Weekly journal-miner., 1917-10-31
(By Lyle Abbott)

dent officers in this camp during tho week just passed. The powers that be had ordained a thrce-day stretch of trench life, in which actual battle conditions on the Western front" were 10 be simulated They had not fore.
 seen the Texas "norther" that came
 blowing down out of Kansas or Can
 ada, bringing with ii some of the cold, est weather experienced hcreabout fol
 many a day.
 Drive after drive was made on the
 enemy trenches during the three days
 The students had been divided as tc
 the locality from which they came those from the 12th divisional area occupying one set of trenches and those from the 18th being in the op- posing system. As a result, the rivalry was keen.
 The method of instruction was something like this: The company commanders took over their trenches giving the firing line to one company . one day and to another, the next Succeeding companies occupied the support trenches and reserve trenches. As. the companies in the front line trenches swept over the top in attack, those in rear moved up a notch As each bstalion took posses sion of its new lines, 1t went through the exact procedure habitually follow ed by the armies Of Europe
 Lieutenant Bazin detailed from the French armies to act as instructor here in trench warfare, organized what arc known as the attack units. These are made up of sections (half companics) each employing beside the rifle and bayonet men, infantry train ed in some specialized branch of fighting. For instance, company in trench war now contains automatic rifcmen, employing the famous Lewis gun, hand grcnadscrs and rife gren- adicrs. Attached to the attack unit are men whose only duty is to follow the waves" of fighters and consoli- date the positions taken. This means, to fortify d captured trench system against countcr-attack coming from the original rear To turn the trench around" the workmcn dig fire steps and loopholes pointing to the rear, build barricadcs in communicating trenches and establish bomb and splinter proofs that will protect the attackers when they in turn become defenders against the Hun counters.
 For the purposes of instruction, the students were made 10 wicld the picks and shovels themselves. Dctachmcnts of them were given certain work to perform, and told that they must make the dirt fly, as the "hypothcti- cal'' countcr-attack would begin in' but very few minutes.
 Taken in order, the progress of company through the course of in struction in trench war consisted of the following steps:
 l. The hike to the trench zone un- der full pack"
 , The taking over of sectors by the members of the various organization, and the establishment of battalion. company and platoon headquarters and the assignment of troops to each trench or each firing bay in the front trenches.
 3 The instruction in assault for nations.
 4"Ovcr the top" At zero time, the minute the barragc fire was sup posed 10 be lifted. men armed with signal flags formed TOW across the front Of the enemy trenches Thirty seconds later. they rctreatcd straight to the rear lG0 yards, signiiying that our shell ire had been showed 100 wards farther into the enemy trenches At that moment, the attacking troops left their trenches, dOublc-timcd . .l- .I, and formed up" The companies . lined up with the men of the various . branches in their proper places, the commander would signal Forward and the unit would stat its briSK march across no-man's land. The commander would watch the position of the barragc. He would move his troops as the barraec moved. keep ! ing the men just close enough behind the point where the line of shells was supposed to be falling 10 give them protection against the Hun bullets In actual practice, the attackers lig urc on ; per cent loss of men from thc effects of their own barragc fire.
 :. The actual attack Arrived on the lip of the trenches, the attackers SiDlll il- ilNl ll lllt III Nl W ave Noult go on across penetrating to the en- cmy's third line or reserve trenches. The second wave would follow the first. Hopping up parties" would drop into the communication trench cS and clear them of Germans. The fourth line of attackers usually oc- cupicd the support or second line trenches.
 G Consolidation. Sweating from their run and the cNcrtion Of pokinc inc enemy out with the bayonct, the students would seize their iutrcnch- ing tools and begin the work of re- forming the trenches. They would then stand by for the
 /. CountCr-attack. This was hand lrd by the men who had just been chased out of the trenches. They , would attack from the rear. using formations suggested by the nature pf the worK, the terrain, etc This couutcr-attack would be unsuccessful inc first time. in order to give thc men training in inc mechanics of re- forming shattered lines and pulling ! out of the fight without too many !