Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-06-01
HURKBISE HAD
HEROES EQUAL
TONAP0LEON'S
Dashing Deeds Of Zouaves
Recall 1914 When it was
Battlefield.
Day by Day French Advanc-
ed Foot by Foot Until
the Victory Was Won

French Front, June 1.-(Corre-
spondence Of the Associated Press).-
Some of the most dashing acts of
heroism Of the great war are related
in connection with the capture and
holding. in spite of desperate German
resistance. by the French Colonial
troops, of the farm IT Hurtebise. This
place has been often mentioned in the
official communications OF the. wal. Of
flee in the course of h recent battle
for the possession Of the Chemin des
Danes. or Road of the Women. to the
west of Craonne. The Associated
Press correspondent, who watched the
whole Of the fighting in this vicinity,
later came in touch with many officers
and men who had distinguished them
selves there, and heard from them
stories Of the series of actions, details
OF which were not Obtainable n the
thick of the engagements.
Hurtebise farm, nov as In 1914
when Butcher was turned u Of 1t by
eyes Of Napoleon, is in reality the key
Of the position, since those who pos
sess it are in command Of all the OBJ
servation points dominating the val
leys.
The Germans had decided to hold it
at any cost, and they had constructed
a most skillful system Of defensive
"OAAos SoAAoAoIAA6 VI uOOP AVAAS W
barbed wire entanglements, trenches
and shelters. in which were disposed
dozens Of machine guns. Notwith-
standing all the difficulties Of the
task the colonial infantry, which for
merly was the French Marine Infan-
try corps, stormed the position and
took 1t.
It was foreseen that the Germans
would make an attempt to regain the
position, SO valuable to them. and
during the night a regiment Of
Zouaves was sent up to relieve the
colonials. who were exhausted and
had suffered much from exposure.
after the fight, to cold winds and
heavy snow and rain.
In Trenches With Dead.
Two battalions of the Zouaves were
deployed to the right and left Of
where the farm had nee stood and
on each side Of the ruins Of the mon
ument concentrating the Ma
poleonic battle. They lay in the de-
molished German trenches and in
diers all about them. and as they lay
they scraped up the earth with their
implements s. al to form
some sort Of defence. A third bat
talon was held in reserve.
In front of the Zouaves was a
of ground interpreted with
deep caverns and wooded ravtnes,
descended down to the valley OF
and the banks of the river
Here for days the Zouaves
fought their way inch by inch with
hand grenades under a constant bar
rage fire from the German big guns
and all the time exposed to the sweep
Ing showers Of machine gun bullets.
The Germans fought with determined
vigor, sticking to every point until
actually forced out.
The line was very uneven, some of
vanced further than their comrades,
and often islets Of Germans held out
and pestered the French troops from
the tanks. Progress had to be made
from shell-hole to shell-hole until,
eventually. the Zouaves, by capturing
the German Dusseldorf trench, were
able to command an advantageous po-
line.
Even then the Germans did not give
up hope and opened a strong counter
attack. for which the First regiment
Of the Prussian Guard was brought
specially into line. The left Of the
French line held firm, but the right
gave way slightly, and a French coun-
ter-atLaek naQ later 10 De carried out
to regain the ground lost.
A Candy Mans Ruse.
Some of the men Of the Algerian
tirailleur battalion had been almost
cut off, but they were relieved by the
Zouaves and other battalions and
some of the Prussian Guard we're TAX
en- prisoners.
One Zouave, who in peace times Is
a Partisan confectioner, while ihakins
his way r the sieve-like ground
fell among q patrol Of Prussian
guardsmen and was. captured. He
did not lose his wits, although some of
his captors treated him with tho
greatest brutality. He was ordered to
the rear through a communication
trench and was accompanied in that
direction by a number Of guardsmen.
His captors, who had come on the
scene only that morning. soo lost
their way in the maze of twisting
trenches and virtually left 1t to their
prisoner to show them the way.
Suddenly an idea Of trucking them
struck him and instead Of turning to
the right he turned to the left and
soon he and his captors found them
selves looking into the muszle Of
Zouave rifles. The prisoner shouted,
Fire, my lads" He threw himself
on the ground and seized an abandon
ed rife. with which he killed OF
- ~ ----