The Washington times., 1916-09-18
BRITISH JUB|LANTAT
TANK CARS SUCCESS
Stories Of Exploits Of Great
Fighting Machines on Every
Tongue in London. !
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Continued from First Page)
answer one could get was hush, hush"
and they have come to be known as
that.
Until they were actually sent into bat
tie, few believed that the rumors about
them were anything but fairy stories.
But II Is different now.
For they are real" writes Philip
Gibbs. In the London Daily Chronicle,
from the front, land have seen them.
walked around them, got inside, their
organs. and watched their monstrous
movements.
II came across a herd OF them In a
field, and like countryman who first
saw a giraffe, said: Hell, there ain't no
such animal
Then I sat down on the grass and
laughed until the tears came ipto my
eyes lin war one has a funny, sense OF
humor), for they are monstrously comi-
cal, like toads OF vast size emerging
from the primeval slime In the twilight
OF the worlds dawn"
"Felt Awfully Bucked."
81 felt awfully bucked." said a young
officer, about Ave feet high. who was In
charge Of one machine. when my beauty
ate up her first house. but l was sorry
for the house. which was quite GOOD
one"
When the British soldiers first saw
these strange creatures. galloping along
the roads and over the old battlenelds'
taking trenches on the way. they snout-
ed. cheered wildly, and laughed FOR a
day afterwsrd. The troops got out OF
their trenches, laughing. shouting. cheer
ing again, because the tanks had gone
on ahead and were soaring the Germans
|dreadfully while they moved over tnelr
hos md 0tlt Ger
man side. These motor monsters had
strange adventures and did very good
work. justifying their amazing exist
ence.
over the British trenches In the twi-
light OF dawn one Of those motor mon
sters lurched up and now came crawling
forward to the rescue, cheered by the
assaulting troops, who called out words
of announcement to II and laughed so
that some men were laughing even
when the bullets caught them In their
throat. Il waddled forward right over
the old German trenches. went forward
very steadily. There was a silence from
the Germans, then suddenly their ma
chine gun fire burst out In nervous
spasnis, but the tank did not mind. The
bullets fell from its sides harmlessly.
Walked Through Factory.
| II advanced upon a broken wall. leaned
up against It heavily until II fell with a
| crash of bricks. and then rose on to the
bricks and passed over them and walked
straight into the midst OF a factory
ruins. From its sides came flashes OF
IRE and host of bullets, and then II
trampled around ovor the machine gun
emplacement. having a grand time" as
| one OF the men said with enthusiasm.
II crushed the machine guns under It's
heavy ribs and killed the machine gun
teams with Its deadly fire. The infantry
| followed In and took the place after this
good help, and then advanced again
| around the fianks OF the monster.
Then they went on TO the village II
was like all these villages In German
hands. tunneled with nest of dugouts
| and strongholds hard to take. The Brit
ish troops entered II from the eastern
| side, fought yard by yard. stubbornly
| resolved to have II. A tank came along
and plowed about. searching for Ger
man machine guns. thrusting over bits
| OF wall. nosing here and there and sit
ting on heaps OF ruin while II fired
down the streets. BY $50 last evening
the village was taken. The British took
400 prisoners.
Held Up Their Hands.
They held up their hands. cry
ing. Colt in Himmei." and asked
| how they could fight against such mon
strous things. The taking of Cour-
| celette was a great achievement. skill
| fully planned and carried out by splen'
did men and one monster.
1T was like a fairy tale" said a
Cockney boy. II can't help laughing
every time l think OF It," He laughed
then, although he had a broken arm
and was covered in blood. ~.
They broke down trees as IL they
were matchsticks and were over the
barricades like elephants. The Boches
were thoroughly scared.
They came running out or Their
\ shell-holes and trenches shouting like
mad. Some OF them attacked the tanks
and tried to bomb them, but Il wasn't
a bit OF good. oh. crickey! II was :
ever was. They just stamped down tht
German dugouts as one might a wasps
nest"
them. which took on board a German
colonel. who surrendered to u. KEEP
| Another ambled in 'on German bat
terry OF field guns and with Its machine
guns killed the German gunners, who
were not able to flee from the grotesque
caller.
"Great Hun Victory"
One car. which went through the MAR
street OF Flers. had placarded OH it'
sides :;"Extra-Full account Of the great
Hun victory"
A correspondent with the British
army says German prisoners freely
admitted they were demoralized b'
There was no standing agains
that sort of thing" said one German
officer, "Of course we surrendered-
those OF us who were alive We nre'
ID n G T "A ma