The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-04-22
GENERAL EATS LUNCH
WHILE BATTLE RACES
Reuters Correspondent De-
scribes a British
Attack.
EVERYTHING r E ADY
Plans Laid General SHUTS
Retires to Hut and Or
ders Repast., I
EVERYTHING READ Y

London. - (Correspon dence Of the
Associated Press -Thoroughness Of
preparation, GOODNESS in execution and
scientific accuracy in the direction of
artillery fire characterize modern bat
ties as demonstrated in the last i'm
rortant conflict in the clearing of
German East Africa by British forces.
according to an account OF the battle
Of Ruf;ji river as related by Reuters
special correspondent. This was the
last campaign personally commanded
by Major General Jan Christian SHUTS,
the former Boer commander, and re-
suited in giving the British control
or all the coastline and the inhabit-
able portion Of German East Africa
For two weary months. writes Reu-
tiers correspondent, the army lay upon
it's weapons, consolidating, reorganiz-
ing, rebuilding railway lines and pill
ing up great dumps of food and rid
ding itself of its sick and wounded.
Then it moved forward from Morogoro.
The object OF the advance was the
election of the enemy from his trenches
on the Mgeta river and the seizure of
the passages Of the Rufiji river.
The battle was directed and con-
trolled from an observation hill at
Dathumi. but General SHUTS spent lit
tie time on the hill. He had made
all the dispositions and issued his or.
ders. Nothing remained for him to
Ir nd no >lyac in ,, 10 nv
ly reading a book.
In a straw hut the brieadier gen.
eral sat at Il table on which was an
oriented map showing the stra-
tegic and geographical points Of the
plans which lay before us, at his ell
bow the telephone and just below the
hut the wireless instrument necessarily
emitted sparks. Higher up the slope
Of the hill were the observing stations
of the battery commanders.
The burning OF huts at kiruru sig
nailed the beginning of the battle. The
brigadier general, n polite little man
who has lectured at the staff college
for 20 years and who knows the last
word in the science of warfare. espe-
cially of artillery called the howitzer
battery by telephone.
"'Open fire a little to the right of
palm tree" he said. You have the
elevation and direction The Nigerians
will be on the move Just behind the
palm tree and a little to the right a
great brown cloud of mud and smoke
rose high in the air From the plain
came the boom Of heavy guns and
all along the river branch rose clouds
of smoke. mud and dust.
The staff officer handed in a tele-
gram reading: THE infantry are now
about to advance; they ask artillery
support
Bring the field guns into action"
said the general.
| 1t was all 50 very matter of fact. This
little man who was about to let loose
upon the German trenches hell's
broth of fire and disaster. acted as if
! he were in his own drawing room de-
, Gliding how many Jumps Of sugar he
would take with his tea. Indeed, in
the same breath that he directed the
ba tile. he discussed whether an extra
can Of sardines and tomatoes should
be opened for breakfast or whether ne
would be content with behring's.
Down below on the plain the how.
itzers were lobbing 60-pound shells
into the German Askaris. the Nigerians
were advancing by sharp PUSHES and
the rat-tat Of the machine guns and
the crackle of musketry broke very