(Continued from last week.) It came in five hours, a string of; !leven match boxes on big, high) wheels, drawn by a dinky little engine with the “con.” These match boxes vere cattle cars, on the sides of which vas painted the old familiar sign, ‘Hommes 40, Chevaux 8.” The R. T. O. stuck us all into one, :ar. We didn’t care; it was as good! as a Pullman to us. : Two days we spent on that train,: yumping, stopping, jerking ahead, and! sometimes sliding back. At three sta- ions we stopped long enough to make’ some tea, but were unable to wash, so! vhen we arrived at B , where we: vere to embark for Blighty, we were! is black as Turcos and, with our un-’ shaven faces, we looked like a lot of: ramps. Though tired out, we were’ 1appy. : We had packed up, preparatory to! letraining, when a R. T. O. held up his: aand for us to stop where we were! ind came over. This is what he said: Dead Bodies Everywhere. . “Boys, I'm sorry, but orders have just’ been received cancelling all leave. If: you had been three hours earlier you! would have gotten away. Just stay in: that train, as it is going back. Rations. will be issued to you for your return’ journey to your respective stations. Beastly rotten, I know.” Then he left. A dead silence resulted. Then men started to curse, threw their rifles on’ the floor of the car; others said noth- ing, seemed to be stupefied, while some had the tears running down their’ cheeks. It was a bitter disappointment: fo.all.: ° : How we blinded at the engineer of. that train; it was all his fault (so we, reasoned) ; why hadn’t he speeded up a- little or been on time, then we would: have gotten off before the order ar-. rived? Now it was no Blighty for us.: That return journey was misery to’ us; I just can’t describe it. : When we got back to rest billets, we found that our brigade was in the: trenches (another agreeable surprise) and that an attack was contemplated. Seventeen of the forty-one will never get another chance to go on leave; they were killed in the attack. Just, think if that train had been on time, those seventeen would still be alive. I hate to tell you how I was kidded by the boys when I got back, but it was good and plenty. Our machine gun company took over their part of the line at seven o'clock, the night after I returned from my smear leave. At 3:80 the following morning three waves went over and captured the first and second German trenches. The machine gunners went over with the fourth wave to consolidate the cap- tured line or “dig in,” as Tommy calls it, Crossing No Man’s Land without clicking any casualties, we came to the German trench and mounted our guns on the parados of same. I never saw such 2 mess in my life «bunches of twisted barbed wire lying about, shell holes everywhere, trench all bashed in, parapets gone, and dead bedies, why, that ditch was full of them, theirs and ours. It was a regu- lar morgue. Some were mangled hor- vibly from our shell fire, while others were wholly or partly buried in the mud, the result of shell explosions cav- ing in the walls of the trench. One dead German was lying on his back, with a rifle sticking straight up in the air, the bayonet of which was buried to the hilt in his chest. Across his feet lay a dead English soldier with a bul- let hole in his forehead. This Tommy must have been killed just as he ran his bayonet through the German. Rifles and equipment were scattered about, and occasionally a steel helmet could be seen sticking out of the mud. At one point, just in the entrance to a communication trench, was a stretch- 66 a Pa | oF AN AMERICAN SOLDIER WHO WENT ARTTIUR GUY EMPEY MACHINE GUNNER, SERVING IN FRANCE— | other companies clicked it worse than! 100 50) ® =n ©1917 BY ARTHUR GUY EMPEY ~aRIEATNY er. On this stretcher a German was lying with a white bandage around his knee, near to him lay one of the stretcher-bearers, the red cross on his arm covered with mud and his helmes filled with blood and brains. Close bz, sitting up against the wall of the trench, with head resting on his chest, was the other stretcher-bearer. He seemed to be alive, the posture was so natural and easy; but when I got closer I could see a large, jagged hole in his temple. The three must have been killed by the same shell-burst. The dugouts were all smashed in and knocked about, big square-cut timbers splintered into bits, walls caved in and entrances choked. Tommy, after taking a trench, learns to his sorrow that the hardest part of the work is to hold it. In our case this proved to be so. The German artillery and machine guns had us taped (ranged) for fair; it was worth your life to expose your- self an instant. Don’t think for a minute that the Germans were the