Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-18
Written for The Evening Star and the
Chicago Daily News
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.

WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES, No
vember lathe chasseurs a pied, or
foot rifiemen. are among the elite of the
French army They march light, they
march fast, they strike hard. Other
troops may be obliged to subordinate
tradition to the principle Of protective
celebration. The chasseurs still wear
their famous dark blue uniform with
the thin yellow stripe down the trou-
sers Other troops may occasionally
lapse from the strict observance of
military form, but when a chasseur sa-
Iutes, the gesture is superb. They have
shed their throbbing blood on every
battlefield Of France, and their prowess
is legendary. In short, 1t amounts to
something to be a chasseur.
That, no doubt, is one reason why
young Godet, volunteering for service
two years before he was due to be call
Pied. For the rest. the mountaineers
of the east are peculiarly fitted by their
sturdy build for service in these units,
and young Godet is from Gex, in the
French Alps.
In Trenches Two Years Later.
Two years passed. October 10, 1917,
attained to the rank Of student officer,
was sent with his battalion into the
trenches on the right of the Malmaison
plateau. opposite the western end OF the
about to undertake their brilliant Of
fensive. The artillery preparation was
at it's height. Little by little the Ger
man trenches were being blown to
chaos The evening OF October 81
came. The battalion commander, know
ing the day of the attack to be immi-
nent, and desiring to ascertain the ex-
act strength of the enemy's lines oppo-
site him, ordered a patrol to make
during lull in the cannonade. Godet,
accompanied by two resolute chasseurs.
named. respectively, Claudin and Le-
boeuf. crept out under cover of the
thick white mist. and made their way
toward the enemy. AS they neared the
German trenches their progress was
hampered by deep. new shell holes. So
efficient had been the performance of
the French guns during the night that
the frst-line trench, completely upturn-
ed, had been evacuated. Not q German
was to be found. But rather than re-
turn Immediately with the informa-
ton thus procured, Godet esteemed it
cover how far the Germans had with
drawn
The distance was not great. Leaping
stealthily from she'll hole to shell hole,
the tnree men, on approaching the sup
port trench. were heard by German
sentinel. who, to spread the alarm, fred
a shot into the mist. Godet did not
hesitate. With q loud cry OF EN-
avant" he 1eaped forward. followed by
his two men. The ruse was successful.
The Germans. deceived by the morning
vapors and believing that strong at
tack was upon them, scattered and ran.
Some fifty Of them took refuge in a
deep shelter, with the three solitary
Frenchmen in pursuit. When they be-
came aware of their mistake 1t was too
late. As the last German turned vic
iously at the entrance to the dugout
and called to his comrades to come up
and fight. Leboeuf shot him through
the body. Another German thrust his
head from under ground. Leboeuf blew
the mans brains out. The rest had
had their lesson. They stayed below.
and down into their midst Leboeuf
threw two grenades.
Saw Germans With Machine Gun.
Meanwhile Godet and Claudin were
seriously occupied. They had perceived
two Germans dragging a machine gun
to the top Of a she'll hole just outside
the trench. They themselves leaped for
the security of shell holes and then