New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-28
THE BATTLE FOR A MOUNTAIN
BY GORDON CORDON-SMITH

for the Austrians. Germans make war with
certain method, certain routine, which the
Serbs the war-worn veterans Of Europe, soon
understood and knew how to meet But the
Bulgar is "quite another proposition" as our
American friends would say. He has no
routine; he attacks night and day, and he is
quite as ready with the "bayonet and the
butt as with long range artillery and ma
chine gun fire.
No more striking picture Of modern war
and of modern military methods could have
been seen than the capture of the Chuke
Mountain and the village of Polog, of which
was spectator. The staff of the Serbian
division carrying out the attack was estab-
lished on the mountain summit facing the
Chuke Mountain. On the windswept crest
the staff had taken up its position. This was
strewn with huge powders and masses OF
rock, among which were placed the telephone
stations connecting the staff with the various
batteries and the actual fighting line on the
opposite mountain. doubt if we were
twenty persons on the windswept plateau.
The colonel commanding the division (the
Serbs arc sparing in their distribution OF
general rank was seated on a camp stool in
the lee of mass of rocks, with his field
glass glued on the opposite mountain slope.
From time to time sharp order sent by
telephone caused batteries of mountain guns,
light or heavy artillery, to open fire on the
Bulgarian position. 1t was like virtuoso
playing the piano. The fire went from pianis-
simo to fortissimo, then died away for a
minute or two to commence afresh. All along
the mountainside one could see the white
pufs of smoke like cotton wool, showing the
bursting shrapnel or the dirty brownish yell
low smoke of the heavy shells.
Then, on another order, little black lines
began to emerge from all the ravnes and
rocks on the mountainside. The rattle of
rife fire and the pom-pom-pom of the ma
chine guns drifted across the valley. The
Serbian troops were beginning the assault.
From the point where | stood it was quite
possible to distinguish how the combat
swayed backward and forward. Sometimes
the antlike lines Of the attacking force
would rush forward hundred yards or so,
sometimes | could see them taking refuge in
a ravine or dry mountain stream from the
pitiless rifle and machine gun fire OF the
Bulgarians. Slowly but surely, however, che
Serbian regiments pushed forward. The rattle
Of the machine guns from the first line of
trenches ceased as they we're stormed at the
point of the bayonet. Five minutes later we
saw long lines of Bulgarian prisoners pour
ing down the mountainside.
Then the thunder OF the guns, bombarding
the second line of trenches and the village
Of Polog broke forth sfresh, and we saw the
Serbian infantry massed in a rsvine prepar-
ing fresh assault. As darkness began to
fall we could distinguish the flames and
clouds Of smoke from the burning village,
which had been carried at the point of the
bayonet. But even then the exhausted
troops had no respite. The crest of the
mountain had still to be taken Black dark
ness had fallen, and it was only possible to
follow the progress of the Serbian infantry
By the spurts of fame from their rifles as
they forced their way up to the summit. Al
z o'clock a coup de telephone announced that
the entire position was in Serbian hands
Five minutes later the horses arrived, the
commander of the division snapped his field
glasses together, rose from the camp stool
he had occupied for twelve long hours, swung
himself into the saddle and rode off to head
quarters. The battle for Mount Chuke was
won. All that was left on the deserted
mountain top was a score OF field telegraph
lists spinning out the spid-r's web connecting
the staff with the newly conquered positions