only sufferers; we were clicking casualties so fast that you needed an adding machine to Keep track of them, Did you ever see one of the steam shovels at work on the Panama canal? Well, it would look like a hen scratch- ing alongside of a Tommy “digging in” while under fire. You couldn't see day- light through the clouds of dirt from his shovel. After losing three out of six men of our crew we managed to set up our machine gun. One of the legs of the tripod was resting on the chest of a half-buried body. When the gun was firing, it gave the impression that the body was breathing. This was caused by the excessive vibration. Three or four feet down the trench, about three feet from the ground, a foot was protruding from the earth. We knew it was a German by the black leather boot. One of our crew used that foot to hang extra bandoliers of ammunition:on. This man always was a handy fellow; made use of little points that the ordinary person would ! overlook. The Germans made three counter: attacks, which we repulsed, but not without heavy loss on our side. They also suffered severely from our shell and machine-gun fire. The ground was" spotted with their dead and dying. The next day things were somewhat quieter, but not quiet enough to bury the dead. We lived, ate and slept in that trench with the unburied dead for six days. It was awful to watch their faces be- come swollen and discolored. Towards the last the stench was fierce. What got on my nerves the most was that foot sticking out of the dirt. It seemed to me, at night, ir the moon- light, to be trying to twist around. Several times this impression was so strong that I went to it and grasped it in both hands, to see if I could feel a movement. I told this to the man who had used it for a hatrack just before I lay down for a little nap, as things were quiet, and I needed a rest pretty badly. When I woke up the foot was gone. He had cut it off with our chain saw out of the spare parts’ box, and had plastered the stump over with mud. During the next two or three days, before we were relieved, I missed that foot dreadfully; seemed as if I had suddenly lost a chum. I think the worst thing of all was to watch the rats, at night, and some- times in the day, run over and play about among the dead. Near our gun, right across the para- pet, could be seen the body of a Ger- man lieutenant, the head and arms of which were hanging into our trench. The man who had cut off the foot used to sit and carry on a one-sided conver- sation with this officer, used to argue and point cut why Germany was in the wrong. During all of this monologue I never heard him say anything out of the way—anything that would have hurt the officer’s feelings had he been alive. He was square all right; wouldn't even take advantage of a dead msn in an argument. : To elvilians this must seem dread- ful, but cut here one gets so used to awful sights that it makes no impres- sion. In passing a butcher shop you: are not shocked by seeing a dead tur- key hanging from a hook. Well, in' France, a dead body is looked upon from the same angle. ; But, nevertheless, when our six days, were up, we were tickled to death toi be relieved. : Our machine gun company lost, seventeen killed and thirty-one wound-; ed in that little local affair of: “straightening the line,” while the; we did. : : After the attack we went into re-| serve billets for six days, and on the; , very strict. seventh once again we were in rest bil-! lets. : CHAPTER XXII. Punishments and Machine-Gun Stunzis,: Soon after my arrival in France; in! fact, from my enlistment, I had found: that in the British army discipline is One has to be very care- ful in order to stay on the narrow path of government virtue. There are about seven million ways of breaking the king's regulations; to keep one you have to break another. The worst punishment is death by a firing squad, or “up against the wall,” as Tommy calls it. This is for desertion, cowardice, mu-, tiny, giving information to the enemy, looting, rape, robbing the dead, forcing a safeguard, striking a superior, ete. Then comes the punishment of sixty- four days in the front-line trench with- out relief. During this time you have to engage in all raids, working ‘parties in No Man’s Land, and every hazardous undertaking that comes along. If you live through the sixty-four days you are indeed lucky. This punishment is awarded where there is a doubt as to the willful guilt of a man who has committed an of- fence punishable by death. Then comes the famous field pun- ishment No. 1. Tommy has nicknamed it “crucifixion.” It means that a man is spread-eagled on a limber wheel, two hours a day for twenty-one days. | During this