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Show FIGHTING NEAR PIIAL PASS Germans Keep Up Fearful Bombardment in Campaign For Invasion of Rumania. INFANTRY SINGS SONGS Every Trick of Modern Warfare War-fare Employed AgainstjLess Skilled Adversaries. At tho Head of Predeal Pass, Rumanian Ru-manian Frontier, with General von Falkenhayn's Army, October IS. By Courier to Borlin, via London, OcL 24, 10:25 a. m. In yesterday's battle around Predeal pass, tho Associated Press correspondent visited various German and Hungarian battery positions posi-tions whoro tho men, undisturbed by Rumanian fire, kept up a fearful bombardment bom-bardment of the opposing positions in the campaign for tho Invasion of Rumania. Ru-mania. Tho men went at their work in almost a holiday spirit, for it is with a sense of deep relief that the Germans and Hungarians hero, officers offi-cers and men alike, have left behind them tho trench warfaro of other regions re-gions and thrown themselves into open field maneuvors against the Rumanians. Ru-manians. It was scarcely bolioveable that after two years of strenuous life at the front, Infantrymen should rush to tho assault with songs, yet it is a fact, to which tho universal feeling hero of dealing with a foe, who has yet to learn every trick of modem warfaro, contributes much. Though tho Gorman and Hungarian infantrymen infantry-men were about to rush into tho fire of Rumanian rifles and machine guns, thoy viewed tho situation complacently, complacent-ly, saying tho worst of open field work was preferrablo to trench drudgery. Ofllcors explained that the change virtually vir-tually would mako tho troops fresh forces, owing to tho novelty and the fact that tho central powers' troops aro best suited for maneuvering because be-cause of tholr training along that line. Open Field Actions. Tho Predeal battlo Is one of the fow open field actions witnessed in this war by correspondents, who wero able to approach within loss than 3,000 yards of the skirmishing line. At 11 o'clock German artillery opened a desultory des-ultory fire on tho Rumanian trenches on Susaiul mountain, 5,000 foot high, which an hour later reached its maximum max-imum fury. Tho llro was then directed direct-ed mainly against tho trenches somo 500 feet below tho summit For a quarter of an hour tho Rumanians stuck to their trenches. Word coming from the artillery spotters that the Rumanians thus far seemingly had not been impressed, tho artillery increased in-creased Its fire. The Rumanian Infantry In-fantry still held on for a time, but finally broke across the slope like a-swarm a-swarm of ants as the German and Hungarian Infantry came in view. Gorman artillery followed by the fleeing flee-ing Rumanians with shrapnel and tho manner in which tho fire pursued the Rumanians appeared almost uncanny. On a ridge leading from Susaiul mountain, the Rumanians finally reached their second position. A lull ensued. A few minutes before 2 p. m. it was decided to resume operations. German artillery, ably supported by somo Hungarian batteries, repeated the work of the morning and the infantry in-fantry then rushed forward. In a comparatively short time the objective objec-tive wns gained. Germans .Blow. Up Town. 1 The ground being extremely difficult, diffi-cult, tho Rumanians endeavored to forward infantry reinforcements through the town of Predeal, with the result that heavy German and Hungarian Hun-garian guns inside of 15 minutes blew up half of tho town. The Rumanian forces were obliged to seek shelter In tho forest above the town passing through German infantry fire at long range. The Predeal battlo wa not remark- nhlf for spvorltv nf nrtillflrv flrp or other action, but groat Interest centers cen-ters in it because German and Hungarian Hun-garian infantry, unaccustomed to cope with tho difficulties of the terrain. ter-rain. Rumanians Lack Training. The Rumanians on the other hand showed lack of military knowledge. The efficiency of their troops suffered much because much of tho artillery had been taken out of range for fear of being cut off. Tho Rumanian artillery, ar-tillery, therefore, mado an unusually poor showing. Tho Rumanian infantry infan-try did relatively better, but It was at tho morcy of the murdorous German Ger-man and Hungarian shells. There was nowhere observable a tendency to under-rato tho Rumanians, Ruman-ians, but officers of General Falkenhayn's Falken-hayn's army spoke frankly of their many handicaps. They said tho Rumanian Ru-manian general staff had overlooked some of the mosl important lessons of tho present war; as for instance the absence before tho Rumanian positions posi-tions of barbed wire which is replaced by shallow pits with pointed stakes. Worsted by Flank Movements. Thus far tho Rumanians havo been worsted each time by flank movements move-ments and superior opposition by artillery, ar-tillery, the significance of which may be best understood when It Is considered consid-ered that for a time the Rumanians constantly had numerical superiority, in one instance 30 to 1. As nearly all armies in the present war havo done, the Rumanian infantry shoots badly, though an improvement is discernible. The losses of General Falkenhayn's army are said So have been light. An officer of tho general Btaff told the correspondent that, in the battlo of : Kronstadt, the losses in dead wero less than tho number of guns captured from tho Rumanians, which was 67. But this was an exceptional case and occasionally tho Russian infantry shows up comparatively well. |
