The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-09-28

the crew heard the laughing and
shouting in English they opened the
door and called out I'VE are all right
# you will only get US some more juice
so that the Old Girl can have a guZzle
of he- proper drink and we can take
the road again. So the infantry
formed a line in front of the tank,
determined to defend her to the last
man while a runner was hurried back
for a can of gasoline. The gasoline
arrived safely and the Beast, hav1r
taken a swallow ambled back into re-
serve amidst wild cheers. 1t left be-
hind ESQ dead Germans according 20
it's commander.
Helped Take Town.
Another tank which did well in this
fight assisted in the taking of Thlep-
val. The taking of Thiepval and the
Zollern redoubt which lies between IL
and Courcelette, was wonderful BUS
mess Thiepval was held by the one
/ Hundred and Eightieth Germany regl-
ment, which had been there for a long
time. According to prisoners the de-
| ferders mad fortified the commanding
/ ridge with an amazing series OF raInl-
fled tunnels and dugouts. They had
| dug into the chalky earth with beaver
| like industry until they were safe I'M
der a shell fire which would have
! turned a fort like Maubeuge or Liege
or any other of the pre-war type into
the jumbled grae of its garrison Then
men Of the Hundred and Eighteen
| asked permission to remain in Thlep-
val giving their word that it would
never be taken from them and the
! German array cornmand consented.
/ Not only at this village but along
the ridge upon which hangs the whole
Anglo-French movement was the
same maze of warrens, where the
Germans had all the comforts of
| home. The Hundred and Eightieth
had cudgeled its brains to make
Thiepval the very last word in this
kind of defense. 1t was this sort of
/ preparation which stopped the British
attack on July l. Then as the British
infantry charged after the artillery
bombardment the Germans popped
out of their hiding places with ma
chine guns and swept the lines of
khaki with their deadly spray.
Bit by bit since July 1. the British
have worked their way forward. Yes
terday when they went after FhiepV al
and the Zollern redoubt the British
soldiers. as one of the captured Ger
mans said were at the doors of the
dugouts almost as soon as the last
| shell of the preliminary bombardment
had burst. A hurricane of shell fire
| kept the Germans in their burrows
and when it had lifted the British had
II arrived.
Some Forced to Quit.
Tho the Germans in many dugouts
! where their galleries of escape were
closed, surrendered in bodies; in other
instances they kept the faith that the
Hundred and Eightieth would die be-
fore il would UNCONSTITUTIONAL All
of yesterday the British were prying
for the entrances to dugouts in these
blackened ruins of the town, amid the
stencil of all kinds of explosives as
well as gas and lachrymatory shells.
There was sporadic hand-to- hand
fighting and at intervals Germans ap-
peared from the bowels of the earth
with their hands up and surrendered
to the British soldiers who were
smoking cigars found in the German
dugouts.
All observers agree that of late the
Germans, when left in isolated strong
points with orders to hold fast to the
death, are less inclined than formerly
to obey their instructions to the letter.
Il An officer of the Second Prussian
guards division who was captured was
in a state of exceptional disgust and
expressed himself freely. 1--WE got no
support from our artillery" he said
The British had double our number
of guns and three times az many aero
planes. while our aviators seemed tc
have lost their nerve.
My battalion was always put in the
worst possible position. Some of my
men who were given Rex's automatic
rifles, threw them down without wait
ing to fire when the British charged
Machine gun squadronS and last ditch
parties are left to stick in the face OF
the British guns and British charges
with the assurance that if they stick
it out, a counter attack will rescue
them. But the counter attacks failed
to materialize as they did at first
gave in, had had enough