time he only gets water, bully beef and biscuits for his chow. I You get “crucified” for repeated minor offenses. Next in order is field punishment No. 2. This is confinement in the “clink,” without blankets, getting water, bully beef and %iscuits for rations and doing all the dirty work that can be found. This may be for twenty-four hours or twenty days, according to the gravity of the offense. Then comes “pack drill” or default- ers’ parade. This consists of drilling, mostly at the double, for two hours with full equipment. Tommy hates .this, because it is hard work. Some- ‘times he fills his pack with straw to lighten it, and sometimes he gets caught. If he gets caught, he grouses at everything in general for twenty- ‘one days, from the vantage point of a limber wheel. Next comes “C. B.” meaning “con- fined to barracks.” This consists of staying in billets or barracks for twen- ty-four hours to seven days. You also get an occasional defaulters’ parade and dirty jobs around the quarters. The sergeant major keeps what is known as the crime sheet. When a man commits an offense, he is “erimed,” that is, his name, number ‘and offense is entered on the crime Sheet. Next day at 9 a. m. he goes to the “orderly room” before the captain, who either punishes him with “C. B.” or sends him before the OQ. C. (officer commanding battalion). The captain ‘of the company can only award “C. B.” Tommy many a time has thanked ‘the king for making that provision in his regulations. To gain the title of a “smart soldier,” ‘Tommy has to keep clear of the crime sheet, and you have to be darned smart to do it. I have been on it a few times, most- 1y for “Yankee impudence.” During our stay of two weeks in rest billets our captain put us through a course of machine-gun drills, trying out new stunts and theories. After parades were over, our guns’ crews got together and also tried out ‘some theories of their own in reference to handling guns. These courses had nothing to do with the advancement of the war, consisted mostly of causing tricky jams in the gun, and then the rest of the crew would endeavor to lo- cate as quickly as possible the cause of the stoppage. This amused them for a few days and then things came to a standstill. - One of the boys on my gun claimed that he could play a tune while the gun was actually firing, and demon- strated this fact one day on the target range. We were very enthusiastic and decided to become musicians. After constant practice I became quite expert in the tune entitled “All Conductors Have Big Feet.” When I had mastered this tune, our two weeks’ rest came to an end, and once again we went up the line and took over the sector in front of G—— wood. At this point the German trenches ran around the base of a hill, on the top of which was a dense wood. This wood was infested with machine guns, which used to traverse our lines at will, and sweep the streets of a little village, where we were billeted while in reserve. There was one gun in particular, which used to get our goats, it had the exact range of our “elephant” dugout entrance, and every morning, about the: time rations were being brought up, its bullets would knock up the dust on the road; more than one Tommy went West or to Blighty by running into them. : This gun got our nerves on edge, and Fritz scemed to know it, because he never gave us an hour’s rest. Our reputation as machine gunners was at. stake; we tried various ruses to locate! and put this gun out of action, but: each one proved to be a failure, and. Fritz became a worse nuisance than’ ever. He was getting fresher and more: careless every day, took all kinds of! liberties with us—thought he was in-! vincible, > : Then one of our crew got a brilliant; idea and we were all enthusiastic to put it to the test. Here was his scheme: ; When firing my gun, I was to play; my tune, and Fritz, no doubt, would: fall for it, try to imitate me as an! added insult. This gunner and two! others would try, by the sound, to lo-' cate Fritz and his gun. After having: got the location, they would mount i 1 two machine guns in trees, in a little clump of woods to the left of our ceme- tery, and while Fritz was in the middle of his lesson, would open up and trust to luck. By our calculations, it would take at least a week to pull off the stunt. If Fritz refused to swallow our bait, it would be impossible to locate his special gun, ard that’s the one we were after, because they all sound alike, a slow pup-pup-pup. vur prestige was hanging by a thread. In the battalion we had to en- dure all kinds of insults and fresh re- marks as to our ability in silencing Fritz. Even to the battalion that Ger- man gun was a sore spot. Next