File:How armies fight (1914) (14768156452).jpg

Identifier: howarmiesfight00grug (find matches)
Title: How armies fight
Year: 1914 (1910s)
Authors: Gruggisberg, Frederick Gordon (Sir) Gillmore, Parker
Subjects: World War, 1914-1918 Military art and science
Publisher: London T. Nelson
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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pnel. Gun after gun is putout of action by losing the whole of its detachment;some batteries suffer so severely that after the battlethey can barely muster a tenth of their number. But the losses are by no means confined to the Ger-mans. The ranks of the British are thinned by theconstant hammering of their opponents fire, in spite ofthe skilful way in which the men shelter themselves inhastily-dug trenches, behind hedges and garden walls, andin sunken roads. The four batteries of field artillery also suffer manycasualties. The guns are constantly forced to changetheir positions, owing to the enemys riflemen finding outwhere they are; and eventually so many men are killed,that several of the pieces are in danger of being put outof action for want of gunners to work them. At one oclock, after an hour spent in fruitless attemptsto push his infantry across the fire-swept fields lyingbetween the Bruyere position and the little chapel nearEllencourt Farm, the German commander withdraws his
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THE BATTLE OF TROU-DU-BOIS. 323 attacking lines under the shelter of Bois Hill and theorchards in its neighbourhood. His men have sufferedterribly, and, in spite of the most valiant efforts, havenowhere succeeded in approaching within half a mile ofthe British line. He sees plainly that unless he canpreviously overwhelm his opponents with a heavy artilleryfire, he cannot hope to carry their position. But where is he to place his guns ? You have alreadyseen how limited is the space which is at his disposal onthe actual battlefield. Some of his batteries are in action,it is true, but they are far too few in number to crush hisenemy, and, besides, are fighting at a great disadvantage—namely, under the fire of the British riflemen. The largemajority are lying idle in the valleys west of Bois Hill,owing to the lack of suitable positions from which toopen fire. Eventually he orders a movement which he ought tohave thought of earlier. The artillery of the 4 th ArmyCorps, which had moved up

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