In the West

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 63, 11 October 1916, Page 5

In the West

AFTER CONTALMAISON. EXPERIENCE,; JN GERMANY. PRUSSIAN GUARDS’ DEFEAT. SORRY SIGHT AT POTSDAM. RESERVES BLOODILY SIvSASHED. Press Association—Copyright. Published in “The Times.” (Received 8.00 a.m.) London, October 10. Air Curtin, American correspondent, continuing the story of his experiences during Ids visit to Germany, says the police cleared the streets when the wounded Prussian Guards arrived at Potsdam. By a subterfuge, Mr Curtin witnessed the arrival of successive tram loads of nearly seven hundred wounded, each of whom were evacuated into long rows of mammoth vans and other vehicles, there being endless tiers of stretchers and a .small army c f doctors and nurses. Many of the suffererswere horribly maimed and . battered. These were the remnant of five reserve regiments, winch were bloodily smashed up in endeavouring to retake Contalmaison from the British. On subsequent days there were more trainloads, of which the huge porportion were permanent Invalids and cripples, and there were several vehicles filled with tire corpses of those who had expired on the journey. It was a terrible sight, lie said, which can never pass from my memory, and gives the lie to the German official assertion that ninety per cent* of the wounded would return to the firing line. The most I impressive feature was the ghastly hopelessness and white faces of the wounded, plainly revealing that the men knew Germany’s fighting machine had met a superior force and had been vanquished by an army of mere sportsmen. The Prussian Guards were flung at Contalmaison because it was a vital point in the defences of Baupaumo and Peronno. Tlio wounded say that the Guards, although heavily reinforced, were twice driyen back after the bloodiest hand-to-hand encounters.