El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-12-30

The Overseas Notebook contains a
variety Of material gathered BY the editor
Of The Herald In Europe during the war
and after. Excerpts VIII be published u
this column daily during the next several
months Today's instalment continuing
Z the general narrative relates experiences
I on the Saint 11lhiel front after the more
active phases OF the great battle OF Sep
i IS suggested that readers clip these
articles each day and paste them in scrap
I books; they viii not be reprinted and back
numbers cannot be supplied
/ OCTOBER 5, 1918, Germany, Austria
/ " Hungary, and Turkey asked i'm
mediate armistice to enter nego-
tiations for peace on basis Of Wilson's
[ a points, etc. General sentiment
among the fighting men was that 1t
would be too easy a way out for Ger
many; It was felt necessary to fight
Germany TO unqualified submission.
I The request for an armistice was i'm
mediately followed on the enemy's part
l BY some Of the worst air attacks and
commandments Of the autumn, giving
rise to the ironic term "Ihe German
peace"
6 October l9IS-Last night the Ger
mans dropped 81 air bombs, including
/ four big ones, less than 1900 yards
I from US; dug holes and stirred atmos-
I phere but did no other damage; they
were after the narrow gage railroad
and an important depot, but merely
plowed up a pasture.
We knew when these raiders came
over and there was considerable activ-
ity Of searchlights and auti-aircraft
guns but the Germans reached their
objective, opened the tail gates and
| spilled the bombs. IL made q thrill
ing racket when the things went off
close together.
Much air activity this day. We lose
2 sausage balloon, while the Germans
have five in the air at once and seem
to keep them there unharmed. AT
a. N. the Germans shell our lines
heavily and our guns reply.
Exactly at noon the Germans drop
five big shells IN Dieulouard Just as
they did last Sunday when they killed
and wounded over 100 soldiers in mess
lines; this time no casualties.
Night, air activity German bomb
ing raiders.l Curious feeling when
they are dropping things around and
you know they would get you If they
could. The law Of chances Is In favor
Of safety. Feeling during an air at
tack might be compared with Cloud
croft lightning many times multiplied
and aimed with deliberate intent
Moral effect on the soldiers Of a
show Of protection and defence; cheer
ing impression on the men made BY
presence of allied planes in the airs
anti-aircraft guns never seem to bring
down plane but they make brave
show Of cutting loose and they must
be a trifle annoying TO the enemy even
If he won't admit It by getting hit
and coming down.
From all we can see the Ger
mans are immune TO auti-aircraft at
tack from the ground, yet It often
seems as if the planes must be pep
pered and the aviators destroyed Both
shrapnel and high explosive are used,
generally Of four inch ealiber though
sometimes larger, sometimes smaller.
The Germans seem to fly serenely right
through the areas Of intensive and
rapid explosions. though often the
timing Of the shells is wrong and the
explosions take place too soon or too
late. 1t Is all an art Of the incest
estimate and calculation and It must
be instantaneous and also changing
with each second owing TO the rapid
flight Of the target and the enemy's
flying tactics Of rising and falling in
vertical zigzag.
have seen enemy planes appar-
emily entirely surrounded by shell ex-
plosi0ns, in front, in rear, above and
below, and It would seem as If the
disturbance Of the air currents alone
would be enough to upset the plane. ]
have seen enemy planes brought down
by allied aviat0Ts but as vet not one
brought down by gunfire from the
ground.
There is one small dugout here, sup
posed TO be for refuge from air at
taeks or shellmg, and it Is interesting
70 note the officers who think Of It
and head that way when anything
happens. There are a few shallow
trenches for shelter, the idea being that
effects Of explosions. either shell or
bombs, are largely sidewise and that
dropping In a trench affords some pro-
lection against flying bits of metal
and debris.
With few exceptions, nobody ever
bothers himself about the shelters OF
thinks Of them at all. No new shell
tiers have been constructed Men are
more likely TO stand around in the
open and watch the fun when the
airmen come around, than TO hunt
cover.
Generally speaking, nearly ak have
become habituated to the risk, what
risk there is, and pay no attention TO
the raiders further than to indulge
curiosity. The airbombs make an
awful noise and the machine guns from
planes do harass traffic and exposed
troops, transport, and vehicles, but
the actual damage the airmen do is
small.
As observers their function Is high
" important, but aside from that the
effect is rather moral than material
Troops are undeniably depressed by the
too frequent visits of enemy airmen
especially if there be no impressive
show Of allied reprisal and defence,
which, so lar on this front, has been
disappointing.
All this applies to conditions in the
field Of battle, but in cities and closely
populated areas It is different; the
enemy airmen have wrought much de-
struction Of property and they keep
the civilian population in a state Of
terror. The troops take It all much
more philosophically.
Two things that make the air bomb
ing attacks useful to affect the morale
OF troops are, first, the entire uncer-
tainty, beside which the direct flight
Of artillery shells toward selected OBJ
jectives seems quite regular and legal;