The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-09-03
PERSHING'S MEN
IN A FOUR HOUR
BAPTISM OF FIRE
U. s. Expeditionary Army
in France Has New Trench
Experience.
BIG SHELLS BURST CLOSE
Mine Batteries Spatter Earth
and Pebbles on Americans
in Sham Battle.
BIG SHELLS BURST CLOSE
Specia! cd6ie Despafch 10 THE suS.
Copyright, 1917. all r1ohts reserpedJ

~rot iouV nouTs yesterday AWerlCdH
troops crouched In their trenches while
overhead screamed high explosive shells
and shrapnei, bursting at times within
less than a hundred yards. 1t was their
frst experience with the new inventions
30 largely used by the European artil-
lery and for many OF them It was the
first time they had ever seen shell
fire.
Nine batteries OF French artillery.
posted on the rear. fred thousand OF
shells overhead to accustom our boys
to the roar of the guns and the sound
OF the explosions when the shells struck
the trenches. A gently sloping valley
with wooded sides was chosen as the
scene Of the most ambitious test the
Americans have yet had. On one side
was the American" on the other the
German" trenches The whole AmerI-
can side was a mass of olive drab and
greenlsh gray. FOR the full force OF the
expedition was massed In the trenches
and In clun,ps of wood near by
The men were standing about at their
ease. talking and laughing. curious to
see the latest show
Heads Duck as shells Roar.
Suddenly the blast of whistle was
heard and every man disappeared as
u by magic. All that remained in
sight was the tops OF their brown steel
! helmets like rows of beehives in the
trenches. Another whistle sounded and
word was passed to the French gunners.
who were invisible over the ridge, to
begin firing Then came boom and
: the screech of the frst shell the
Americans had heard in France.
! Involuntarily all craned their necks
and the beehives were replaced by rows
( OF upturned faces as the men tried to
! see the flight Of the shell. That. of
! course was impossible. but they saw the
! smoke and hame followed by the tre-
mendous crash OF the explosion as the
shell landed squarely on the German
first line on the opposite slope of the
valley which had been named the
''iindenburg trench
Several hundred shots were hred with
all kinds OF shells TO show the Ameri-
cans the methods of using time fuses
/ and other details. Then an officer in
I the American front line. the Grant
! trench" fred signal lights reading
"The Germans are attacking give us q
barrage." For a moment there was con-
fusion In the trenches, all the boys
crowdinE up to the front, eager to get as
close as possible to the exploding shells.
ImpsssabIe Barrier Of Fire.
In less than minute the barrase
came--a straight line OF shells explod-
ing with incredible rapidity only hum
dred yards in front OF the Americans.
making an impassable barrier for the
! Germans and throwing earth and peb-
BILE. which sometimes ratified on the
stee! helmets OF the Americans. Gen.
Sibert and his stan. all helmetod. started
to 60 down the American line when the
barrage suddenly lifted and a cheer
broke from the trenches for the accuracy
Of the French gunners.
After this came the artillery prepa :
ration for an offensive against the
Germans and the "Hindenburg and
.Mackenscn' trenches across the valley
became mere zigzag lines OF smoke
while the German" reserve trenches IN
a ravine nearby were blotted out 1t
was the famous rolling barrage behind
which the French and British troops ad-
vanced at Nerdun and Arras against
the helpless Germans,
There followed a deafening roar of all
the guns together, part firing high ex-
plosive shells, others shrapnel. the little
gunners In blue working their seventy :
fives twelve shots TO the minute--and in
the midst OF all this clamor what did
the Americans do? Many OF them
watched spellbound. but as an actual
fact some OF these precious young
troopers went to sleep. They had been
up since 4 O'Clock in the morning il
was almost noon and no artillery could
keep them awake. Later one Of the
officers. talking OF the days experiences
asked. what can the Germans make OF
an army like that"
Only One Man IL Injured.
Gen. Sibert is planning further ar.
tllery work now that the men are he.
coming familiar with it. and II is prob
able that this week they will he taugh,
to follow the rolling barrage, leaving
their trenches and advancing behind thu
wall of exploding shells, Some ~ ths
officers think the men will go to sleer
when they first meet shell Are aud no
take the trouble to follow the barraee
Only one man was hurt yesterday. II,
was hit by fragment OF stone anc
slightly injured,
British officers, and perhaps British
troops. are expected to arrive next weel
to take part in the instruction Of tn
Americans here. The number Is IN
known, but specialists In the divers
forms OF modern warfare are include,
and II Is likely that they will stay wit
the Americans some time.
This is part of the plan to obtain 10
the Americans the best and most com
plete training, such as no army ha ha
vet, before they go into the trenches
and the Americans will he able to bull
: up a lighting force which will includ
4, all the best features OF both the Britis
and the French soldiers,
The British will teach our boys espc
ciaily the use Of the bayonet, In whic
,, they are more experienced than tn
French They place greater reliance o
= ato oal n 10