and the officers Of the fighting
units have been ordered repeatedly to
retake them at any cost.