Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-06-09
Men Who Until Recently Had
Served on Russian 'FRONT.'
Appalled, by Experiences I'M
British Attack,
DAYS WITHOUT FOOD
BECAUSE OF BARRAGE
Officer, When Captured, As
serts That Achievement
of English Forces Should
Satisfy Kaiser,
Tsy nossika JournkL SPECIAL LsAseo w,ssl
L. H.. L. Nt.af 6,f

British Headquarters In France,
June (via London, 1898 p. m. From
Correspondent of the Associated
Press. )---Comparative quiet reigned
today along the front of the latest
British attack, which wrested the
Messines ridge from the Germans
Thursday. The noise of the guns was
quite appalling, but otherwise the day
was one of almost complete inaction.
Tonight is also quiet and the British
have thoroughly consolidated their
gains and are able to defend them
against any counter-attack the tenn
porarily bewildered Germans may
commence.
Prisoners kept coming in today in
increasing hundreds, Dazed by near
ly q week of most terrifying gunfire,
and half famished as result of the
starvation barrage" the British had
kept on their lines of communication
and supply, these men upon reaching
the cool, grassy spots within the
British barbed wire stockades erected
for their anticipated arrival stripped
themselves to the waist, tore off their
heavy trench boots and flung them
selves to the ground, where they soon
were lost. in the heavy sleep OF COM
plete exhaustion. For them the war
il over, and their relief at being out
of it was only too apparent.
Astonished New Men.
The men who had seen most OF
their military service on the Russian
front were the most demoralized of
all. :,
I'VE had heard much of the condi-
tions on the western 'front.'" slsd one
of the captured German officers to
the Associated Press. But We al
ways thought there was much exag-
geration about them. We had no
realization of what war was.
when we came from Russia rev
weeks ago we were told we were going
against the British but that we neeo
not worry, as the British were not IN
a position to accomplish anything
serious against us in view OF their Of
fensiye at Arras. The artillery IRE
we experienced when we first came
to the Messines ridge was more ter
rible than anything we had seen or
heard on the eastern front,
"Then. a week ago the English
started their intensive bombardment.
II was terrible to endure. Few OF us
ever thought we would get out or II
alive. There was distinct sense OF
relief when the mine was expioueu
Yesterday morning. We knew tnen
that an attack was under way ana
that we soon should be dead or IN
position to surrender. Most OF US car
frankly say that we preferred the lat
ter. ,s
This experience of ours should
end the war. We have no possible
chance to win Two days ago my
division was made up of three splen-
did German regiments. we sa"
these men shrivel up in hurricane
Of fire with which we could not pos
sibly compete. Now my division ex-
lists no more
This officer had no complaints 10
make against the German higner
command and no apparent desire 10
win favor from his brother captors'
He was so shaken by the ordeal ne
had undergone that he seemed TO
find at least momentary rellef IN eA-
pressing In excellent English the
thoughts which were uppermost IN
his mind. The experience of his d.
vision is evidence that Germany Is
not finding a solution Of her military
difficulties in transferring her old
eastern units to the western front.
The battle of the Messines ridge
will stand out as a wonderful tri-
umph for the British artillery. The
deepest Significance IN the striking
victory lies in the fac. that the Ger
mans seemed to know the attack was
coming and had endeavored in every
possible way to defend themselves
against 1t. But as fast as they
brought up new batteries, the Brit
ish guns were upon them. British
airships always were over the Ger
man lines. watching every move,
demonstrating very plainly with
whom rests supremacy In the air on
this front.
All the prisoners say they had been
warned within the last few days that
the British might attempt an often
sive and that the main attack might
come in the Messines sector. witt
the hope of nipping off the Wyl
schaete sector--all of which, it may
be stated, had been accomplished.
British raids Just prior to the attack
showed that the German sentries al
ways sought cover from the British
bombardments, as they had very
good reason to do.
Ordered to Hold Line.
Prisoners say they were ordered to
hold the front line at all costs. al
though the commanders verbally ad-
mitted that this line would be taken
by the first assaulting waves. 1t was
hoped, however, Immediately to
eject the British with the much
talked-o German storming troops
and "slosstrupen' which had been
specially formed ''to knock" the
British out of any trench element
they might enter.
German troops who but recently
came into the line said they had seen
many guns moving toward the front.
This worried them considerably, for
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