WAR NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 January 1916, Page 7

WAR NOTES.

FILTH? German chemists, it was lately cabled, are working on new diabolical gases. Another 9tovy says that on the Russian front the Germans used a brown gas, which was believed to be free of chlorine, but as the wind prevented it reaching the Russian lines, its composition and purposes are doubtful. The opinion was hazarded that it might have been used merely to cover certain movements in the German lines, much as destroyers in a naval battle try to obscure the range between larger units, enabling the weaker side- to escape punishment. Gas has not yet accomplished enough to assure it a place in land warfare. Some of the German prisoners captured by the French in the Champagne were asked what they thought of gas as an offensive or defensive weapon. "Dreck" (filth) was their contemptuous reply. They said that the Germans relied, for attack, on bombs and grenades; for defence, on machine-guns. Speaking of the French advance in the Champagne, one prisoner said: "The French had 10 to 1 more men, but they could not break through. They merely captured our advanced positions. Our machine-guns hold the line.' 1 He was a9ked: "Then you think your machine-guns stopped the French in the Champagne?'' "Yes." "Was there much hand-to-hand fighting?" "No. We mowed down as many as we could until we had exhausted our munitions, but they kept coming, so we retired to our pits and the French passed over us." "So, it was not a bloody battle?" "No, not a brutal one. The work of the French was moro like a Kriegsspiel (sham battle) where everything seemed carried out as pre-arranged. Nothing went, wrong with the French attack in our sector. That is the reason the; carried our first position." ■ The fact (that the Germans of the first line retired to their pits on the exhaustion of ; their ammunition, and allowed the French to pass over them, explains the cabled statement that minor sieges were carried on in the conquered country long after the attackers had swept over the German fust line.

"THIS AWFUL WAR." A Welsh officer, recently home on furlough, brought with him a letter lie had found on a German officer killed in France. The letter was from the dead officer's wife, and bore a recent date. After dealing with purely personal matters, the letter proceeded:—"Oh, would, that this awful war were over! The high prices cliUrgcd for all kinds of provisions bear heavily upon us all. Bacon is very difficult'to obtain at any prce; the pigs killed arc very small because of the scarcity- of feeding stuffs. Bread is terribly dear, and at times so poor in quality that we cannot eat it. Even so. it can only be obtained by bread tickets for a week's supply. If I purchase a white loaf or a cake when getting mv loaf, a portion of the bread ij withheld correspondingly. I had been a. customed to buy flour and lard to make my own bread, but these things can now only be obtained by ticket. In the morning I break my fast with a encumber from the garden, and thus do without breakfast. I make a fairly good dinner, but nm compelled to make only one meal of tea and supper. I thus live on only two meals a day. instead of four. No one is allowed to obtain more than (lie allotted quantity of milk —and that again is very clear. When we heard the bells ring recently—the Ihvt occasion for a long time—all of us hoped that peace had been declared. But it appears that there must he nui-h more fighting and more gallant lives lost."