BRITISH INFANTRY.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15356, 13 August 1915, Page 5

BRITISH INFANTRY.

MASKED SUPEBIOBITT.

OFFICER'S PTTERESTING LETTER FROM FRANCE. The Governor of New South Wales (Sir Gerald Strickland) is in receipt of an interesting letter from an officer fighting in France, from which the Sydney papers print the following extracts :— "While the number of optimists is diminishing, I still hold that the war is not likely to last through another winter. Tho German 'machine' is, no doubt, a very perfect organisation, but, like all machines, if one wheel goes wrong the machine stops. Now, on one point, at least, all agree. The German infantry has deteriorated from what it was at the beginning of the war. They no longer push an attack home; our Tommies do. If it were not for the incredible number of their ma-chine-guns and all sorts of batteries provided with apparently unlimited ammunition, we could walk through all their entanglements. The Turks, according to all accounts, show a better fight. When the new Ministry of Munitions will have provided us with mere guns and shells the end will come.

"Last week I had a confirmation of this view. Our troops not far from hero —at Hooge — wero told to straighten out a salient of the German lines that runs towards our trenches. We succeeded beyond our expectations, and made over 200 prisoners. ..I came across a batch of them—two officers and 120 men. It was .the first time I met Germans out here after eight months' campaign. . . . Tho officer in charge of the German machine-guns was one of the prisoners. 11c told me that they never stood a chance, because tho fire of our artillery was too accurate, and tho yellow smoke (our lyddite; was too much for them. Witnin an hour their trenches had been shattered, their dugout blown up, and their four machineguns knocked out of action before they nad a chance of firing a shot. One third of the men wero killed, and many wounded. Tho rest (so the officer said) cot so unnerved—tinvernunstig, that is, unreasonable, as ho put it in German—that there was nothing left for him but to surrender. Tho men said tho same, adding that they did not mind facing French infantry, but it was hopeless to stand against English infantry. "Perhaps my most curious experience was to realise how perfect was the German system in succeeding to make all the German nation believe that black was white. Tho prisoners all thought that we, the Allies, started 'the war; but that victory would bo theirs, because they wero winning all along the lino. Even the Italians, they said, were running away everywhere before the Austrians. Fortunately, 1 got hold of the last English paper, And the officer had to acknowledge that, as far as the Italians were concerned, they had been misinfprmed. As to the rest, ho stuck to his opinions, adding that Germany could continue the war indefinitely, and that we could not increase our numbers because the Irish refused to enlist and to fight. In vain, I told him that wo Lad several first-rate Irish regiments in our own division, who arc as brave as lions. The officer hesitated to beliove me. At last I told him, 'You don't understand the irony of your present position. Do you know what troops are escorting you? It is the Loyal North Irish Horse, the very men who you foolishly thought would prevent the expeditionary force from landing in France, by causing a civil war.' This stopped further etander of our brave Irish boys, whether north or south of Ireland. Though not an Irishman, my heart was soro for the losses a few days before of two Irish regiments. They had both been gassed . . . and yet the 'Dubs.' (Dublin Fusiliers) held out till evening, because it was found impossible either to support them or to call them back. The only , surviving officer from tho firing-line simply told mo. 'I had no orders to retire till nightfall.' Meanwhile, in the morning, the Germans had taken oi>e of their trenches, and I do not care to repeat the stories that are current about what they did with those that fell into their hands. "This last incident will, however, explain to you why, when some of tho prisoners expressed surprise at being so well treated by us, after having been led to beliove the contrary—of course, to prevent their surrendering— I could not help telling them that they should thank God for having fallen into the hands of a regiment that had not been gassed. Tho fact is that the attitude of our 'Tommies' towards the enemy has changed 6ince they have found out that international law is put aside bv tho enemy. Some regiments now neither forget nor forgive. . . . You will be glad to know that wo have now discovered efficient respirators to cope with the poisonous gas. Even with the other respirators, most of them recovered: but it was a sad sight to see hundreds of men coughing, half-dazed, like drunken men, for hour*. Those who bpd a weak heart or bod lungs succumbed."