Show LIRE LIKE AN ANGRY SEA german onslaught in france described by briton kaisers keisers Kai sers infantry a great mass of human machine guns sweeps on with overwhelming irresistible sis tible force by WILLIAM MAXWELL international news service correspondent in france Fy alice I 1 am permitted to give some interesting extracts from a story ot of the war so far as it has gone culled from the olary diary of a british infantry officer who received his baptism of fire at mons 1 I have often been told writes the officer that shell fire Is not dot so dangerous as it sounds but axioms of this kind do not console one under a hall hail of shrapnel bullets and steel ahardy I 1 had a sickening in the stomach we hung 04 on until the infantry came in sight gray masses of men advancing rapidly and firing rifles from their hips like so many machine guns pumping out leid lead we let them enter one of the main avenues and then opened fire with what effect we were too busy to n notice this Is my first time under fire and any one who tells me he has ro no strange emotions at such a moment must be a liar thrice the german masses flung themselves against us thrice we hurled them back with heavy losses we held on tor for an hour till they got their guns on our flank and then we were obliged to retire but they had got such a shock that they let us get clear later the officer writing of operations around maubeuge Mau beuge states the germans were making desperate effort to work around and drive us into maubeuge Mau beuge but after namur we were shy of any fortified towns and determined that maubeuge Mau beuge should no not t be our sedan to avoid this turning movement and escape being bottled up within useless stone walls we retreated always on the right flank I 1 between baudry and le cateau we had a hell of a time the enemy swept down on us like a tempestuous sea wave after wave they were at least ten to one and the more we killed the more they seemed to irow grow our artillery did splendid work never shall I 1 admire men more than those silent gunners who kept pounding away under a murderous hail of shell and bullets often without infantry in front of them their calm valor was a revelation and an example that whole day was one long nightmare the terrible storm broke over us and the roar of thunder and flash of it lightning added to the horrors of i retreat along a road where lead spattered the earth like raindrops infantry and transport were mixed jp in wild contusion confusion how any one came through it alive is a miracle general smith dorrien and hla his irmy corps saved us throwing themselves across the path of the germans they pinned them to the ground we could not see but we hear bear and feel the bloody barter barrier aliey raised between us and death deat nd ind a thrill ran through our ragged lines it last we got to cover and made i stand we caught some of the en my coming out ot of a wood we plied piled lip bp their dead with enfilading fire nd ind we stopped to take somo some pris iners then wo we drove on again always to he rear how different were our a few days b before when we lad iad marched singing over tho those e roads welcomed by smiling hait ale ile peasants and who now matched a tc bed us with blanched faces and bilth I 1 th tear fear in their eyes during the night some french cavalry moved over to our lett left and relieved the pressure tor for a time but in the morning the whole ot of our line was again attacked with fury and our front was a mass ot of bursting shells the onslaught was irresistible our lines collapsed under the terrible hall ball of steel and shrapnel but close to the town our retreat was vas splendidly covered by cavalry and artillery A division ot of cavalry rode forward to check the enemy and behind them the guns bounded like things of life it looked like a forlorn hope their officers shook hands bands feeling they were going to certain death yet they said not a word and never faltered a moment I 1 would have given worlds to have been in the glorious charge they made while the cavalry and guns galloped out to face a fearful odds we continued our retreat to Ma lincourt southwest of lo le cateau shells bursting all the way yards on our right and thence to Beau beaurevoir revoir north of st quentin Quent ln it was a march tor for we were terribly exhausted men dozed while they walked and officers slept in the saddle we left Beau beaurevoir revoir at tour four in the morning A few hours sleep worked wonders tor for though their feet were bleeding and they were still without rations the men sang ragtime while they were marching |