THE GREAT BATTLE OF VERDUN.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 175, 19 May 1916, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE GREAT BATTLE OF VERDUN.

MEN FOUGHT LIKE DEMONS IN HELLISH RIFLE FIRE.

A very fine description of the character of the fighting around Verdun, in the first groat German attack, is given in the following Internatinal News Service despatch, dated Paris, March 4 : A staff lieutenant who is lying wounded in a hospital gave to-night the following exclusive and authentic eyewitness account of the battle of Verdun up to the retaking of Fort Douaumont. The officer's name, for military reasons, must be withheld. With shoulders swathed in bandages the young soldier, propped up with pillows and watched over by a white-clad Red Cross nurse, received the representative of the News Service in the most cheerful mood. Despite the pain he was suffering, he immediately launched into an eager account of the great engagement wherein he played an heroic part. He said; — "There were two aspects of the formidable battle in which I took part which are of particular interest. One is the magnitude of the German preparation for the offensive. The other is the abondoned savagery which marked every phase of the week-long fight. " While it could not be said we were unaware of the..unusually fierce offensive in preparation, yet even by the use of every possible means at our disposal for gaining intelligence regarding the Germans' intentions and movements wo could not forsee the extent and crushing force of the blow they delivered. FORETASTE OF COMTXG BATTLE. "Two days before the battle we got a foretaste of what was coming when the Crown Prince's artillery was concentrated with deadly accuracy on the very pout of our lines which served or might serve as a post of observation. But we had no misgivings and amused ourselves betting on the number of shot.; the German would fire before smashing such and such a lookout post. "One by one we watched cupolas, spires, and belfries crumble into dust, but wo felt sure of our potential strength, and bet light-heartedly on the Germans' gunnery. Perhaps it will seem queer we did not attempt to silence the batteries that were carrying destruction, but it must be remembered that we were not anxious to disclose the emplacement of our own artillery in the face of an impending attack. "NOT A SCOCT RETURNED."

"On Saturday numerous Gorman scouting patrols approached and tried to discover the positions of our trench artillery. Not one of those patrols ever returned to tell the German commanders what they had discovered. Our sharpshooters knew their business extremely well. "Before commencing the attack m earnest the Germans opened operations with a veritable avalanche of big calibre shells; but we were well sheltered and our los-:es were, insignificant. "When the offensive proper finally commenced on February 21, it took three distinct directions of attack—on the centre and on the left and right wings. "Tbe attack on the centre came between Haumont Woods and Herbebois. This was really the Crown Prince's offensive proper, whereas the flank attacks were merely diversions of a certain degree of importance, destined to call off a portion of our reserves from tbe centre to the wing'. Tbe main attack on the centre was. however, of formidable nroport : ons. Tt was corned out with effectives which were of the strength of three army corps. WOUNDED WOULD NOT QUIT. "Beaumont first fel'. Our men. hopelessly outnumbered, fought with savage, courage which will never be surpassed. I could talk for days of their exploits. One incident particularly .sticks in my memory. "A German bomb had wrecked a telephone post where T was stationed, laying open a gaping wound in the fe.ee -.T my operator. T told him to lint b's post and hurry to the field hospitn'. Ho refused. "J said, 'But your eyes are so full of blood you can't see.' "He replied, 'Do Ton think I n»vl to sec to telephone your orders?'' "T saul. '1 order you to V-nvo yom post and go to the ambulance.' "The brave chap was, however, stubborn. Bloodimi, suffering intense pain, and blinded, ho answe v od: 'Very well, lieutenant: if you insist, then Tam going to disobey. T will not go. You can have me court-martialled if you wish.' And he stuck to his apparatus until another shell killed him. FLANK ATTACK SUCCEEDS. "It was terrible business evacuating the outskirts of I'eaumont, where out positions weio rendered untenable as a result of flank attack. Our men refused to believe it necessary to retreat, and violently protested, mailers reaching such a p ; tcb that I finally wa«« forced to coercive measures to get them away to safety. A little more and we would be fighting among ourselves over the question of retreating. "I. have noticed again and again a curious phenomenon in the character of our troops. A French soldier never has the .s! ; ghti«t fear of the Germans, no matter how great their numbers. His dearest desire is to get at baud grips with thf< Teutons. Unquestionably our soldiers are remarkable lighter-*. 1 speak not a<; a patriot, but :■>< a >-])rirt«mnn, when ] say that man lor men

