Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-13

face of heavily sheled modern battle
field As the smoke closed In and the
vision OF the thing we knew was going on
behind It was hidden. II seemed that again
felt the force of this new thing that en-
circled IL, and here endeayor TO portray.
BATTLES IN THE AIR
Overhead airplanes. Boche and French
were observing, dropping bombs, fighting
with each other. had promised myself
long since that some day I would stand
entranccd, looking at fight in the air.
Well. three were going on within clear
range OF my glass, and | gave them but
passing glance, since the spectacle before
my eyes at lower level was stupendousy
more supreme For overhead it was but
man and n machine against a machine and
man while before me- now visible and
now invisible, there was a hell Of scientific
death stalking wild, thousands Of men
fighting and dying those in gray dying in
vain, those in blue dying for the worlds
cause. And winning. For no single Boche,
save he is dead or kamerade, is as ! write
occupying centimeter Of France that he
did not occupy June 30, 1911.
The interesting point about this tre-
mendous battle is that its resemblance to
Verdun is almost minute in comparison
The Crown Prince is utilizing the identical
methods of 1916. He is sending forth
thickly massed troops following intense
shelng. with intent of gaining a foot or a
yard or fifty yards of territory; murder
ousy willing to exchange quantities of Ger
man lives for a little earth. to hang on If
he can TO return if he cannot, to enlarge
any footing when it is attained. Here. be-
tween Nerdun and Craonne. the likeness
is startling. And here, too. the result will
be identical. lis ne passeront pas
The country where this battle is being
fought is as long crest. Upon its top
plateau through which runs the Chemin
des Danes. ending beyond the village Of
Craonne, where it is intersected at almost
right angles by two other pateaus. the one
to the right or west being Easements. the
one TO the left or east California. Continu-
ing westward the way leads to Hubertise
the Grotte du Dragon, Cerny and Paradise
Wood, of which have written in previous
articles on this section Of the front; east
ward the plateau terminates abruptly. II
one descends toward the southeast one
would eventually come to Berry-au-Bac,
Coucy and Rheims, in the order named
The German attack began on the morn
ing or the nineteenth upon a two-kilometer
front between Hubertise and California,
aiming at territory wrested from the bar
barian, but relatively little before Be-
tween Casemente and California the French
trenches are in salient form. The attack d.
rectly under the range of my vision was
iiit tull lllls SdlenL lOr-
nation They launched Landsturm and reg
iments of the Fifth Division, Prussan
Guards, against It. And they were received
by the poilus of the -----th French Division,
to be crumpled up as you would piece of
paper in your hand. That which the sudden
raising of the smoke curtain due, no doubt
to cross condition Of the wind permitted
me to see was this crumpling, And that
which / later saw the same day was a
French counter-attack in which a piece
of this salient, lost two days ago. was
goriously redeemed again for France. Both
seemed staged as If for the benefit of us
four men in tree platform, the height of
the plateau being on level with our eyes.
During the second vista ] caught sight
in the far distance OF Laon Cathedral tower
Just as the smoke closed in again my Off
GER escort touched me on the shoulder and
told me We would have TO descend because
a Boche observation plane was being pep
pered with French shrapnel, and the bullets
were likely to fall through the foliage of
our tree. 1t was then we made our way
10 our automobile returning to headquarters
where ] write these lines. ere presently re-
turning to another observation point.