Evening journal., 1917-11-22
HUNS BLOW UP IN
Panic when TANKS
come over TOP
CONTINUED From First Page.l

coined the sweating Tommies as they
sireamed in the town.
With their stories and the tales
wrung from German prisoners still
dazed with the surprise Of the British
blow, IL was possible today to piece
together some idea Of conditions TN
the luxurious and supposedly impreg-
nable German positions Of the Hinden-
burg line when General Byng loosed
his surprise party.
Not a German had any knowledge OF
the attack until the tanks loomed over
their heads Then they literally blew
M" in panic French civilians In towns
lust behind the lines described the Of
flcers and men as running around like
chickens with their heads cut off" The
whole army quivered and shook with
the suddenness of the thing, the great
ghost-llke steel monsters that battered
through cement and earth and human
walls We're fearsome giants; the swear
ing, yelling flends who followed them
were gnomes who suddenly sprang to
life out Of the ground.
10 must have been hours before this
palsy Of surprise. of fear and Of what
almost amounted TO superstitlous panic
that something supernatural had oc-
CURED, passed away among the Ger
mans.
British choppers up" told Of how
men from whose heads the lethargy Of
sleep had hardly passed, blinkingly,
dazedly. crowded out Of their dugouts
and duly let great tanks crush them.
in trenches and dugouts, blankets and
cots. were still warm from sleepers,
bodies or breakfast tables for officers,
daintily set, still smoked appetizingly.
tangle Of personal belongings in line
after line Of dugouts showed sleepers
IN the bunkers and cots had leaped to
their feet in the FIRST terror of the
moment and fled to the ghostly dawn
above, without hats. without blouses,
without guns, almost without their
senses.
Vast stores Of choice wines were
found in tho officers quarters. Cigars
and cigarettes were packed there pro-
fusely
Many sections Of the boasted linden
burg line came into British hands alb
solutelY intact. The tanks had smashed
great gaps. Through these the infan-
try poured and spread out fanwise be-
hind taking yard after yard Of the
'impregnable positions" from the rear
The correspondents were summoned
TO the line during the night. We stood
that memorable morning, very light
Just before dawn, In the midst of great
droyes Of tanks. all camoulaged and
hodizened-a veritable multitude Of the
things. They were a great herd Of
gentle looking stolid creatures. that
seemed TO browse on The grass covered
battlefield, sheltered somewhat by trees
whose branches showed no nipping by
shells. Tho scene was like some aban-
/ doned farm IN the Kentucky blue grass
region One could imagine tanks either
as bovine herds or as clutlered up
dingy looking, neglected farm machin-
cry scattered about
II was still. only a few desultory
shells exploded in the distance tho
regular, monotouous, every morning in.
terchangc. We could not sec the in
finite preparations on all the gigantic
front. Column after column, mass af
ter mass of men and machines am
horses and parsphernalis had Sill
through the oily night shadows am,
were lined up at that moment for th
greatest Of the war dramas then abou
10 start.
or a sudden, the moment came. /
was the kick on" Nothing but IN,
tense moment when tho ball Is put int,
play so aptly expressed the moment.
A little while-and hell broke loose
10 seems almost preposterous that tn,
Germans in a great many places or
their lines did not awaken with th,
first snorting Of the tanks as the,
crunched great swaths through th
BOche wires But there were countless
Instances. where it was not until thi
behemoths themselves, their tongue
llaring ahead. their steel bellies 1atten
ing the earth, actually came over th
German trenches that the Boche cam
to life
The German is a creature OF habit II
knew it was customary for artillery {
prccede an attack There was no al
tillery Hence there could be no al
tack.
No wonder he was dazed The In
ferno Of British artillery did not stal
until the tanks wero well over the
, FIRST objectives. Then It came a delug
a molten flame II seemed From Ler
10 ST. Quentin, ! am told today ia
n British artillery speeded up 10 feveris
violence. The multitude OF tanks fOun
it easy going The general in con
mand of the land Leyiathans, had ser
word 10 all his crews.
. THE tank corps expects every tan
TO do its dammedest," and tanks did
with full damnation TO the Boches.
The ground over which they wriggle
was practically Nat.
There were she'll holes. Mighty fe,
Of the monsters got stuck A fel
, more knocked out around Flescuerif
later on, when a heavy German nel
gun, muzzle depressed fired point blap
b at a range Of $50 yards.
, Behind the tanks tropped the infar
try taking IL easy. laughing in glee ,
the astonished Boches and their frenzie
cries Of "Kamerad," or disregardin
staccato machine gun fire that the MOI
J, Wlde-awake and courageous Of m
u enemy poured In their ranks. Thel
were several spots where the Hinder
burg limo was captured without a sir
u gle casualty among the British al
taokers
= Here and there behind the tanks al
: The infantry, the cavalry swept 70
: ward-sometimes, later in the nghtir
q actually disregarding the slow mo-
ing tanks and dashing on TO swir
I their sabres and oyerwhelm the enem
! They had waited Ions years the
: cavalrymen, for chance at N
enemy, and they made the most Of II
opportunity. British infsntrymen. WI
arrogantly turned up their noses
other days at the cavalrymen, hol
! ing that it was the trench boys wi
"a.