_August 15th._ What a terrible day! From five in the morning, the
bombarding has been continual, coming in gusts. Four crashes, one after
another, and then a whizzing, a fall, and explosions in the cement.
The shells penetrated to a depth of half a yard, digging out holes
of four yards square. Towards eight o'clock the soldiers' rooms were
wrecked, their beds overturned, and windows, fastened with iron bars
eighteen centimetres thick, were broken; the Infirmary, the operating
room, the kitchen, refectory, and the General's room were swept away.
Everything was destroyed, not a single place remained which could serve
as a shelter. The Fort is now in ruins from top to bottom, and we are
in complete darkness and scarcely able to breathe, on account of the
poisonous and noxious gases, as not a single ventilator works. Only
two cupolas remain with which we can reply to the enemy's terrible
avalanche. We are not continuing, though, as we do not know where the
enemy's batteries are and they are certainly beyond our reach. During
a lull, this morning, another truce-bearer paid us a visit. He was not
escorted and carried a white flag. The sentinel ordered him to halt and
to return, so that he should not be able to communicate any information
with regard to the result of the adverse firing. On the Boche's refusal
to obey, the sentinel ordered him a second time to halt and, as the
second time he refused to obey, he was shot down. He had time to signal
with his white flag before falling to the ground dead. We believe, and
it is also the opinion of our officers, that this supposed truce-bearer
came treacherously to take his bearings for the firing of the four
hundred and twenty guns, and that he sacrificed his life for the sake
of giving the exact spot to the Artillery. Immediately after his death,
we had to endure a very exact and continued bombardment. It was on
this day, August 15th, that the Germans employed their famous "420"
Howitzers.
From time to time, we saw the General and the officers walking about
in the open on the fortification glacis, observing the enemy, with the
most admirable _sang-froid_ and an utter disregard for danger. The most
miraculous and incomprehensible thing was that not one of them was
injured by the explosions on every side of them.
At 5.20 in the afternoon, General Leman, Captain Naessens, Lieutenant
Modard, their two Sub-Lieutenants, several other sub-officers and I
were in the shooting gallery, and, although the Fort was practically
destroyed, our brave, valorous chiefs continued giving orders. The
others were sitting down in the central passage awaiting events.
Suddenly we heard the protracted whizzing sound of a big projectile.
"Here's another!" said one of the men in the passage. A huge burst of
flame and then a formidable shock which flung us all against the wall
and then--nothing but silence!
* * * * *