The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1917-10-11
to rattle as they sprayed the terrain
ahead, searching Tor the German gun

ahead, searching tor the German gun
crew.
Soon French airplane, then an
other, circled down from above, low
ef and lower. as the observers scru-
tinized the ground. One Of the ma
chimes had descended TO less than 800
feet, when the German machine gun
ratified again. and. peerins over the
top Of their shell hole. the French and
American officers saw the barrel Of
the German gun aimed into the air,
as the crew ground out leaden bullets
against the prying aviator But the
Germans very fear Of detection gave
them away. for French gua crew
to the left had spotted the barrel. too,
and in a moment was turning its fire
upon the enemy. The airplane had
climbed to safety and in minute was
dropping colored flares in the half
light Of the morning directing its par
ticu;ar battery where To shoot.
machine Gun Wrecked.
Almost Immediately a big French
shell whistled by. pumped against
che ground just ahead and exploded,
hurting a wa,erspout Of mud and
debris high into the air. Another sig
nal and the next she'll fell a little to
the left. Another signal, and four
shells-a salvo from the battery
dropped together around the spot
where the German machine gun was
enlplaced. With a cry. the keen
French observers sprang forward
from their dugouts. dragging machine
guns and accoutrements with them,
and crept forward. AS they approach
ed the "strong point where the Ger
man gun crew had been they began
tossing hand grenades in among the
ruins. The exploding bombs completed
the wreckage. Then a bit Of dirty
white-probably a handkerchief
appeared falteringly above the spot,
and the extended arms and the face
and body Of a German, his gray-green
uniform spattered with mud, ap-
peared. The French went forward,
the American officers with them. to
the spot where the machine gun had
been.
All that was left Of the concrete
and steel pill box" was some mud
died debris, which might have been
anything. A little twisted metal,
looking for all the world like several
smashed up umbrellas, was all that
was left of the machine gun. Three
Of the crew Of ten men were alive,
and two Of them were wounded. The
other seven might have been heaps Of
rags instead of men.
Americans Go Forward.
The American officers continued for.
ward with the French captain and
the storming party. which had to has
ten as best it could to catch up with
the creeping barrage. They passed
the third German line Of trenches and
then two extra lines Of support
trenches. and then they traversed the
zone. criss-crossed with communion
ton and supply trenches. where the
German artillery had been emplaced.
each gun in its little hidden spot.
with room only for the muzzle to pro-
trude. Scattered about. too. were
the passages leading to the various un-
derground dugouts. some of them
large enough to accommodate 300 SOL
diers. They found the wreckage Of
German Red Cross stations advanced
dressing points where the wounded
were first bandaged. Then they came
to the region Of shell dumps. reser-
voirs where ammunition was kept. to
be sent forward in little trucks on
tiny railroads, down the winding
trenches. Past all this and close up
against the first trench line Of the sec
ond German defensive position, they
proceeded before they stopped. They
had gained all their detectives of the
day. and would be in danger Of be-
ing shelled by their own artillery IL
they proceeded further.
See More Fighting.
While the French troops remained
to consolidate the positions they had
won. while they dug communicating
passages between the line of shell
holes they had decided to occupy and
to open up communication trenches
with the rear for bringing up sup
plies and guns. the American officers
started back before the enemy's bar.
rage began.
On the way back they saw more
fighting; they saw French soldiers
bombing treacherous Germans who
had come out Of their dugouts to fire
on them from behind. and they saw
long lines Of German prisoners being
marched down trenches in the direc-
ton Of the "cages" further back.
They saw the "brancardiers." az they
call the stretcher bearers. circulating
about the terrain. picking up friend
and foe alike to be carried back and
receive attention at the dressing sta
lions. They saw French soldiers en-
ter German dugouts and come out
carrying German stretchers which
they had found there. They saw
them distribute the stretchers to the
German prisoners and let them carry
hack German wounded.
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