SEVEN DAYS' FIGHTING.

Thames Star, Issue XI, 21 June 1880, Page 2

SEVEN DAYS' FIGHTING.

A Beminiscencb or the Fbanco* Gekman Wab.

The sixteenth, section of the German official account of .he war of 1870-71, which has bet-a just published, contains the history of the seven days' fightirg round Le Mrns iv? January, 1871, and it is pay -cularly worthy of study by the Engi'sh reader because the operations described in it were cunied out in an enclosed country very similar to the part of England. The district between the Loire end the Sartfie in which the figbi'dg took place iv hilly, and the fields are enclo~ea by hedgerows banks, and ditcbes, jwhich offered formidable obstacles to the movements of troops, rendering the deployment of large masses impossible and the co-operation of the different arms of the service difficult Even from the highest points of ground it was difficult to obtain a clear view of what was going on. The artil'ery was obliged to manoeuvre in very small detachments, single guns only frequently being able to come into acuon, while cavalry could only move along the rot.ds. Consequently, the battles were essentially infantry com* bats, liut though th- fighting was thus cai rie d on almost cxc ; • 'vely by infancy there never or c j very rarely any great ebpment of a.asketry fire. The enclosures offered so much cover to the aßsaiUu.s that the defenders cou'.d^iao^' longer pour upon them that long-rangejore which dad told with such effect upon the German assaulting columns, iv some of the earlier actions of the war, when there was a wide clear zone in front of the defenders' firing line. On the other hand, the en* closed nature of the country rendered it difficult even for infantry to advance along the roads, and consequently prevented the execution of outflanking movements. None but front attacks could, therefore, as a rule be undertaken, and these had to be made generally along or in the immediate neighborhood of the roads, aad with the bayonet. Moreover, the de- .< fenders driven from one line, had always other "over close in rear behind which to fall back and rally, and consequently repeated onslaughts had to , be made before decisive success could be gained. On the French Bide the troops consisted solely of raw levies, untrained and most indifferently armed and poorly equipped; while the German army engaged numbered 51,097 infantry, 16,360 cavalry, with 325 guns ; and yet it was only after seven days' continuous fighting and after the German army had lost 200 officers and 3200 men that the French were finally driven back from Le Mans.