FRENCH GUNS

Evening Star, Issue 15907, 13 September 1915, Page 10

FRENCH GUNS

ALONG YSER CANAL. " Despite the precautions taken by the Germans," stated a French soldier, wounded in the engagement described below, "our commanding officer soon learned that the enemy were making preparations for a very heavy attack'on the Yser Canal, and as a result he gave orders to his men to make all ready for the Teception of the Germans. "When the enemy, on the dawn of July 9, started to bombard us with gas bombs, everyone was on the alert. The massed infantry attack that followed toward 9 o'clock the same morning surprised no one. The Germans made their heaviest attack on the old stone bridge of Boesinghe, which, as long ago as October, 1914, had been replaced by a series of little chain bridges, easily destroyed should the necessity arise. The water of the canal at this point is very shallow, and here and there it is fordable. The enemy managed to cross the stream and take up a footing—a very insecure one—on the same side of the canal as we were ourselves. "The German commanding officer, greatly miscalculating his little initial success, ordered two battalions of infantry to advance and take the Allies' second line of trench is, situated but a short distance off. "By this time the bridges across the water were streaming with German troops, that were coming to reinforce those already across the-canal. Suddenly, as a large company of Bavarian infantrymen were coming across the Boesinghe bridge, the French brought a number of ' Ys's' into action. It was not many minutes before the bridgeheads' were brought crashing into the water below, dragging with them numbers 'of the enemy. "All was panic in the German lines. Officers and men were struggling in the canal for their livee, and those who did not drown were shot down as soon as they crawled on to dry land. The small portion of water fordable had by now been placed under the careful survey of four ' 75'6,' and, there being no bridge left, the two German battalions on our side of the canal were completely isolated from their main party. • "A brilliant counter-attack, made with fixed bayonets, by French marines and Belgians, soon cleared the left—our side —of the canal of all Germans. Those that were' not killed or drowned gave themselves up to us as prisoners of war. Not a single German soldier or officer of the two battalions that the commander' had ordered to take our second line of trenches returned to the enemy's lines. " Whilst we were counter-attacking the enemy on the other side of the water made attempts to throw across the canal a little chain bridge in order to rescue the two hattalions that were stranded. The French ' 75's' were on the lookout, however, and not only did the German sappers have to retreat, but they were forced to abandon a large • amount ; of their material. "It is not surprising that the Germans have—so a German prisoner told me—called the Yser Canal ' the Land of the Cursed Water.' For months past they have tried to cross the water and hold their footing on the other side, but every attempt means failure, to say nothing, of heavy loss in lives."