Evening star., 1925-06-08
BATTLE ON LONG FRONT.
Gullies and Ravines of 90 Mountain
Sides Afiame.
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.

BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.
By Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
ON THE FRENCH FRONT IN MO
ROCCO, June 5.--VIA PARIS, June s.
The writer has just witnessed vio-
lent battle in the mountains north of
the Ourgha River. For two days in
the olive groves, the wheat fields. the
crumbling native villa ges and the gul
lies and ravines of 20 mountain sides.
thousands of French colonial troops
and thousands of Rifflans have been
engaged in mortal combat
During the days while the valleys
cracked with rife fire and echoed TO
the thunder of concentrated artillery.
q thrilling human drama, replete with
cruel uncertainty and picturesque de-
Calls, progressed to a tragic conclusion
in the vast natural amphitheater
which lay below.
Far up the mountains. where for
weeks they had been cut off and be-
sieged by the Riffians, were three
lonely outposts. The garrison of each
consisted of few Algerian and Sene
gaiese rtlemen with a French lieuten-
ant and two or three French sar-
geants. The plight of all was desper
ate. For nearly a week, except for ice
blocks dropped them from airplanes.
they had been without water. Their
losses under fire had been serious. The
non and were gradually knocking TO
bits the brittle stone walls of the high
perched, completely exposed block
houses.
TO dig trench in the stony soil
of the mountain top was impossible.
The defenders sheltered themselves
as best they could behind rocks and
grain sacks. 1t was only question
of hours when the breach would be
complete, and they would lie at the
mercy of the Riffians.
= Huge Force Gathered
In the Ouergha valley. eight miles
South. with it's Algerian and Senega-
lese rifiemen, its French souaves, it's
bsttalions of the Foreign Legion, its
Algerian and Moroccan cavalry. it's
light and heavy artillery, It's srmored
cars and its numerous wagon and
mule trains. large and formidable
fighting force was ready Al a mo-
ment's notice 10 operate in any di-
rection.
On Wednesday morning this column
received orders to rescue the garri-
sons of The outposts al Astar. Skier
and Skier Intermediary, to blow up
the block houses and return to its
base Execution of such an order is
less simple than II sounds; for the
country was very broken and some
where in the hills between the French
camp and the beleaguered posts Law
elements of a Riffian war party fully
as numerous as the French. That the
French would reach their objective
was a foregone conclusion. but that
they could do so without battle was
unlikely. And whether they could
arrive in time to save the garrisons
from capture or worse was poignantIy
doubtful.
Five miles from the valley camp.
high in the first range Of foothills.
lies rugged plateau beside the
village of Taounat, which was to be
used as a sort of advance base From
Taounat the belea guered post of Astar
Two miles TO the northwest and the
post OF Skier and Sker intermediary
on ridge three miles to the north.
east are plainly visible. Moreover
there is room at Taounat for an entire
column TO pitch camp in comparative
security.
French Begin March.
To Taounat, therefore. on Wednes.
day night, the French troops began
TO march over a road more or less
protected on the right by deep valley
stream. On the left numerous cavalry
detachments, operating dismounted in
the undulating wheat fields formed a
flank guard. Under cover Of darkness
the march to Taounat was accom-.
Dlished without incident. although
when the correspondent motored over
the same road a few hours later there
were several bends at which. despite
the vigilance of the cavalrymen living
in the wheat, gun Shots could be heard
and bullets Of invisible Riffian snipers
whistled by.
The colonel commanding the
French column lost no time in placing
all his artillery on the edge of the
plateau at Taounat and while two
battalions of Algerians attacked the
village of Astar, a battalion of legion
naires went straight across the val.
ley and up the dim bare slope toward
the Astar post. The writer arrived
when the battle was at its height.
The batteries were pounding deafen-
ingly and the valley cracked with the
sharp detonations of rifles and ma
chine guns. Stretcher bearers
plodded up the hill bringing the
wounded to a bloodstained straw pile
which served as a dressing station.
Astar village proved a veritable
hornets nest. Deserted by its inhabi.
tants when the war began, its steep
lanes and mud plastered houses had
been honeycombed with trenches and
shelters by the Riffians. The AlGer.
ians, attacking from the south. were
stopped short in the olive groves and
were digging themselves in as best
they could. The other battalion. at
tacking from the easel, was also
stopped in a shallow ravine But two
companies had climbed the mountain
side and were now firing into the
village from above.
Reach Astar Post.
With field glasses the skirmish lines
could be seen and the shells bursting
in the village. Two wounded Riffians
crRwled among the ruins of one
house. But despite the hot lombard.
ment the Riffians could not be induced
20 evacuate. Doubtless the French
could have carried the attack by bayo-
net, but this would have been costly
and unnecessary, for the attack al
ready had served the main purpose.
namely to enable the legionnaires to
reach Astar post. But alas, they ar
rived too late.
They found on driving off the en-
emy and entering the little block
house the mutilated bodies of two
Senegalese with their eyes gouged out
and the flame charred body of a
French sergeant. What frightful
crime bad been enacted here? Where
were fpf- rest of the garrison? Had
they sSfrendered or been captured?