The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1918-08-15
DEADHUNSLITTER
PICARDY FIELDS
Enemy's Casualties Eight to Ten
Times Greater Than Allies.
WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN
FRANCE Auo 1O-Frorn earlv this

PIcardy battlefield, including much of
what yesterday was No Mans Land
and the forward German trenches. One
could stray over the great deserted
plain while the guns thundered inter
mittently and airplanes buzzed over
head.
The chief impression one gets is the
great number of German dead. We
know our own casualties are light.
From indications the enenly's are the
heaviest in any battle thus far fought.
| saw so many German dead on that
part of the field l traversed that am
not exaggerating when say that there
were from eight to ten enemy dead for
every one of our own. regret that
did not take time to make an actual
count, but men engaged in salvage
work tell me their impression was the
same as my own.
The battlefield, which includes vir-
tually all OF the Santerrt plateau, is
an extraordinary sight. 1t is wide,
level expanse of farm land, destitute of
trees or hedge. The crops already
were IN the ground before the German
advance in March drove he cultivators
away. Lacking attention the grain
grew and ripened, much freer of weeds
than one would expect. There are
fields of wheat, barley, oats and rye.
now ready to harvest and well worth
harvesting. Many acres of clover
should have been cut before this, but it
is still In bloom and swarming with
butterflies, especially swallow tails.
pale clouded yellows and painted ladies.
There were many patches of potatoes
and | saw number of Canadians de-
tailed to dig them. They found an ex-
cellent yield, with five or six big tubers
in each hill. One man already had har
vested two big sackfuls.
All this was ground which yesterday
was we'll behind the German lines The
growing fields of grain are intersected
by paths made by soldiers going to and
from their trenches. They are pitted
with shell holes and Scared by trench
lines and machine gun positions. while
yesterday our tanks broke great trails
through the fields of waving grain.
Undoubtedly there is some stern
TX ahead between the Ancre and the
nme, as the Germans are sure to
light desperately to hold the heights on
the north side of the Somme.
One hears some wonderful tales of
fighting by the cavalry, which ranged
all over the open country during the
night, capturing villages and rounding
up prisoners; of whole batteries of ar
mored cars thrusting along the roads
far in advance of the infantry, surpris-
ing the Germans in places from which
they thought the battle was far remov-
ed.
The crew of one car said they met
German transport which tried to turn
around to escape. Four mounted Of
ficers came galloping up to see what
had happened and all were shot from
the car, which then proceeded to round
up the personnel of the transport. At
several places our armoured cars over
took both mechanical and horse drawn
transports along the roads and after
shooting the horses took the men pris-
oner. At one place the crew of armor-
ed cars stopped railway train and set
it afire. At another place the cars
drove through a village, where the
people were still asleep unaware of
danger. The car drove through. shoot
ing into windows. In one house officers
were just preparing to sit down to
breakfast, but their meal was interrupt
ed by hail of bullets.
One car near Framerville found itself
among group of hutments, which it
discovered to be corps headquarters.
1t shot down some corpse staff officers
and poured bullets into the huts. The
crew then heard that part of the corps
crew had escaped toward Terrone, 80
began a chase which soon overlook the
fleeing officers. When they saw the
car coming they took to the woods, but
many of them were shot. What hap
pened to the corps commander is not
known.
One of our army corps had more than
1900 prisoners in its cages before noon.
l visited one big cage at dawn, and
found the staff had been at work all
night. They kept clearing them in
patches all morning and still the prison.
ers kept coming.
One of the Germans is a regimental
-1mander, who tried to hide his pa
by thrusting them into his trous-
ers leg at the knee. They made bulge
which looked as if he were trying to
conceal cabbage head. When asked
if he had anything hidden at the spot in
dicated by the pointed finger of our in
telligence officer he said there was not,
and was furious when disposition was
shown to doubt his word. Finally it
was necessary forcibly to search him,
and while this was being done he swore
horribly and reviled thu brutal coarse
ness of the British nation and their
utter lack of courtesy toward "a dis
tinguished German officer, as he styled
himself.
Another corps took at least 1000