Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-02-07
ARTILLERY FIRE
VERY ACCURATE
Life Of the Gunners Is a
Hard One at
Best.
NO REAL PROTECTION
Death in the Shape of a
Shell May Come at
Any Time.
NO REAL PROTECTION

lCorreSpondence Of the Associated Press
MUNICH, Jan. 12.-Iife in an ar
tillery emplacement is exciting. Men
so stationed are subjected to gunfire
which never before has reached such
an average of accuracy, and at
times must protect themselves against
the attacks of the enemy's aviators
In a letter Just published here this
| is we'll illustrated. After dwelling on
the comforts of the bomb-proof cave
in which the men of the battery
| dwell--in which they have even tables,
chairs, lockers and stove-the writer
continues as follows, the shifting
lenses being his:
"A tremendous black column Of
earth rises from the ground as the
shells strike near us. The clock in
! our cave strikes as If scared out Of
: its wits, and then stops Everything
| trembles and shakes The dry earth
on the sides of the bombproof peels
off and falls,
1--WE sit quietly waiting for the
| shell that will bury us. one after
another falls close by, but the one
we wait for does not come. The en-
emy's battery has fired five shots and
now stops.
AN hour later the bombardment
started again We sat there like par
alyzed ON the table a cigar burned
hole into a glove. Nobody had sense
or ambition enough to prevent il.
when the bOmbardmeut was over
everybody felt a peculiar sort Of
fatigue. All conversation stopped. one
of the men left his seat and wearily
threw himself upon the straw bed.
Before he went to sleep he turned
over and whispered:
'Call me-
"The worst of II was that we We're
not permitted to return the fire No
| doubt the division staff had its good
reasons for that. Things would be
different had we been able to return
shot for shot We would have been
of the best spirits i'm that case. But
to sit there, like dumb brutes and
wait for orders under such a fire was
| bad experience.
"The day passed in this manner
| The enemy's fire ceased at 7 o'clock
| in the evening, and after a meal OF
/ bacon, bread and coffee made OF
cereals we felt better. A partridge
I pie which my mother had sent me
helped to cheer us up.
Next morning at > o'clock the
order. Ready for fire" came by tele-
phone. Man the guns-distance 2,10O
yards-shell fire said the voice at
the other end of the wire, Though
! it was still dark, We heard from the
distance the thrashing Of infantry
fire.
"Our shells shrek and whistle
across the plain. Shot well placed
battery salvos-eveTy ten seconds one
distance now 2,2OO yards tele-
phone the observation officer.
Is Hard Work.
"The fun commences. 1t is hard
work Perspiration rolls off us like
the rain, which has just commenced
TO fall.
But the enemy's mortar battery
also starts again. The first shell hits
near our. position. The second one
/ hits the bombproof-we had been To-
Gated. A veritable sea of explosions
surrounds us-lightning detonations.
crashes, shrieks, smoke and powder
stencil gives our environment the ap-
pearance OF the crater of a volcano.
We are covered with mud which the
enemy's shells throw up and which
| descends upon us like hail.
2,175', | shouted at the gunner.
But he did not move.
" Fischer was my next shout. At
that moment the body OF the gunner
slipped between the seat and the
sighting mechanism noticed that a
fragment OF a shell had entered his
! forehead.
Gently we placed the.body to one
side ansanother gunner took the seat.
We continued our fire-calmly-
steadily-in our minds saw the de-
structlon wrought by our shells In
the lines of the enemys infantry
80 IL continued for some time; then
came from the observation station the
command: Cease fire for a while
I'm the afternoon another shell
hit our position, and another man
had to be laid aside. He was a low
able old fellow. Later we buried the
two.
Rain fell throughout the, night and
next day BY noon our bombproof
was filled with water. We waded
around in that up to our waists. Later
in the day our bOmbprOof caved In.
and we saved nothing but the tele-
phone instrument, our carbines and
coats. We then spend some time In
] the cellar Of nearby farmhouse and