Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-13
SIMMEES GROW MORE
GALLANT UNDER FIRE
oa;cers Assert Baptism in the
Vt trenches Puts Fresh "Pep"
in Cubs in Khaki
cuELLS NOT so DEADLY
..,.r;ence on Front Proves That Per-
~ centage of Actual Hits Is Sur
prisingly Small
ru THE AMERICAN ARMY IN

ar THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
FRANCE, Nov. 13.
i.ican troops are bearing up splen-
,,s,v under their first experience Oh pe'hs
osa,led by the enemy.
sn, T',s is the unanimous opinion or officers
.so second battalions entering the
Oh hos which were. visited by the corre-
tencn., of the International News Service
sponu, 10 one great thing this first trip to
,s teaching the men," said one
inc i,or commander. or course we nave
sad n lot of it--only an occasional dose
~ " nigh explosive ana shraphel' pu' tne
Of ms, ca they don't mind 1t much more
men ~, would the pelting raindrops OF
than so,ror As matter OF TACT. the
haru .,,,yed more hob with my battalion
munpIs IT, GERMAN sehlls. Twelve men mad
than ~ the hospital from the muinps' but
10 ~ was not casualty from. German
shells ,or of the company attacked
Inc Gorpans in their trench recently
N s,uiIar statements, as well as the
+ mau. lieutenant who sustained minor
yonhe shell shock during the raid after
c,.,rg cas, three brave attempts 10 penetrate
,sa na" German barrage to bring up re-ehlorce-
ments. .,. ,.ho is now fully recoy-
l"'s l"'sid that despite the violent cam
eeu'a ea,ng of the German artillery on the
nunf ,uS, nf the raid, not one of his men was
nv 81, ;s wonderful how many shells can
,oat all around without hitting one, sald
"On the night of the raid 1T seemed
ns ~ the Germans were turning everything
a., had in the artillery line against our
;or ~ stepped from the dugout and
n dou.n TO the trenches under their bar
rage but had no sooner started than |
VAS knocked down by the explosion of a
uroiectle on the parapet just behind me:
The sensation was just as though ] had
received n powerful blow in the back between
INV shoulders | picked myself up and
started on another route, but "A shell caved
IN mart of the trench and had to go back
This time another shell struck the parapct
inst in front of me. Ii seemed as If I was
surrounded by huge ball of fire. I
thought that sparks We're sprouting out of
my shoulders and the tips of my fingers.
81 got up and started running and
bumped into Il private whom | knew. We
stood still a second and then | turned to
make eff in another direction ] had taken
only one step when n shell burst right be-
hind me- knocking me senseless. I couldn't
have been out very long. ! picked myself
IN and found my helmet missing. Then I
started down the trench looking for il and
stumbled over the body of the private ] had
been talking to only Il few minutes before.
He had been killed by "a German raider
while ] was lying unconscious few feet
away from him."
The commander of the company attacked
by the German raiders said that the at
tack had put fine fighting spirit into the
men, In his words. il was the best thing
In the world for them"
The following night the very same com
pany that had suffered the loss begged &c
20 out on patrol duty. The men said they
wanted one more chance to get back at the
Germans.
ON Monday morning the Germans firet
between fifty and sixty gas shells at the
American trenches, compelling the men tC
don their masks. Otherwise the sector re-
mains normal.