New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-04-26
|ENCH GALLANTRY
HOWN At RHEIMS
I'll Body Of Soldiers Hand
|redrick'S Troop a Surprise

l5urlCk ) lI0Op d DurprlSt
ench Front, April Is (Corre-
dence of The Associated Press)--
the heroic tenacity of a small
of French troops in holding the
of La Pompolle southeast Of
his prevented a strong force OF
hans from capturing that old ano
Edismantled work on March !.
ter pouring over fifty thousand
of all calibres on to the posi-
and pumping over all surround
thick clouds of the most deadly,
Pnous gases, two battalions of
IN Prince Frederick's selected
rs advanced to the attack. All
oarbed wire entanglements had
uprooted during the lombard
and the centers of resistance in
of and around the fort had been
olished when the ASA ulting infan-
waves came forward.
e ground and the trenches form
the only obstacles between the
nan lines and the French posi-
had been leveled and the few
lch advanced posts had retired
on to their supports and then
the classmates of the fort itself,
re with the rest of the small gar
they prepared to fight to the
the cburning up of the ground
1t the fort had obstruCted the
Of fire of the machine-gun the
mans met with only slight resist
until they had reached the
t. This was more than half
with debris resulting from the
" bonn bardment and the attack
troops were able to advance to
stone walls There, however,
stopped in spite of their liquid
machines.
ne of these implements was tried
heavy timber door leading into
southern side of the fort, but the
held firm. Meanwhile from be-
shelter of sandbags at one
of the moat, group of hardy
ts of the garrison opened fire on
Germans with machine gun and
d or put out of action all who
attempting to place cans of high
osive against the walls of the fort.
be garrison consisted of colonial
ps of tried courage and they
hit up to the traditions of the
s. Soon the enemy found their
is We're doomed to failure and
ed to the advanced work which:
Their with several bastions, they
ned for some hours.
e defenders communicated with
comrades in the rear, counter
elk was organized and, although
fighting which ensued was of the
est kind, the Germans were
EN- out Of every inch of trench
had occupied and forced to flee
isorder to their own lines.
sidences of the nature Of the
ggle were still to be found when
correspondent of The Associated
IS arrived at the fort soon after
cessation of the bombardment.
he barbed wire fronting the enc
trenches were the bodies of doz-
of Germans shot down as they
The systems of barbed wire
rrSiem which had formerly
ented approach to the fort were
bst NONRESIDENT, most Of them
ne been buried under heaps of
a. All about We're dead rats
d by the fumes of the German
he communication trenches had
tabled under the hail of projec-
and to go from one spot to an
IF it was necessary to cross the
under immediate observation
the dominating heights of No
1-PAb esse and Berru where the
A,ans have been installed since
Ae Germans were evidently still
3rined at the defeat of their care
MANNED attack and as the cor
bndent with some colleagues was
Inning their lines, only a hun
wards or so away, they opened
and swept the fort with eial
hes of big shells. The only meth
M escaping further bonn bardment
n 10 feign death and. when the guns
4 ouieted a little to creep away in
! ps of two.
i, the way the party was observed
~ bv a squadron of German avi-
Is who signalled to their batteries
J or,ce more the correspondents
bonnbarded until finally they
$bed the marshes behind the fort
l com parative security.
VIII Bury Soldiers.