Salt Lake Tribune | 1914-12-27 | Page 11 | Dixmude's Defense Worthy of History

n DEFENSE W0RTHy0F HISTORY Army Officer Back in London Lon-don Fro:n Scene of Action Tells "Live" Stories. MANY FALSE REPORTS Gallant Bretons Resist Ev ery Attempt at Invasion, . Refusing to Yield. ?pociaJ Cable to The Tribune. LONDON, Dec 26. A young lienten. ant promoted for gallantry and efficiency effi-ciency as a motorcycle expert hae jubt returned to the front after a week's leave of absence from France. Ia the course of his stay in Loudon he told maDy interesting stories. Narrating, he said: I have been amused to read tha many stories which have appeared t in the London and other papers of the taking and retaking of Dixmude (In Belgium) by the German invaders. invad-ers. I have been quite a number of times cycling" and reconnoitcrinjj with my armored automobile around Diimude, and never have I once known the town to be captured by the German force. My first experience ex-perience of Dixmude was being captured cap-tured as a spy by a French marine eentry. I was brought before Contre-Ad-miral Konarch, a grand old sailor if ever there was one, who as soon as ho heard my explanations had ine released, and we have been the best of friends ever since. Garrison Fights On. j Asked as to what troops the garrison ; consisted, the lieutenant replied: It consists of about 7000 French i (Breton) marines, under the above mentioned admiral, axd as far as I ' know they have resisted from start to finish all the desperate attacks of the Germans, who have failed to capture tho town from these fine troops. To see that gallant old admiral, clear-headed and keen-eyed eb sailors always are, holding his own against such tremendous odds has been one of the finest episodes of the war. "When I first went there I met twenty-four captains of marines, commanding a like number of companies of the famous corps. On the second occasion the number of captains was reduced to fifteen, and the third time I was there only 1 ten were left. Yet with ail tho reverses and the terrible loss of life in the trenches, the .gallant old admiral ad-miral never for a moment faltered, and was as cheerful as though he were living in his own comfortable home a distinguished officer iu well-earned retirement. Invaders Fare III. I want to say that- as far as I . know, up to the time I left a week ago, the French marines never once yielded up the town, Oceasionaiiy a few Germans got through, but they were quickly chased through the streets and either killed or escaped es-caped from the town. AVhat actually ac-tually happened was that the French trenches were now and then captured by the Germans and were invariably retaken first by one and theu by the other. Of course, tha ' town has now been destroyed, but I have no reason to doubt that the gallant old general and his faithful marines are still in their places. Another interesting experience of the lively lieutenant occurred at the camp where he is stationed, near the headquarters head-quarters of the British forces. He said: I wns in cauip st tho timo a French captain- of hussars dashed into our midst, his horee wounded and ho himeif in a pitiable state. He told us that his troop had be?n badly cut up by the Germans, that thft victors were following on his heels and would soon be upon u?. ''Be prepared to fly," be added, "but I beg of you to bold them ui with a machine un while the main ; body of cur beaten force can effect an orderly rctrear. '' Germans Driven Back. We immediately ot together the best, force available, aided by soma French trooos from beadquarter6j and prepared to sell our lives dearly. dear-ly. I got out the JiTaxim belonging to my armored automobile to hold the pass through which they would have to come. But they never did come, and we learned afterward that the captain's company was the only one placed hors do combat by the Germans;, who afterwards had been repu!?ed with heavy !o5S. You ean imagine that my pleasure at their non-appearance was considerably con-siderably enhanced when I found on examination that my Maxim was .ianimed and never would have worked. The lieutenant wss eonsiderabfv amused at the violent anti-German feel-I feel-I ing which be found existed in this coun-jtrv. coun-jtrv. Tho eftntimejit of the soldiers at the fr-"nt. both English and French, was on- rf hi;?b admiration for the un-j un-j daunted bt3vpry of the ' bche?. ' as ho : railed them, and their unbounded pa-i pa-i triotitm. As rfp.rdt. the atrocities, ha i deplored them, bun added, ''war is war, iand T venture to tay if we and tha French get to Germany there will be reprisals ralore, very much after th&' t same fashion,3