day, Fritz opened up as usual. I let him fire away for a while and then butted in with my “pup-pup-pup- ~up-pup-pup.” I kept this up quite a while, used two belts of ammunition. Fritz had stopped firing to listen. Then he started in; sure enough, he had fallen for our game, his gun was trying to imitate mine, but, at first he made a horrible mess of that tune. Again I butted in with a few bars and stopped. Then he tried to copy what I had played. He was a good sport all right, because his bullets were going away over our heads, must have been firing into the air. friendly toward®him. This duet went on for five days. Fritz was a good pupil and learned rapidly, in fact, got better than his teacher. I commenced to feel jealous. When he had completely mastered the tune, he started sweeping the road again and we clicked it worse than ever. But he sigred his death warrant by doing so, because my friendship turned to hate. Every time he fired he played that tune and we danced. The boys in the battalion gave us the “Ha! Ha!” They weren't in on our little frameup. The originator of the ruse and the other two gunners had Fritz’s location taped to the minute; they mounted their two guns, and also gave me the range. The next afternoon was set for the grand finale. * Our three guns, with different eleva- ‘tions, had their fire so arranged, that, opening up together, their bullets ‘would suddenly drop on Fritz like a ‘hailstorm. \ About three the next day, Fritz start- ed “pup-pupping” that tune. I blew a ‘sharp blast on a whistle, it was the sig- ‘nal agreed upon; we turned loose and ‘Fritz’s gun suddenly stopped in the :middle of a bar. We had cooked his ‘goose, and our ruse had worked. After firing two belts each, to make sure of ‘our job, we hurriedly dismounted our ‘guns and took cover in the dugout. We knew what to expect soon. We didn’t ‘have to wait long, three salvos of i“whizz-bangs” came over from Fritz's ‘artillery, a further confirmation that we had sent that musical machine-zun- ‘mer on his Westward-bound journey. ' That gun never bothered us again. We were the heroes of the battalion, ‘our captain congratulated us, said it :was a neat piece of work, and, conse- iquently, we were all puffed up over the stunt. There are several ways Tommy uses ito disguise the location of his machine 'gun and get his range. Some of the most commonly used stunts are as fol- ‘lows: ; At night, when he mounts his gun over the top of his trench and wants ‘to get the range of Fritz's trench he adopts the method of what he terms “getting the sparks.” This consists of firing bursts from his gun until the ‘bullets hit the German barbed wire. He can tell when they are cutting the wire, because a bullet when it hits a wire throws out a blue electric spark. Machine-gun fire is very damaging to wire and causes many a wiring party to go out at night when it is quiet to repair the damage. To disguise the flare of his gun at night when firing, Tommy uses what is called a flare protector. This is a stove- pipe arrangement which fits over the barrel casing of the gun and screens the sparks from the right and left, but not from the front. So Tommy, always resourceful, adopts this scheme: About three feet or less in front of the gun he Ki * o eermiusen snesneanconnd) #e—ioo YDS. meee fi 100 YDS 3M RISHT GUN Showing How Fritz Is Fooled. drives two stakes into the ground, about five feet apart. Across these stakes he stretches a curtain made out of empty sandbags ripped open. He soaks this curtain in water and fires through it. The water prevents it: catching fire and effectively screens the flare of the firing gun from the enemy. Sound is a valuable asset in locating a machine gun, but Tommy surmounts: this obstacle by placing two machine! gues about one hundred to one hun- dred and fifty yards apart. The gun on the right to cover with its fire the sector of the left gun and the gun on the left to cover that of the right gun. This makes their fire cross; they are fired simultaneously. By this method it sounds like one gun firing and gives the Germans the Impression that the gun is firing from 2 point midway between the guns which are actually firing, and they ac- cordingly shell that particular spot. The machine gunners chuckle and say, “Fritz is a brainy boy, not ’alf he ain't.” But the men in our lines at the spot being shelled curse Fritz for his igno- rance and pass a few pert remarks I commenced to feel | LR down the line in reference to the ma- chine gunners being “windy” and afraid to take their medicine. CHAPTER XXIII. Gas Attacks and Spies. Three days after we had silence¢ I'ritz, the Germans sent over gas. It did not catch us unawares, because the wind had