VIVID FLASHES OF WAR.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 722, 18 November 1914, Page 7

VIVID FLASHES OF WAR.

COWARDLY STRATEGY FAILS

The"Dyen," of Petrograd, tells a atory of the fight which decided the fate of the capital of Galicia. The Außtrians, for the purpose of defence, were concentrated on the Lemberg-Grodek-iniki line, the central part of which was moat important. The Russians concentrated their deadly fire upon it. On tfla other hand the Austrians, beaten on their right flank, were preparing to retire, and in order to distract the attention of the RuEsians and they placed before the whole of their front a wall of regiments composed entirely of Slavs, who were to cover the retreat. Behind the Slavs were several Magyar regiments, who had orders to shoot the Slavs if they showed Bigns of wavering. The Russian air scouts discovered this disposition, and the Russian army consequently stopped firing for the moment and got their artillery into position. Then, as soon aB the Außtrians had retired for the requisite distance, they opened fire, dropping their shells over the heads of the Slavs, just into the enemy's lines. This fire worked havoc with the retreating Austrians that an indescribable panic ensued. There was a wild stampede, in which the Austrians abandoned their guns, ammunition and supplllies. The Magyars, who were supposed to be watching the Slavß, soon followed suit, and the Slavs themselvs, free to act on their own, hoisted white flags and surrendered bodily. This happened at ten o'clock m the morning, and it acted as a signal for the fall of Lemberg. Seeing the main body retreating in a panic, the other troops began surrendering in section, and in a few hours Lemberg was surcounded by an armed ring of Russians, who soon entered the city from the north. The Austrian garrison remaining in the city put up a brave fight, and a remarkable Bcene ensued. In the midst of desperate Btreet fighting the Slav population of the city, leaning out of the windows and Btanding behind the Austrian troops, shielded themselves by trees and houses, and wildly cheered the Russian invaders, Welcoming them as liberators. When the resistance of the garrison was overcome the entry of the Russian troops resolved it self into a triumphant march past.

FRENCH ARTILLERYMAN'S STORY.

Never, never, ehall I forget that most terrible scene when we rushed our horses and heavy gun across the fields covered all over with the bodies of dead and dying German Boldiers. As we swept across the field like a devastating storm, not heeding anything, we heard the creaking of bones under the horses' feet and the gun wheels.

The guns tottered as if they were running through a new-ploughed field. They heeled over when they passed over two human bodies simultaneously and every now and again the horses staggered, and stumbled, and slipped in their mad run over those hundreds of and hundreds of corpses. I did not venture to look about; I kept my eyrs steadily fixed on a distant point at my horse's neck. But it did not prevent me from hearing —and I did hear —the bloodatirring cries of agony and pain and despair, mingled with the fearful noise of the galloping horass and guns. ' And the most horrible were the cries of of those who, though seriously wounded, bad hitherto escaped from death, and Baw approaching a a furious rate that devastating avalanche of guns and horses which would the next moment crush those still breathing breasts and stamp life out of the bodies.

Only onc9 had 1 more than a mere glimpse of this scene of horror. It waa when my horse had slipped, and fell on one knee, and 1 looked down. The moment I raised my head again 1 saw on my left a man—the wreck of a man —spring to bis fret and make a wild gesture with his arms, as if to stop the deadly avalanche. He was knocked down by the horses of the guns next to mine, and I actually heard the creaking of his bones. And this maddening vision has ever since haunted me. —Translated in Aberdeen Free Press.

FIELD HOSITAL NEAR LUNEVILLE.

How shall I describe so terrible a kingdom of Death? In the ditches by the roadside, on every mound, in the fields and meadows, mixed up with the dead bodies of horses, lay the mangled corpses of the enemy.* Some had their arms bent as if in a last movement to defend themselves; the clenched fingers of others bore witness to the horror of their iasfc moments, and blood and dust still further disfigured features already distorted by rage and terror. Ammunition waggon, upset and with broken wheels, scraps of uniforms, and arms of every kind were heaped as far as the eye could see., No German dead were to be seen. Great mounds of recently dug earth, ail in line, carefully raked over, and marked with wooden crosses, show the places where the fallen hproes' comrades piously did their last duty by them. After every battle our soldierß' first thought is for those who are no more. Our way took us to Einville, where is the Seventh Military Hospital. Great God, what a spectacle! For two evenings I have bad it continually before my eyes, and I shall never be able to forget the it. In th« country house of a French notary were lying side by side the most seriously wounded and the dying, perhaps already dead. They were lying thus side by side out of doors, even on the lawn in front of the house. For days and nights they had

been waiting for someone to attend to them, for most of them had not even had their wounds dressed. And yet the doctors there were doing their work with unparalleled devotion but there were not enough of them to overtake it.

In the dusk we had to walk carefully for fear of knocking against the wounded or treading on the dying. After stepping over the last line of them we stood still a few minutes to look around the dark field in which the were lying, so close together as to touch one another. The silence was deathlike, thouht from timo to time it was broken by some feeble groan, after which absolute calm prevailed once moree. All my life lo"g I shall remember this sight, that hospita open to the sky with the wounded unattended to day and right.—Morning Post. CAVALRY EXPLOITS. If you follow the movements of the Fifth Cavalry Brigade, you will be reading what I and my comrades are up to. The brigade is composed of ourselves, the Scots Greye, 20th Hussars, and the J Battery Royol Field Artillery. Between us we have left an indellible mark on the Germans, though they have taken their toll from us, but I am proud to Bay that the German losses in dead, wounded and prisoners far outweigh our lossfs. They will not stand up to our men. but surrender when caught in the open, and only fight when in the woods and behind barbed wire. It has been a very hard and trying time for all of us Our planned retreat, all the while keeping touch with the enemy, is, I believe a, wonderful piece of work on the part of our generals. I would like to give you the details of our charge, as recorded in the papers, but must not. What I can say is that we caught them in ths open, in a field of stacked oate, charged them twice, and killed four hundred of them; the remainder fled to the safety of the woods. The sensation of. killing a man is not nice, but once done, your blood grows hot, and you seem to see "all red," end a passion unknown in other moments possesses you. We had five men killed and many wounded, but it was a glorious time. Since then we have had another day out, and I expect the papers have recorded it. We followed the Germans for days, and gave them no rest when they commenced their retreat, and finally we captured a lot of their transport, and charged their infantry in some open ground, inflicting great losb on them. Some hundred Germans threw down their arms and surrendered to the regiment, unable to stand against our lances, which thay dread-. Later on I will, if Btill alive,send you details of these, to us, personal triumphs. Strictly speaking, the Scots Greys appeared on the scene after we had put the cavalry to flight, bo that the full honours shou'd go to the Twelfth Lancers, a fine regiment, officers and all, with a reputation that makes other cavalry regiments green with envy.—The Timeß.