The corn-mill, in this position acted the double part of observatory and shelter for the defensive reserves. An observer connected with Colonel De Vleeschouwer, who was in command of the Belgian artillery in front of Dixmude, could, while placed on the platform of the building, direct the firing on all telling points, such as batteries of the enemy in action, troops on the march, preparations for attacks, etc.... The enemy did not allow our artillery such an advantage for long; the corn-mill was partly taken by the German batteries, which took great pleasure in directing blazing fires on that colossal building. The observer was forced to abandon his post, but nevertheless not without the satisfaction of having registered to the best advantage and conditions the first fires of our artillery. The corn-mill, from that time, was simply utilized as the nest for the reserves of the bridge-head. A company, to which a platoon was sometimes added, composed its garrison. ⁂ The night of the 25^{th} to the 26^{th} of October 1914 was marked, in the resistance of Dixmude, by a unique and singular incident. In the evening of the 25^{th}, groups of Germans had managed to creep into the intervening spaces of the trenches, situated between the railway line of Zarren and the road leading to Eessen, trenches which were guarded by troops physically exhausted, whose lines were considerably weakened by ten days of cruel and outrageous fighting. These groups of enemies formed themselves up again inside our lines. The night was as black as ink, and unfortunately the guns on the road of Eessen were jammed. As soon as Lieutenant Simon of the 12^{th} line was informed of the incident by one of his men, he immediately directed an intensive fire on the Germans, putting a great number out of the field. The others reformed on the road. They were about three hundred. Headed by the Major and accompanied by an enervating music of fifes, they penetrated in the town, firing on all lited points, such as fighting posts, shelters for troops, relief posts, killing and capturing on their passage all small and isolated groups of French and Belgian soldiers who were taken prisoners and forced to march in front to serve as shields. Thanks to this infamous trick the German column arrived without incident as far as the bridge road. The latter was crossed by the allied soldiers followed up by the Germans, the Major included. The machine-gunners of the bridge only perceived their mistake when a hundred pick helmets had already passed over. They then opened a muzzle to muzzle fire on the rest of the column which went whirling over and was scattered in the town, leaving numerous dead and wounded on the pavement.