Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-05-08
CANADIAN Army
Won ITS SPURS
IN THE FIGHTING
At why RIDGE.

GRAPHIC STORY OF
THE HISTORIC DAY
Lieutenant Pannill, Descen-
dant of Zachary Taylor,
Tells of Desperate Strug-
gle in Which Germans
Lost Important Position.
London. May S.-The lost legion" Of
Americans in the Canadian army got
Its chance at Vimy ridge and made
good. A lot Of the fellows will never
tell about 1t because some of the Ger
man machine guns held out to the last
and peppered the advancing troops.
But Lieutenant A. H. Pannill, of
Chatham, Va. descendant Of President
Zachary Taylor and Of Confederate
General James e. B. Stuart, told it
with enthusiasm today.
Pannill is commissioning from q
shrapnel wound in his left arm. Btre
is his story-told with occasional refer
ence to a map of Vimy ridge that was
smeared with rain and mud-the same
map he carried over with him.
TEN PER CENT AMERICANS.
Our battalion, the Thirty eighth,
contained about 10 per cent Americans.
The legion has gone to reinforce other
battalions so that there is no all
American fnrCe No
in the reserve trenches, slightly back
from the first line. when the time
came. didn't notice the time Slip
ping by; I was busy issuing rum to Ne
men and every one was taking a last
look at his tools
There was just one danger about
waiting for the zero hour of $3.50.
Fritz had been throwing over quite a
heavy load Of stuff every morning and
we waited in the shallow reserve
trenches without dugouts. We kept
as low as we could while the whizz-
bangs came over-whizz- bum! whizz-
bum! Some plunked into the mud
harmless. Others gave us a few cas-
ualties while we crouched.
MINNEAPOLIS MAN KILLED.
Down to my left was Frank e.
Kinds, of Minneapolis, a former ted
grapher. He was hit and died of his
wounds. He used to be in the Nine
teenth company, volunteer signal corps
in the Philippines. Ahead of us were
some of the Seventy eighth battalion |
in the first line. They were to take |
the first German line in our sector; we |
were to take the second and the COM
pany behind us the third. !
THE artillery strafe was the most
dazzling thing ever witnessed. II
looked back and saw rows Of guns 60 |
off, each in its turn. yet so fast that
the flashes seemed like tooth edged |
ribbon of flame.
THE signal to advance was the ex- !
plosion of mine down on our leftS |
Il stood up and waved my hand and |
said; Come on. fellows over we
went. re just walked ahead. 1t was
no use hurrying. The guns played
on the German first line for about
three minutes, giving our first wave
chance to get up there and drop in
the minute the Smelling lifted, to pre-
vent the Germans from bringing up
their machine guns from the dugouts.
TO THE SECOND LINE.
THE first wave took their trench
and we passed through them, follow
ing the barrage, to take the second line.
we were losing some men through our
own shells. but only small percent
age. We always figure on a number
or detective shells in a big strafe
Our shrapnel was breaking over our
heads continually. but that's all right,
Tor shrapnel, because it throws for
ward.
I'VE took the second line without
much Of fight. The boches came run
ming up out of the dugouts in swarms.
holding hands shoulder high, shak- /
Ing with nerves and calling, Mercy
kamerad! mercy, kamerad!' They
emptied their pockets trying to give us .
presents; pipes, knives, buttons,
watches. One American corporal came I
running up to me in a traverse and
asked, Seen any Fritzes? He held his
bayonet ready, but hadn't found any {
Of the enemy where his bunch went. {
Our prisoners were mostly members I
OF the Eleventh Bavarian regiment. c
Their officers had ducked back along
the communication trench.
With 30 or 40 men / went on ahead d
10 establish that strong point, anxious 9
10 get 1T done soon in case our third \
wave should have trouble in taking the I
lhlrd line. Just as we got started dig a
sing runner came up with word that \
Major Harrisons thigh had been n
'mashed by chunk of high explosive
shell. They had put him in a shell hole.
Fhere he was comparatively safe. y
When the job was finished went back d
% report, being now in command. On Y
he way got hit with q piece Of shrap- n
,el. .
That was about 8 a. m. Monday, At 4,
Tuesday afternoon I was relieved to
70 to the hospital.
"A great many OF our dead were .
Icattered everywhere as I came back. !.
n one shell hole l saw four or f,vc,
Who had crawled there wounded, ana
lied. Their heads had sagged under =,