The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-05-09
night RAIDING
Is DESCRIBED
Continued From Page one.o

Continued From Page one.)
air as it appears to go right over the
heads Of the men and bursts with ar
appalling noise, sixty yards in front
sending out an orange squirt Of flame
as it meets the ground. There is an
other pause, then a few batteries get
to work simultaneously. Sheets of
flame light the enemy's parapet, as
shell after shell crashes on his de-
lenses. Already his barbed wire en-
ltanglements and his sand-bag work,
like weeds, as cast aside.
with beating hearts the attacking
party appear from their shell holes
and watch the tragic play of crush
ing the enemy's trench. The shells roar
and scream just overhead ard the
men are wondering If one will fall
short and raise havoc among them
selves. Our batteries then cease and
everything around is silent once more,
except for an occasional rat which
appears on the scene.
Time For Action.
Then the officer springs to his feet.
Now them he cries, and his men are
after him like a pack that has scent
ed a wolf. Quickly they rush over the
ground which they had only dared to
look at for weeks. Stumbling in shell
holes, falling in the sticky mud, they
charge through the mass of torn earth
and wire, A few jerky and nervous
shots come from the ruined trench:
they are about to assault Dozens of
flares from the alarmed enemy seek
the sky, but they are held at bay by
our machine guns acting from the
TANKS Of our own position, and with
this cover our men scramble into the
battered German trenches in search
of their prey.
THE bombers, who are in front
throw their missiles into the dugouts
from which shortly emerge wounded
enemy. They are quickly disarmed and
made prisoners. They are not unwill-
ing captives.
along the trench our men run.
There are fierce hand-to-hand fights in
the dark. There are oaths and muffled
sounds of blows. The light Of an ex-
ploding bamb shows the flash of steel.
There are grunts and sobs and strange
sayings from the dying men. In bunch
es the enemy are driven from their
cover, crying Mercy! Good Brit
ish, have a wife and four kinder
or 'Kamerad, kamerad,' and so forth.
These prisoners are escorted away
by a small covering party to place
of safety and soon disappear from
sight. But now the enemy are gather
ing reinforcements and are pushing
their way down the communication
trenches. German bombs are being
thrown from. concealed dugouts and
UNEMPLOYED traverses, and it is then
that the officer in charge Of the party
sees that he and his men have stayed
too long and things are beginning to
look unhealthy.
"He then blows a short blast on his
whistle and his men retrace their steps
to the original point from which they
started.
"Crouching on top of che parapety the
officer counts his flock as they scram-
BILE past him into No Mans Land.
Come on, you fellows he shouts,
1T Is time we were out!'
"A muddy and blood-strained priv
ate, supporting a wounded friend,
staggers past. Hurry on, SIR he
shouts, we're the last
Together these two fellows strug-
gle over the rugged earth and ruin
ed trenches making their way to safe
ty.
ut is only twenty minutes from
start to finish that the affair has taken.
Already there are quite q batch of
captured Germans in our trenches
and the last stragglers of the attack
Ing party arrive back into comparative
which Is now searching No Mans
Land to pick off any Of the assault
ing party.
AS the men are now all in the
trench the officer brushes his coat