South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-07-20
CAVALRY ON FOOT
DOES BRAVE WORK
Heroes of the Marine Chatting
For Action Behind Lines
Effective AS Infantry.

FRENCH FRONT. July 20
Cavalry on foot took a brilliant part
in the recent attack and capture
from the Germans OF the Lanaux
Mill, the key position Of the famous
Chemin des Danes, and in the vain
effort 10 recOnquer the stronghold
the German commanders have seen
their crack regiments wither away.
These French cavalrymen who
had. during the entente retreat to
the Marine in August 1914. covered
themselves with glory while acting
as a shield between the pursuing
Germans and their own army, had
been chatting with Impotence TO
cross weapons once more with the
enemy. Trench warfare, however.
did not lend itself TO cavalry fight
ing. Most of the soldiers of the cav
airy regiments are men belonging 10
the active army who We're in full
permanent training when hostilities
began in 1914, and the various units
still are under the command of their
regular commissioned and nOn-cOm-
missioned officers. They had suffer
ed some losses during the earlier
engagements Of the war. but. 10 all
intents and purposes, the regiments
remained intact
The military authorities cOnsid-
cred for a long time the question az
10 how best To employ the splendid
fighting material composing these
regiments. which were eating their
heads off in comparative idleness
behind the lines for lack of oppor-
tunity 10 join the conflict as cavalry.
The cavalrymen themselves were
spelling for fight"
Eventually il was decided TO sep
arate. the men of some of the regi-
ments from their mounts and TO
form them into infantry battalions.
regiments and brigades. officers and
soldiers greeted the order with en-
thusiasm.
Are Daring Fighters.
The first 10 be transformed from
horsemen into foOtmen were the
cuirassier regiments. and it was
these dismounted cavaliers who
gave such a good account of them
selves in the struggle for the Laf-
faux Mill, whose capture will form
one of the most daring episodes re-
corded on their flag. which bore al
ready the names of many historic
battles fought by them i'm the last
century.
When the order to go "Over the
top was given at dayhceak. the inn
proyised infantrymen leaped from
the trenches with the dash of youth
for the majority OF them were OF
the best military age, from % to
26-and followed across the rising
ground the barrage fire from the
French artillery. whose curtain of
pTojeCtiles raised an impossible
screen before them and drove the
German defenders TO shelter when
il did not crush them together with
their works. BY far the greater num-
Der o. the men were natives of the
district invaded by the Germans and
their anxiety TO get 10 grips with
their enemies was great. They
reached the plateau i'm their first
dash and then after taking breath
they started forward again. their
objective this time being two strong
lines of trenches fortified by -ce-
ment shelters here and there and
with nests Of machine guns which
enfiladed the advance.
The first line of trenches was car
ried without much trouble. but in
the center of the attack. LaffauX
Mill resisted. as did also several
blockhouses bristling with machine
guns. The dismourted cavalrymen
saw the futility of attacking these
places from the front so nOn-com-
missioned officers with parties of
men filtered through between them
until they were surrounded. Then
a section OF tanks was ordered up
TO deal with the points of resistance.
which they did while the first wave of
cuirassiers passed on TO attack the
next line.
The second line was defended
with the courage of despair by the
German troops, and progress could
be made by the cuirassiers only very
slowly. every foot Of ground having
10 be earned i'm individual cOmbats
with hand grenades and bayonets.
AT one point a party OF 40 Ger
mans stood fast. bravely throwing
grenades at the French attackers.
Then one of the bravest deeds of a
day in which many were done was
performed by Trooper Beranger,
who advanced in front of his COM
rades i'm the open with his portable
machine gun, and after deliberately
taking sight moved all the Ger
mans down despite a continual
shower of grenades, which by some
lucky chance missed him.
After a fight lasting nearly six
hours the cuirassiers occupied all
their detectives and the plateau sur
rounding Laffaux Mill has since re-
manned in French hands despite
dozens Of strong counter attacks in
all OF which the Germans have lost
heavily The first advance of the
cuirassiers over the plateau. when
they captured over 500 prisoners
and a large number of machine
guns we'll rewarded them for their