The New York Times Current History of the European War, Vol 1, Issue 4, January 23, 1915Various
History
The New York Times Current History of the European War, Vol 1, Issue 4, January 23, 1915
Various
World War, 1914-1918
That irregular use of the protection afforded by the Geneva Convention
is not uncommon is confirmed by the fact that on one occasion men in the
uniform of combatant units have been captured wearing a Red Cross
brassard hastily slipped over the arm. The excuse given has been that
they had been detailed after the fight to look after the wounded.
It is reported by a cavalry officer that the driver of a motor car with
a machine gun mounted on it, which was captured, was wearing a Red
Cross.
Full details of the actual damage done to the cathedral at Rheims will
doubtless have been cabled home, so that no description of it is
necessary. The Germans bombarded the cathedral twice with their heavy
artillery.
One reason it caught alight so quickly was that on one side of it was
some scaffolding which had been erected for restoration work. Straw had
also been laid on the floor for the reception of the German wounded. It
is to the credit of the French that practically all the German wounded
were successfully extricated from the burning building.
There was no justification on military grounds for this act of
vandalism, which seems to have been caused by exasperation born of
failure--a sign of impotence rather than strength. It is noteworthy that
a well-known hotel not far from the cathedral, which was kept by a
German, was not touched.
III.
*Two September Days.*
[Made Public Sept. 28.]
For four days there has been a comparative lull all along our front.
This has been accompanied [Transcriber: original 'acompanied'] by a
spell of fine weather, though the nights have been much colder. One
cannot have everything, however, and one evil result of the sunshine
has been the release of flies, which were torpid during the wet days.
Advantage has been taken of the arrival of reinforcements to relieve by
fresh troops the men who have been on the firing line for some time.
Several units, therefore, have received their baptism of fire during the
week.
Since the last letter left headquarters evidence has been received which
points to the fact that during the counter attacks on the night of Sept.
20 German detachments of infantry fired into each other. This was the
result of an attempt to carry out the dangerous expedient of a
converging advance in the dark. Opposite one portion of our position
considerable massing of hostile forces was observed before dark. Some
hours later a furious fusillade [Transcriber: original 'fusilade'] was
heard in front of our line, though no bullets came over our trenches.
This narrative begins with Sept. 21 and covers only two days. There was
but little rain on Sept. 21 and the weather took a turn for the better,
which has been maintained. The action has been practically confined to
the artillery, our guns at one point shelling and driving the enemy, who
endeavored to construct a redoubt.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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