Norwich bulletin., 1917-07-10
STORIES OF THE WAR
The oapture of LaHaus Mil.

 Correspondence of The Assoclated Press)
 Cavalry on foot took a brilliant part In the recent attack and capture from the Germans of the LaffAux Mill. the key position of the famous Chernin des Danes and in the vain effort to feconQuer the stronghold the German commanders hrve since seen Jhe-r crack regiments Wither away.
 These French cavalry rnen who ad, during the Entente retreat to the Marine in August. 1914 covered them- selves with glory while acting as shield between the pursuing Gerr1a ms and their own army. had been chafing With irnpa tience to cross weapons cnee more with the enemy. Trench var fare, however. did not lend itseF to cavalry fighting. Most of the Soldiers of the cavalry regiments are men belonging to the active army who were in full permanent training when hos tilities began in 1914, and the various units still are under the comma nd Of their regular commissioned and non commissioned officers. They had suf- fered some losses during the earlier en- tents and purposes, the regiments re ma lined intact
 The military authorities considered for long time the question as to how material composing these regiments. which were eating their heads off fin comparative idleness behind the lines for lack of opportunity. to join in the themselves were "spoiling for fight"
 Eventually it was decided to sep arate the men of some of the reri- ments from their mounts and to form hnents and brigades. Officers and sol diers greeted the order with entnusi- asrn.
 The first to be Transformed from horsemen into footnnen were the culrassier regiments and 1t was these disraounted cavaliers who gave such q good account Of themselves Tn the struggle for the aTaux Mill. whose capture viii form one of the most daring episodes recorded on thciT fing which bore already the names of r1anS historic battles fought by them n the last century.
 When the order to go lover the top was given at daybreak. the innproyi7ed infantrymeh leaped from the trenches with the dash of youth--fof tic ma jority of them were of the hest mil itary age. from g tn 2S-and followed across the rising ground the tar-aS
 fire from the French artillery. whose curtain of projectiles raised an i'm passahle screen before them and drove the German defenders to shelter when ii did not crush them together ~ith their field works. By far the greater mum Der of the men were natives of the districts invaded by the Germans and their anxiety to get n grips with their enemies was great. They reached the plateau in their first dash and then after taking breath they started for ward again. their objective this time being two strong lines Of trenches fortified by cement shelters heTs and there and with nests of machine guns which enileded the advance. The first line of trenches was car ried without much trouble but. Tn the center of the attack. LaffaHx Mill re- 4 aIe T. ffafs sl \ -1sg zzc bristling with machine guns. The disn1ounted cavalrymen saw the FHtil- ity of attacking these places from the front SO non commissioned officers with parties of men filtered through between them until they were sur rounded. Then a section of tanks was ordered up to deal with the points of resistance. which they did while the first wave of cuirassiers passed on to attack the next line.
 The second line was defended with the courage of despair by the German ! troops, and progress could be made by the cuirassiers only very slo"i5 ! every foot of ground he vi1s 70 he earned in individual combats with handgrenades and bayonets.
 At one point party of forty Ger mans stood fast Prayely throwine ro,,drt Then one of the bravest deeds of a day | in which many were done was par formed by Trooper Beraneer. who ad- ! Vanced in front of his comrades in the i open with his portable machine gun l and after deliberately taking sight moved all the Germans down despite a continual shower of srenades which. | by some lucky chance, missed him
 After fight lasting nearly six .hcurs | the cuirassiers occupied all their ob- 1 iectiVes and the plateau surroundi~- l I,affaux Mil has since remained in | French hands despite dozens of strong ! fir all of which the Germans have lost heavily. The first | advance of the cuirassiers over the | plateau, when they captured over 590 | prisoners and a large number of ma chfne-guns well rewarded them for | their long period of imuiobility behind | the lines ana they are now quite con soIed for what they thought at frs was the desredation of being turned |