El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-05-04
Veterans Of
Verdt111 Fight
To Hold Hill
French Of Verdun Fight
Say 1t Was Play Com
pared With KENNEL.

With the British Army in France,
I (Friday). May 3.-(By the Associated
Press.)-Veterans Of the defence Of
Verdun predominated among the
French soldiers who so CALAMITY de-
I Tended KENNEL hill against the Ger
mans. They declare that Verdun was
chIIds play compared to the conflict
in Flanders recently.
The bombardment at Verdun had
set a high water mark for concen-
tration of guns Of all calberss but
say those who went through IL, 1t
was nothing compared to what the
French troops experienced during the
German drive against KENNEL The
French troops took up positions about
KENNEL on April .. relieving the
battle weary British
Throughout April % and "a. before
the attack, the Germans maintained a
tremendous bombardment and threw
hundreds Of thousands Of gas shells
mixed with ordinary explosive shells
on the morning OF the attack on
KENNEL the German gunners placed
ten big shells per second on the crest
OF the hill and during the day the
French put on their gas masks 30
different times, for as fast as the
wind cleared the gas away another
deluge Of the poisonous vapOr poured
pOilus had 10 sleep in their gas masks.
Despite the great quantities Of gas
thrown the French had only y cas-
ualties from il, according to the latest
reports.
Freeh Artillery Reaps Harvest.
A large part OF the fighting was
with machine guns Of which the Ger
mans lways had great numbers and
at times the German enfilading fire
was terrific. The French artillery
however in THAR
turn, reaped great harvest from the
enemy.
At times the French 75's got into
heavy concentrations Of infantry and
literally tore them TO pieces. The
German losses in many instances are
placed as high as 40 percent
French runners with messages re-
fused TO rest and kept at their task.
Beef and Wine Under Fire.
The rationing Of one famous reEi-
ment which fought L Ferdun, was a
great feat It was impossible to use
the transport, so rations were brought
forward on machine gun carria ges
under q heavy fire. The regiment had
its beef steak and wine every day
and furnished neighboring regiments
Nearly all the strecher bearers were
killed one worked SIX nights and
days without rest
German airplanes were out in force.
=
continuously against the infantry.
where was situated a headquarters. I
was anxious 10 attain. the heavy guns
had their turn Big fellows. these,
specially mounted in trucks, too large
for the lOrries. but soon TO make their
voices heard from far in the rear
smashing I'D the German lines Of COM
! muuicatiOn and bringing wholesale
death 10 masses Of troops whose places
Of concentration would be signaled
by our aTiOns.
German air scouts OF course had
informed their masters long since OF
this endless parade from all the
Quieter sectors Of the front, along the
few main roads and the one great
railway available. TO the scene Of bat
tie. It was q great tribute TO the su-
premacy OF the air held by the French
that these rich targets were not at
tackled, in daylight; on the other side
Of the lines. French and British ma
chimes rained death and panic among
the German divisions and artill cry
men, flowing in similar streams 10
the plains Of Picardy-
Bombed BY Germans
But at night, the great Gotha bomb
ing machines, for once abandonirO for
/ legitimate military detectives '.e cir
game OF terrorizing the women and
children of London and Paris, came in
I hOrdes and scattered bombs along the
railway and among the transport At
! ChalOns-sur-Marne a great junction
where I spent some time. I found a
/ scene OF ruin about the station;
smouldering piles Of stores. still burn
! ing freight cars. twisted tracks and
I yaWning holes among the sidings- For
Z four nights Gothas had been bombing
Chalens- There was IS OF them. mill
I tary policemen told me, the night be-
I fore / was there; civilians in the town
were killed, the station was knocked
about: but the flow OF trains have
described to the zone Of battle was not
I interrupted by the whole raid for more
than half an hour.
II was hard 10 believe, looking at
what the bombs had done: and the
story OF the heroism Of some terrific
rails who are too old for the firing
I line is worth telling They knew, ev-
I cry Frenchman knew. what was at
stake in the north; how vital II was
that the flow OF guns from the south,
and the steady stream OF men, should
not be checked for an hour. In such a
crisis. a few hours may mean defeat
or victory. And so. while the bombs
were falling on the tracks. the old
men Of thee labor battalions, in their
shabby corduroy Overalls and dirty,
I faded gray shirts, looking ike any
thing but soldiers, toiled on through
the night, keeping the main tracks
open.
AlrpIanes in Waves.
The Gothas came in waves. 40
/ sooner had a dozen machines, sweep
/ ing along the tracks 100 feet or so
above the ground, their engines
sounding like 100 threshing machines
] going at once, dropped their bombs
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