tending to show that as far back as the Aisne
the German retirement was hurried.

There was a strong wind during the day, accompanied by a driving rain.
This militated against the aerial reconnoissance.

On Sunday, the 20th, nothing of importance occurred until the afternoon,
when there was a break in the clouds and an interval of feeble sunshine,
which was hardly powerful enough to warm the soaking troops. The Germans
took advantage of this brief spell of fine weather to make several
counter-attacks against different points. These were all repulsed with
loss to the enemy, but the casualties incurred by us were by no means
light.

In one section of our firing line the occupants of the trenches were
under the impression that they heard a military band in the enemy's
lines just before the attack developed. It is now known that the German
infantry started their advance with bands playing.

The offensive against one or two points was renewed at dusk, with no
greater success. The brunt of the resistance has naturally fallen upon
the infantry. In spite of the fact that they have been drenched to the
skin for some days and their trenches have been deep in mud and water,
and in spite of the incessant night alarms and the almost continuous
bombardment to which they have been subjected, they have on every
occasion been ready for the enemy's infantry when the latter attempted
to assault, and they have beaten them back with great loss. Indeed, the
sight of the Pickelhauben [German spiked helmets] coming up has been a
positive relief after long, trying hours of inaction under shell fire.

The object of the great proportion of artillery the Germans employ is to
beat down the resistance of their enemy by concentrated and prolonged
fire, to shatter their nerves with high explosives, before the infantry
attack is launched. They seem to have relied on doing this with us, but
they have not done so, though it has taken them several costly
experiments to discover this fact.

From statements of prisoners it appears that they have been greatly
disappointed by the moral effect produced by their heavy guns, which,
despite the actual losses inflicted, has not been at all commensurate
with the colossal expenditure of ammunition, which has really been
wasted. By this it is not implied that their artillery fire is not good;
it is more than good--it is excellent. But the British soldier is a
difficult person to impress or depress, even by imm