I love convoluted German sentences

[Richard Hargreaves]

Like this one:

Wenn vorn die Leuchtkugeln auszugehen drohen, auf deren Zeichen die Infanterie wie die Artillerie angewiesen ist, so weiß jeder Frontsoldat, aus welcher schweren eigenen Bedrohung heraus solche Notsignale abgegeben werden, und ebenso weiß jeder, wie dem hart kämpfenden Soldaten bei solchen, durch das unübersichtliche Gelände verursachten, Kurzschüssen zu Mute ist.

When the flares threatened to go up at the front - a signal for the infantry as well as the artillery - then each front-line soldier knew the grave danger which led to such distress signals being fired...

[pak]

Like this one:

Wenn vorn die Leuchtkugeln auszugehen drohen, auf deren Zeichen die Infanterie wie die Artillerie angewiesen ist, so weiß jeder Frontsoldat, aus welcher schweren eigenen Bedrohung heraus solche Notsignale abgegeben werden, und ebenso weiß jeder, wie dem hart kämpfenden Soldaten bei solchen, durch das unübersichtliche Gelände verursachten, Kurzschüssen zu Mute ist.

You know how to pick them

I appreciate any comments on my translation, because this was a though one....
(Horrible German and equally horrible English)

When the flares threaten to go out ahead, who's mark both the infantry and artillery is dependent on, every front soldier knows what grave danger these distress signals poses to them selves. Equally every one knows, like the hard fighting sodiers, that because of the difficult terrain, that shooting short is "in fashion".

The gist is if I am not completely mistaken, that when the flares goes out, everyone tends to shoot short, and thereby posing a threat to fellow sodiers in front of them.

[Richard Hargreaves]

What about:

When the flares threatened to go up at the front - a signal to the infantry as well as the artillery - then each front-line soldier knew what grave danger to such distress signals posed to them and, similarly each man knew what it felt like for the soldiers fighting hard when shells fell short because it was impossible to see the terrain.

Horrible English. Blame me.
Horrible German. Blame Otto Hitzfeld. Great commander. Rubbish writer.

[vkun]

Not quite right...

Wenn vorn die Leuchtkugeln auszugehen drohen, auf deren Zeichen die Infanterie wie die Artillerie angewiesen ist, so weiß jeder Frontsoldat, aus welcher schweren eigenen Bedrohung heraus solche Notsignale abgegeben werden, und ebenso weiß jeder, wie dem hart kämpfenden Soldaten bei solchen, durch das unübersichtliche Gelände verursachten, Kurzschüssen zu Mute ist.

When the flares are impending to go out (ausgehen in this context can mean, that the flare stops glowing in the sky or that there are no more flares left to be shot...) - a signal the infantry as well as the artillery depends on - every front soldier knows because of which grave threat such emergency signals are fired and everyone also knows how the toughly fighting soldier feels in the face of such short falling grenades, caused by the complex (confusing/difficult/challenging) ground.

I think Hitzfeld means that the artillery fire is falling short, the infantry at the frontline fires flares to signal the artillery to shoot farther or stop shooting...

[Howard]

Hi all, think vkun has more or less got it. Either the flares are no longer glowing, or supplies are running short, both of which may lead to guns firing short.

here's my bash at it.

When the flares threaten to go out at the front, signals on which the infantry as well as the artillery depend, every front line soldier knows just what a grave personal threat has caused such an emergency signal to be sent up and everyone also knows how the soldiers who are fighting hard feel about rounds landing short because of the difficult terrain.