The Pulaskian., 1917-06-15

earth shook as if torn hy great Sets- mic disturbance. Ii was not single shock. The force of the explosion actually sci the earth rocking to and fro, and under the influence of the giant guns. which immediately began to roar from far and near, the trem- bling continued indefinitely. Il was 3;10 o'clock when this final terrific bombardment began.
 If has seemed that the battle of the Somme attained the ultimate in the close assembly of war weapons but this sudden outpouring on Messines ridge was beyond all calculations The lighter field guns far forward set up q perfect curtain fire under which the assaulting troops trudged confidently to their allotted goals. Farther back the deep-throated heavies began to pour out torrents Of high explosive shells on the German trenches and communications while still other guns enough to win any ordinary battle confined themselves solely te the task of deluging German guns and gunners in baths of gas fired in shells of ey- cry conceivable cnliher.
 The effect of this counter battery work was not appreciated until Inter in the day. when the infantry sent hack word that their progress had not been hampered by the enemy ar tillery and that their casualties amounted to virtually nothing.
 Enemy Signals for Help.
 Great black observation balloons had stolen skyward during the din of the newly begun battle In the wood bacx of the windmill spring birds, awakened ny the deafening cIamor, had begun to sing joyously. Like so many children who have come into the consciousness of being in the midst of the war, these birds regarded the ap- palling noise of the battle as normal condition of life.
 The smoke of the giant mines ex- nloded along the battle front mean time rose in great, curling plumes to- ward the sky and was punctuated by red signals for help from the stricken Germans in the front and support lines. Never was the air filled with more frantic notices of dnnger The entire horizon glowed with red balls of fire sent mp by the nervous Ger mans.
 More and more British airplanes be gan to make their appearance. One flew over the lines, the flashes of the guns being reflected brilliantly on It's highly glazed wings.
 Under this appalling fire trudged for wnfd on the ten-mile front General Plumer's army. At many places the epn found German troops utterly dazed by the mine explosion and the ordeal of the artillery fire
 First Taste of New Warfare.
 Many of these troops had butsrecent- fy come from Russia, where they had spent IS months and knew nothing of what actual warfare wns like on the first mine explosion and had only been gathered together in groups by their noncommissioned officers when the British appeared out of the smoke and eh,'is and made them prisoner.
 aiey said they had been given to understand by their officers that the British always killed their prisoners It was really pltifu in some instances to see the manner in which these prls- oners cringed to their captors.
 As a matter of fact. the British sol der, when the fighting is done. Is In- clined almost too strongly to trent the German prisoners as pals Some of the prisoners taken today had only gone into the German lines last night and had made their way forward un- dor n galling fire and had lost heavily. But the troops already in the line were calling for relief in such Il manner that their appeals could not he denied.
 Failed to Time Attack.
 In view of the fact that the attack had been expected the German com handlers were endeayoring to get their best units actually into the fighting front, but had underestimated when the British would strike. The troops in Il strange line were utterly bewil- dered when the attack began and fell easy prey to the advancing British.
 The Irish. New Zealanders and Aus tralians, who had been rehearsed in every detail of 'the show" knew just what to do from the moment the word to advance was given.
 The battle was far more visible dur ing the first uncertain moments than later when the sun gradually burned its way through the eastern banks of clouds By that time the smoke of ex- 1 plodng shells and the yapors from the biinding barrage, which had been part of the artillery duty, obseured the more distant landscape to such an extent that the roaring guns could not be seen at all although the firing was almost at one's feet. The brilliantly leaping shrapnel shells, breaking far above ground. appeared through a thick mist only as brief and brilliant electric Snarkg