The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-03-31
HORRORS or WAR
Described BY Correspondent After
Somme Battle

British headquarters in France.
March % by way of London, $40 p.
mi
Now that the desperate episodes in
the war known in history as the bat
ties of the Somme, have been definite
ly ended by the German retreat from
Arras to the Aisne. it has been pos
sible more leisurely to investigate
the conditions which existed along the
German front just prior to the back
ward swing to the so-called linden
burg line. When the retreat first be
gan more than month ago, the Brit.
| ish swept over some old Somme posi-
tions held by the Germans, and even
the most hurried glimpse OF the eyacu
ated trenches indicated how untenable
| they had become and why it was de-
cided to run no risks OF another allied
offensive in this sector. Five miles
of slogging along the old German lines
| in the vicinity OF Bapaunle today re
vealed a picture of ghastliness which
may never be seen again in this or
any other war. The front line was a
long, open, dilapidated, crumbling
grave, which disappeared in the mud
at times, but could be picked up fur
| Their on by means of the bodies that
marked the way.
One realized with a shudder how
| the men doomed to live in these
trenches had been plagued by their
own dead. Such ceremony us decent
burial had been wholly out of the
question, and there was no means of
| conveying the bodies to the rear. II
| had been like passing through a fiery
| rain from Hades to bring up food and
| water to the living So, the dead had
simply been tossed out of the trenches
| only TO be blown back again by ex-
ploding shells.
| Occasionally graves had been dug
| in the sides of the trench itself, but
the dead could not even rest there. At
| frequent intervals the inevitable skele-
ton hands and feet protruded from
the trench walls. Grim sights this
war has had for the men who passed
up and down these trenches during
the long and bitter nights of winter.
1t has been an enthralling thing to
stand by the British guns in the last
| three or four months and wonder
what was the meaning of all their
| continuous roar. There was no set
battle in progress. and-the gunners
| said il was merely the daily hate
going on to keep Fritz unhappy. The
| hideous revelations Of the German
| trenches, however, give the grew
| some answer to what the guns were
doing. In some places there were
veritaele mangled masses of what
| We're once human beings Neither by
day nor by night had the Germans
rest. Their trusted barbed wire, in
which they always place such great
! reliance, had been swept completely
away over thousands OF yards, and
they dared not venture out to repair
II.
All trace OF communication trenches
leading to the front fines Nas wiped
! out, and it had been necessary 70
bring up supplies and relief lat night
over country blown into endless
shell toles. many OF which were flied
10 such a depth with water that men
were drowned in them White bits Of
.
there attached to the iron posts
These were for the purpose OF guiding
the men up to the front line.
These pathways over the fields OF
death also were strewn with frag-
ments of human bodies. Some OF the
dead had the look OF mummleg One
OF the fallen soldiers had his right
arm thrown over his rife as IL his
last impulse was 10 protect this
weapon of defense. But there was
no defense against the constant shell
ing. Some pieces OF metal thrown
about by the high explosive shells
must have weighed at least 10 pounds;
the result of hitting man with 10
pound bullet can easily be imagined
At enc point in the trenches was
Just the lower half of German oil
fcef. identified by the boots and leg
gings he wore. His legs were crossed
tailor fashion. Trench helmets of
heavy steel had great holes torn in
them
The front line, OF course. was seam
ed with the inevitable deep German
dugouts, but even these had not been
immune There we're hundreds of di
rect hits on top OF them. which must
have made life intensely miserable
and hazardous within. Around the IA
nous Butte de Warlencourt the Ger
| man trenches have entirely disap-
Deared. The entire fury of the Somme
fighting once swirled about this some
what insignificant mound of powdered
| chalk, Just off the Bapaume road,
! which is generally believed to have
been prehistoric tomb. The Butte
now marks the death place not only
of one supposedly distinguished pre-
historic man, but thousands OF young
warriors.