SINGLE-HANDED CAPTURE.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 November 1915, Page 12 (Supplement)

SINGLE-HANDED CAPTURE.

300 GERMANS SURRENDER. HERO'S OWN STORY. Mention was made in the French press early in September of a certain French officer who had captured, entirely on his own, 300 prisoners. His name is Berger-Levrault, a lieutenant of the Alpine Chasseurs. This is how he describes the event:— "The incident that I am about to relate to you took place on a part of the French front. I had formed my section of Chasseurs into two groups, each party making on hands and knees towards the castle. The machine-gun fire of the enemy was being immediately aimed at us, and it was a terrifying journey. Suddenly, however, I saw what I thought was a human form standing against the wall of the castle near by. I noticed that the form was making frantic signs to me. "It was very evident that there was something in the castle that was not as it should have been, by the way the Frenchman was making signs to" me. With my sergeant and four men, I made for the door of the castle. The men had fixed their bayonets and loaded their rifles fully; I had my revolver in my hand.

"We soon reached the entrance, and made a rush to get through. I almost fell into the arms of a large man, wearing a grey cap. Before the man had time to realise what was happening my hands were holding his neck in a deadly grip. I cried out to him in German: 'Surrender.' He only stared at me, but I quickly tightened my grip on his neck, and he hurriedly gasped out in most correct French: 'Certainly! Certainly! . . . What a terrible war this is, is it not?'

GERMAN CAPTAIN SURRENDERS. "I then took a glance around the place. In the courtyard I noticed a thing that I had not perceived before. Standing staring at us, the German and myself, were some—so I estimated, and correctly, too—3oo German soldiers. I could not understand why these men kept so quiet, until I looked at my prisoner. I then saw the reason. The man was a captain, and the commanding officer of the 300 Germans. Without receiving his orders they were not at liberty to act. "It was a matter of a few minutes before the Germans threw down their arms. I asked one of them afterwards why they had given in against such small numbers, 'Well,' he replied, 'if you had been in our place you would have taken the first opportunity to fall into the hands of a civilised people. Even our captain made no effort to throw you off when you entered the door of the castle.'

"Whilst my men—for the whole company had now arrived in the castlewere marching the prisoners away I stopped and asked the German captain various questions. Suddenly, however, seven lieutenants, who I had not noticed before, came up behind their captain and asked in German to demand of me if they were all to be shot. When I gave a negative answer the seven of them went away to join their men, talking, however, quite happily together, their minds now at rest.

I had but one thing to do—look for my sergeant and the four men and find where the French who had been captured previously were imprisoned. My sergeant and the four men had been killed, but the Frenchmen were safe and sound in the cellars. The man who had signalled to me had since been seen and shot."