The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-10-24

nov hOln Tie outer iihf Va lftfA'f
10 Iaon The battle was fought 81
the summit Of this raEor'back ridge
beyond which, on a plateau hair
mile wide. there runs The ladies
hlahyay. The northern slope % ms
ridge Was ia possession Of The Ger
mans and Il slid away abruptly into
the Valley OF the Ailefte.
Every inch % these German posi-
lions was honeyc0mbed with cav
erns. tunnels and subterranean quar-
rlee. Many were two stories deep
electrically lighted and ventilated
every one Of them the Germans mao
constructed into a yeritable undtf
ground fortress Where there was
4 single tunnel AZ cornillet-ai
which place the French first encoun'
tered this German rabbit-Warren s} r.
ten 81 defense-there we're three
.nnnels here. Some of them proved
aImost insurmouniabie defenses.
TUESDAY battle involved fhe cap
,tre OF a score Of these German
caves. tunnels and quarries on the
rround held by the French before
the drlve-that Ia, on TIE southern
slope Of the ridge--there we're SIM
lar caverns. Erottoes and warrens.
These were manned and kept hi.ed
With French troops
Monday night the caves on BON
sldes OF the ridge German ana
French-were gorged with Feserv a.
awaiting the rush oi the natue On
the piateau The entire ridge hteF.
ally was alive Ike a gigantic AM
hill The massed forces below
waited on both sides Tor the De
c3slon OF battle on the earth above
the manifestations Of which literally
trembled the whole ground
The French artillery coneentra-
ton was OF nnheard of intensity,
batteries secretly Installed weeks
ago. opened with an appalling sud
dennese a veritAble volcano OF sieeL
For eight days preceding the actasl
attack itself great guns had poah1
ed minute by minute. day ana nlsi't'
Al the German positions.
The capture Of Fort Malmsison
was perhaps the most brilliant OK
All the rnaneuyers o. the assault
For weeks pTecsG.ng The attack,
four regiments which bad eetn
chosen fer Port MSimaison r.
hsarxed theiT plan a. battle Ihey
were letter perfeci In tselr parts
Insf before ne move was made on
the powerful fort The giant French
xuns rzinec s hundred tons o. shells
into the fort Then. While one OK
the French regiments assaulted TIE
posstIon from the front. three others
snctrcled a. The combined drive
Of the four. carried Out with me
precision OF men drilled 20 ever
motion. completely smashed ne
plcked Second Guard division
Altho the attack was launched a.
& a. m. and 10 complete darkness
except for the nashes OF the guns,
the entire battle plan. capture ol
subterranean foriresSes. Malmaisol
and all was executed OF clockTorS
schedule.
For six days, the Ehiriwind oi
French barrage OF both artillery an.
machine guns "staked on the az
lacking front and isolated he Ger
mans from munitions. food. commits
ications or reinforcements The
enemy had 20 stick tight % HE IN
fortress. Then came
rain OF projectiles OF
the great French 400. $50 and go.
millimeter guns-smashing the On
trance 10 tunnels and caverns. cav
ing In those near 20 the surface and
actually shaking the ground Ike an
earthquake.
I personally Witnessed these giant
guns lobhlng shells weighing a ton
each over the Aisne crest. The mis-
eiles were visible 20 the naked eye
from their departure from the can
mons mouth. thru their magnificent
arc over the crest and the beginning
Of their downward plunge 10 the Ger
man lines.
Countless French airplanes using
wireless regulated every shot 40 a.
curately that one battery fred i've
shots from distance OF six miles
all ave OF which struck successfully
IN the same hole. penetrating a sub
terranean fortress.
Altho the crown prince had he
Fifth division OF the Prussiar
guard among the FIVE divisions l75.
900 mem facing the French. he rush
cd UP two other guard divisions and
likewise Bavarian division. thus
In the zone OF attack
the very flower OF the German army
He entrusted the defense OF rogt
Malmaison TO the Second division Of
the Prussian guard.
In pursuance OF their past tactics
the Germans massed reserves IN the
cavcrns. intending when the French
infantry dashed over The plateau o.
rush these out OF their safe subteT-
ranean warrens for a counter attaCS
But when tie French attack diG
come, the poilus 0ut-Hindenburgec
Hindenburg Behind the very hrst
wave OF the French attackers came
specially trained battslions OF poUu-
who seized the entrance 20 caverns
and blocked them effcctually with
machine guns. grenades and power
ful forces They literally walled up
beneath the ground, In the vast and
Intricate underground galleries. the
huge reserves which the German
had massed there This fact alone
accounts fUr the enormous and al
most unprecedented number Of Ger
man prisoners 'aken-a number oci
OF all proportion under pre-, i0us
army tactics % the width OF the
front over which the French made
their gains
Along four miles OF the front on
which the attack was made the
poilus achieved an advance averag.
ing considerably more than a mile.
taking 1900 prisoners.