iii<? Germans jut distinctly inferior to the I'Vonch ns n tiirhting stock. " fn tliK connection I recall tlic word* of one* of my men during tii.< ovacuation. .Mm!) chaminod, he put this <|iuv.tio:i: 'Lieutenant, do vow mil this

our I'jj'oiiii-t'd advance!-' "1 told hint it was !iOee-\t.ry to tiive hack momentarily in order to orjianivi it stronger counter-attack later. II" didn't seem m limhjr.-tnnd oven then, so I explained tlint wo wit<> outnunthered fiv<? to 011?. 'ls til Jit all ?' in 1 answered. 'Why, ir ihnt is the case then \v> arc penally matched.' "From T'eauntont T was sent to IVmi:in:io:it. The operalions 1 hehe'd there surpassed in srna.ari'y. energy, violence, and atrocity'anything 1 could drc;:iii. The fiixt attack was cnrriiil out l>y a regiment of T'avariatv-. Then canto three fooini.nits, then an nrnn corn?. and finally two nriuv corps. " U- was in tin. course of this f.-.u:! and «unrente effort, at n cost.of no lr* 1 ? 11l an fortv thousand killed outri::lii. that the Tirandenhundtors. fought the"; way into the fort. Then a filial hour was struck for fle.nnanv. Our nun could not l.f-ar tli« (hoiu.dit that ihf f!ern'an< the runts of Donauruonl.. Thev cried in idi.'er ra'.'e and !.:- 1 to atlack. It h.- : , !... id.-il ai lh : . neueciii- that the f-n;.. had foni.' to a-t. Th<. f-iu-oim French ueit. knoV.ll in hi'-tory a. tin* Iron f'ifi'-ion, wits changed v>th ill.-' niis-inß ~f rotakiitfi the fori. Tic iron oral comninnditif; advanced at the head of his trooos. wav'tur a. drawn sword, and rried: 'Now is tho "linii*, 1)0)?. We tnr.t retake that fort or die.'

FOUGHT LIKE DEMONS."

"At these words an oar-splitting cheer burst from the throats of our inon, and, fixing bayonets as he trumpets sounded 'Charge,' we weie off, advancing at groat leaps rather than running. Before the fortre/s <•«> were met by a hellish fire fro n the Brandenburgers. "It was no time for giv ng or.lors. We fought like dem>.\s, each man for himself. It was a verica ''•'• brittle "f Titans. The Iron Di-'JioQ iina it six divisions of Germany's picked fighters, but it iived up to ite name and rapidly made its superiority clearly evident. "I saw soldiers who had broken and bent their bayonets fighting like cavemen with clubbed gun butts. Ore gigantic fellow, nearly 6evcn feet tall, was fighting with an immense cutlass. Ho performed feats that would have shamed a medieval champion, sweeping down his assailants as a farmer mows down the hay with a scythe, lopping off heads at a single stroke. "Four times he went down with ballot wound>, under my very eyes; four time* he leaped nn and continued his mad butcherv. Then I lost sight of him. "Another soldier with half his chin shot away had crouched behind a heap of corpses and was firing steadily in spite of his terrible wound, bringing down a Boche at every shot. "Another sight that I still cannot picture without horroi was the. spectacle of a French and a German Koldier fighting like t'gers, with their teeth and bare hands. TEUTONS CUT TO BITS. "Our men fell in numbers, it is true, but it was nothing compared with the loss of tiie Teutons. We literally cut them into little bits. Through fear of killing their own men, the German guns ceased firing and left us unmolested to pursue our hand-to-hand fight, worthy of the times of Attila. ' "Our reserves came up when the fight was thickest, and, overwhelmed with the fury of our assault, the Brandenburgers finaily turned and fled. "I shall never forget the terriffie ye'l that was let out by the Iron Division as we drew np our victorious cordon about the fort", where the Brandenburgers remained imprisoned. It was at that moment that a bullet shattered my shoulder. 1 had time to give one more wild cheer and then I fainted."