In this respect as we have seen, the German gray-green uniform
assisted by rendering them almost invisible within shelter of such
woods as those before Mons. On the other hand, the brown khaki
shade of the British field uniforms--originally designed for the
same purpose on the sandy wastes of Egypt and Northern India--became
conspicuous upon a green background.
As the battle of Mons developed, the British line of the Conde
Canal was swept with German shrapnel. German shells, also, began
bursting in the suburbs of Mons and in the near-by villages. Sir
Douglas Haig's right thus came under strong fire. German aeroplanes
assisted by dropping smoke bombs over the British positions to give
the angle of range for their artillery. Thereupon fights above
took place between British and German airmen, while the armies
beneath thundered shot and shell upon each other. The Germans came
on in massed formation of attack. The British were accustomed to
attack in open extended line, and their shooting from any available
cover was generally excellent. They could not understand the German
attack in such close order that they were mowed down in groups of
hundreds.
The German infantry rifle fire, breaking from the shelter of the
woods to encounter a stronger British fire than was anticipated,
was at first ineffective. As to the mass formation they depended
upon overwhelming reserves to take the places of those dead piled
in heaps before the British trenches.
Pages:
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92