Through the forested region of Crecy the British passed, and it has been told hereinbefore how they surprised the two cavalry commands thrust out as scouts by General von Kluck.  But, as they reached the land that had been occupied by the German hosts, the bearing of the men changed, even as the country changed.  The simple homes of the peasants were in ashes, every house that had showed traces of comfort had been sacked or gutted with fire.  Between noon and three o’clock in the afternoon of that day three burned churches were passed.  The songs stopped.  A black silence fell upon the ranks.  Bloody business was afoot.

It was in the middle of the afternoon, a slumbrous harvest afternoon, that a big gun boomed in the distance, and the shell shrieked dolefully through the air, its vicious whine ceasing with a tremendous sudden roar as it burst behind the advancing British lines.  On the instant, Sir John French’s batteries almost wiped out the German cavalry, and ten minutes had not elapsed before the full artillery on both sides had begun a terrific fire that was stunning to the senses.  Under cover of their own fire, the British infantry advanced and hurled themselves against the outer line of General von Kluck’s Second Army.  The attack failed.  The British were driven back, but though the loss of life was sharp, it was not great, as the British commander had but advanced his men to test out the invader’s strength.  The British artillery was well placed, and under its cover the British made a second advance, this time successful.  The Germans replied with a counterattack which was repulsed, but in that forty minutes 10,000 men had fallen.

A dispatch has been quoted from a French soldier, showing the terrible havoc caused by the German machine guns, and a letter from a German officer, published in the “Intelligenzblatt” of Berne pays a like tribute to the artillery of the Allies.  Speaking of this very section or the battle front, he wrote: 

“We were obliged to retreat as the English were attempting a turning movement, which was discovered by our airmen. [This refers to the advance of the British First Army Corps under Sir Douglas Haig in the direction of La Ferte-sous-Jouarra, which, if it could have been successfully carried out, would have meant the entire loss of General von Kluck’s southern army.] During the last two hours we were continually exposed to the fire of the enemy’s artillery, for our artillery had all either been put out of action or had retreated and had ceased to fire. [This dispatch was evidently, therefore, written toward the end of the second day, on Monday, September 6, 1914, when General von Kluck realized that his forward drive had failed and that he must fall back.]

“The enemy’s airmen flew above us, describing two circles, which means, ‘there is infantry here.’  The enemy’s artillery mowed the ground with its fire.  In one minute’s time I counted forty shells.  The shrapnel exploded nearer and nearer; at last it reached our ranks.  I quickly hugged a knapsack to my stomach in order to protect myself as best I could.  The shrieks of the wounded rang out on all sides.  Tears came to my eyes when I heard the poor devils moaning with pain.  The dust, the smoke, and the stench of the powder were suffocating.