_The French official "Eyewitness" reported on July 15 the French
victory in the battle of Metzeral in upper Alsace, as follows:_
The operations by which our troops captured the towns of Metzeral and
Sondernach, which are situated in the Fecht Valley, have been
remarkable because of the means employed and the results obtained, and
as the Alpine troops have been forced to surmount all possible
difficulties.
_Metzeral, the eyewitness explains, is situated in a valley surrounded
by high hills, the sides of which dropped precipitously down to the
Fecht region. On these hills was stationed artillery, to the rear of
which, within easy access, large reinforcements could be massed and
brought to the front when needed. He continued:_
From prisoners we learned that the Germans considered their position
impregnable. It was surrounded by several lines of trenches and barbed
wire entanglements. We made long preparations for the attack,
concentrating troops and bringing supplies up the Vosges through
winding, narrow, and hastily constructed roads, twenty miles in
length. New trenches were dug, mines laid, and various other details
attended to.
On June 15, after prolonged and heavy artillery fire on both sides of
the valley, the attack was begun against Hill 830, on which we
captured trenches situated on the slopes, taking two companies
prisoners. A portion of the trenches on Braunkopf also fell into our
hands.
At Eichwald we gained less, as here the German fortifications were
strongest. At Anlass, also, although many grenades were thrown, the
fortifications were of such a character as to make it impossible to
break through.
On the day following the attack was resumed, with the purpose of
gaining us all the positions on Braunkopf and Hill 830. We began at
this point to encircle Eichwald, as the road to Metzeral now lay open.
The Germans remained at Anlass, where our attack always stopped, and
with their fire across the valley on Braunkopf made it impossible for
us to proceed.
All our efforts were now concentrated on Anlass. We attacked on June
18 and 19, and on the 20th the German positions fell into our hands.
Our troops continued on down the valley, capturing 6 officers, 11
non-commissioned officers, and 140 men.
An attack directed at the same time against Winterhagel, situated to
the south of Anlass, was marked by a sad incident. A small group of
chasseurs who succeeded in breaking through the barbed-wire
entanglements found themselves under a crossfire of quick-firers. The
men tried to construct a shelter with the tools they carried. The
Germans cried "Surrender!" Not one man answered. The quick-firers
accomplished their work, and the men were found lying with faces to
the ground, as if they had dropped when drawn up in line for parade.
Our attacks were now centred on Metzeral. The factory at Steinbruck
was taken on the night of June 17, and a battalion entered Altenkof
the day following. On June 21 our men came down from Braunkopf,
surrounded the village on the north, and took the railway station. The
Germans in Metzeral, threatened with capture, placed quick-firers in
several houses to protect their retreat and prepared to set the place
on fire. Our artillery quickly demolished the houses in which German
artillery had been placed, and our troops entered the flaming streets
from the north and west. The village was burned.
On the two following nights, while our troops harassed the retreating
enemy, Winterhagel and Sondernach fell into our hands and our line was
established along the length of the valley of the Fecht as far as
Sondernach.
The action resulted in the capture of 20 officers, 53 non-commissioned
officers, and 638 men.