been made to order, that is, it was blowing from the German trenches toward ours at the rate of about five miles per hour. Warnings had been passed down the trench to keep a sharp lookout for gas. We had a new man at the periscope, on this afternoon in question; I was sitting on the fire step, cleaning my rifle, when he called out to me: “There’s a sort of greenish, yellow cloud rolling along the ground out in front, it’s coming—" But I waited for no more, grabbing my bayonet, which was detached from the rifle, I gave the alarm by banging an empty shell case, which was hang- ing near the periscope. At the same instant, gongs started ringing down the trench, the signal for Tommy to don his respirator, or smoke helmet, as we call it. Gas travels quickly, so you must not lose any time; you generally have | about eighteen or twenty seconds in which to adjust your gas helmet. A gas helmet is made of cloth, treat- ed with chemicals. There are two win- dows, or glass eyes, in it, through which you can see. Inside there is a rubber- ‘covered tube, which goes in the mouth. You breathe through your nose; the gas, passing through the cloth helmet, is neutralized by the action of the chemicals. The foul air is exhaled ‘through the tube in the mouth, this tube being so constructed that it pre- vents the inhaling of the cutside air or gas. One helmet is good for five hours of the strongest gas. Each Tommy carries two of them slung around his shoulder in a waterproof canvas bag. He must wear this bag at all times, even while sleeping. To change a de- fective helmet, you take out the new one, hold your breath, pull the old one off, placing the new one over your head, tucking in the loose ends under the collar of your tunic, For a minute, pandemonium reigned in our trench—Tommies adjusting their helmets, bombers running here and there, and men turning out of the dugouts with fixed bayonets, to man the fire step. Re-enforcements were pouring out of the communication trenches. : Our gun’s crew were busy mounting the machine gun on the parapet and bringing up extra ammunition from the dugout. German gas is heavier than air and ‘soon fills the trenches and dugouts, ‘Where it has been known to lurk for two or three days, until the air is puri- fied by means of large chemical spray- ers. We had to work quickly, as Fritz generally follows the gas ‘with an in- fantry attack. A company man on our right was too slow in getting on his helmet; he sank to the ground, clutching at his throat, and after a few spasmodic ‘twistings went West (died). It was aorrible to see him die, but we were ‘powerless to help him. In the corner of a traverse, a little, muddy cur dog, -one of the company’s pets, was lying dead, with his paws over his nose. It’s the animals that suffer the most ~—the horses, mules, cattle, dogs, cats ‘and rats—they having no helmets to save them. Tommy does not sympa- thize with rats in a gas attack. At times gas has been known to travel, with dire results, fifteen miles behind the lines. A gas, or smoke helmet, as it is called, at the best is a vile-smelling thing, and it is not long before one gets a violent headache from wearing it. Our eighteen-pounders were burst- ing in No Man’s Land, in an effort, by the artillery, to disperse the gas ‘clouds. > The fire step was lined with crouch- ing men, bayonets fixed, and bombs near at hand to repel the expected at- tack. Our artillery had put a barrage of curtain fire on the German lines, to try and break up their attack and keep back re-enforcements. I trained my machine gun on their trench and its bullets were raking the parapet. Then over they came, bayonets glis- tening. In their respirators, which have a large snout in front, they look- ed like some horrible nightmare, All along our trench, rifles and ma- chine guns spoke, our shrapnel was bursting over their heads. They went down in heaps, but new ones took the places of the fallen. Nothing could stop- that mad rush. The Germans reached our barbed wire, which had previously been demolished by their shells, then it was bomb against bomb, and the devil for all. Suddenly my head seemed to burst from a leud “crack” in my ear. Then my head began to swim, throat got dry, and a heavy pressure on the lungs warned me that my helmet was leak- ing. Turning by gun over to No. 2, I changed helmets. The trench started to wind like a snake, and sandbags appezred to be floating in the air. The noise was hor- rible; I sank onto the fire step, needles seemed to be pricking my flesh, then blackness. I was awakened by one of my mates removing my smoke helmet. How de- licious that cool, fresh air felt in my lungs. A strong wind had arisen and dis- persed the gas. They