Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1917-05-05
SWEENEY, LkhEExpERT,
2 !, MekEI0 HDvIsEu. s.

'CAt7les gWeeneE West Pointer. 10
seAly q TIA ySinch FpreEGA LsS36n
and more recently IN command Of = |
section Of french -tsnks, or alnaoFed |
csterrllar nShtinS cars. q here trom
the ffont to help the United States |
'in orEaniIihg tractor cornpanies.
|. II II learned here that the French |
used these hog-like machines with
auccess In the recent offensive. They
cleaned MP machirsEun nets and
gave protection to the poilus while
they were digging In or "consoli-
dating their gains."
Captain Sweeney Is . native OF
Spokane, Wash. He entered the pres
emit war as an infantry private. de-
spite his West Point training He
wanted to be In the thick of 1t. so
chose that branch of the service, and
during his campaigning was In many
battles. He Nas awerdsd the cross
Of the Legion OF Honor for valor and
promoted to lieutenant when. single
handed, he captured machines gun
and SIX Germans.
Very little has been written In this
or any country regarding the French
tanks. The frstr few used by the
French army went into action about
the same time the, British put theirs
in the field. 1t was not until the great
offensive began this spring that the
poilus trotted forward in support Of
great numbers of their tanks-"zan-
zanss', as they cailed-th
The best way to describe a French
tank is to compare 1t with a giant
hog, kneeling so that its short legs
cannot be seen and creeping forward
as It roots In the ground.
| A rain of lead pours from its sides
las 1t proceeds, and heavier shot and
shell are showered upon any position
where machine guns OF the Germans
may remain in actioneas It stradiles
the enemy trench. onlyr-by landing
a shell directly upon tank can 1t
be put out of commission. Bullets
from German rapid-firers and the In
fantry rihes are powerless. Hand
grenades do 1t no damage.
i Exactly how the French get the
tanks to their first-line trenches in
preparation for attack is secret.
The well-trained mechanicians and
rihemen are ready when It is time
to start, and upon the signal the
tank gets into action. ~
Artillery preparation precedes the
advance of tanks. AS. the time ap-
lproaches for the start the barbed
wire ENHANCEMENT directly in front
of the first line trench is cut. That
} lis done under cover of darkness. Then
over the trench goes the tank and ali
lis ready for heFinyasion of No Mans
LAND.
Smelling by the French artillery has
Isilenced the enemy's cannon, and
when the commanding soficer decides
that the remaining Germans in the
first line and supporting trenches are
sufficiently demoraiized the signal to
advance is given.
The "zanzanning" of the tanks ma
chine guns begins when outposts OF
the German defenders empty the
chambers Of their magazine rides by
way of alarm and try to retreat from
their observation points just in front
of the barbed wire. Then the tanks
arrive at the barbed wire and py
I sheer weight crush 1t and roll onward
to the first line trench
The caterpillar wheels allow the
tank to straddle the German trench
slIt is halted and Cross fire poured
-into the line. The fempiaoements Of
! German machine gums are literally
!, blasted away by the Held pieces thai
are mounted in the tanks and ths
enemy reserve in the tanks and thu
enemy reserve infantry moved dow
Llby machine gun fire as they craw
Rlfrom their communication trenches.
3 At a signal from the commander o
: each tank the French supporting in
rushes forward. II all goe
the ground is cleared Of the en-
xlemy and the "poilus" reach the trencl
9 with minimum loss. Then the SEQ
4 lond line Is taken. The advance cor
J tinues until the enemy line is all car
xltured, according to the nature
3ithe ground. Tanks casrnDti attac'
&ibatteries Of artillery, and therefor
2ltheir work is accomplished when tn
xItrenches are cleared.
q with the advance OF the French In
. 3fantry positions there is a relatiy
): ladvance OF supporting artillery In tn
&irear and a consequent retreat by tn
ALDERMAN artillery.
~ Tanks are iconsldeped the pronert
! lof the infantry, and the poilus ar
Iproud OF them. TO- be,asstsaed to
) I"Sanzan.- bans.bansing war. cha
4liot--makes the Frenchrnen happy.
1.-THE American army adopts such nigh
Cling machines the nrst-class private
4Iwfn DO given the honor Of becomin
lamentations and lighters With
Sltheni.