told me that I had been “out” for three hours; they thought I was dead. The attack had been repulsed after a hard fight. Twice th2 Germans had gained a foothold in cur trench, hut — had been driven out by counter-at-| tacks. The trench was filled with their! dead and ours. Through a periscope! [ counted eighteen dead Germans in! our wire; they were a ghastly sight in! their horrible-looking respirators. I examined my first smoke helmet, A bullet had gone thrcugh it on the, left side, just grazing my ear. The gas had penetrated through the hole made in the cloth. Out of our crew of six we lost two killed and two wounded. That night we buried all of the dead, excepting those in No Man's Land. In death there is not mueh distinction; friend and foe are treated alike. After the wind had dispersed the gas the R. A. M. C. got busy with their chemical sprayers, spraying out the dugouts and low parts of the trenches to dissipate any fumes cf the German gas which may have been lurking in same. Two days after the gas attack I was sent fo division headquarters, in an- swer fo an order regsesting that cap- tains of units should detail a man whom they thought capable of passing an examination for the divisional in- telligence department. Before leaving for this assignment I went along the front-line trench say- ing good-by to my mates and lording it over them, telling them that I had pH 2 A Gas Helmet. clicked a cushy job behind the lines, and how sorry I felt that they had to stay in the front line and argue out the war with Fritz. They were envious but still good-natured, and as I left the trench to go to the rear they shouted after me: z “Good luck, Yank, old boy; don’t forget to send up a few fags to your old mates.” I promised to do this and left. I reported at headquarters with six- teen others and passed the required ex- amination. Out of the sixteen appli- cants four were selected. I was highly elated because I was, I thought, in for a cushy job back at the base. The next morning the four reported to division headquarters for instrue- tions. Two of the men were sent to large towns in the rear of the lines with an easy job. When it came our turn the officer told us we were good ‘men and had passed a very creditable examination. My tin hat began to get too small for me, and I noted that the other man, Atwell by name, was sticking his chest out more than usual. The officer continued: “I think I can use you two men to great advantage in the front line. Here are your orders and instructions, also the pass which gives you full authority as special M. P. detailed on intelligence work. Re- port at the front line according to your instructions. It is risky work and I wish you both the best of luck.” My heart dropped to zero and At- well’s face was a study. We saluted and left. That wishing us the “best of luck” sounded very ominous in our ears; if he had said “I wish you both a swift and painless death” it would have been more to the point. When we had read our instructions we knew we were in for it good and plenty. . What Atwell said is not fit for pub-, lication, but I strongly seconded his; opinion of the war, army and divisional; headquarters in general. : After a bit our spirits rose. We were: full-fledged spy-catchers, because our. instructions and orders, said so. We immediately reported to the nearest French estaminet and had sev- eral glasses of muddy water, which they called beer. After drinking our beer we left the estaminet and hailed an empty ambulance. After showing the driver our passes we got in. The driver was going to the part of the line where we had to re- port. . How the wounded ever survived a ride in that ambulance was inexplica- ble to me. It was worse than riding cn a gun carriage over a rock road. (Continued next week). Tickled Their Competitors. Wall Street Journal—“For the year 1917 the company’s morality was the lowest in its history.” The victim of this typographical error was the New York insurance company, whose presi- dent, directing the Journal’s attention to the omission of the “t,” says with the greatest good humor: “Gadzook! Don’t call it an accident. Our com- petitors will call it genius.” ‘Women bank clerks virtually have replaced men in Germany from the early days of the war, but the first case of an embezzling woman bank clerk has just occurred in Berlin. The accused girl, Rosa Neumann, was con- victed of stealing $6,000 in Russian securities from the Dresdner Bank and was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment. She stated during the trial that : .e had spent all of the pro- ceeds on food and theatre tickets. ib = 7 L i 7 of B
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers