The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-12-08

strong concrete emplacements for
machine guns. Bitter experience
has taught our generals that a sue
cessful advance under cover Of our
artillery barrage into the first line
trenches was too often doomed to be
hung up by the concerted fire from
these wasps' nests. which could not
be reached by our infantry. The
chief business Of the tanks was to
help our infantry by destroying
these nests. @s
Sept. Is was a misty morning and
Comparatively few Of our troops
saw the long line Of tanks which the
night before had been comfortably
parked in a secluded valley, deploy-
ing into battle position. But when
the mists rose and the tanks appear
ed to friend and foe in all their
grotesque uncouthness, the effect
was as exhilarating to us as It was
dumbfounding to the Germans.
Didn't Mind Rife.
! When the Germans had recovered
their senses sufficiently they directed
all the available rifle and machine
gun fire upon them. But the tanks
did not mind. A war correspondent,
describing the adventures of Creme
de Menthe on the way to Courcelette,
narra.es that:
"The bullets fell from its sides.
harmlessly. 1t advanced upon a
broken wall, leaned up against it,
heavily until it fell with q crash Of
bricks, and then rose on to the bricks
and passed over them, and walked
straight into the midst OF factory
ruins"
One tank in another part of the
field was in action for twenty con-
secutive hours. Another, getting well
ahead of the infantry, on finding it
self alone, turned back to see what
had become of it's human compan-
ions. They were found to be held up
by machine gun emplacement full
of Germans, so the tank obligingly
sat on the emplacement, shot down
the Germans, and led the men on to
further victories. ta
It must not, however, be imagined
that the proceedings of the tanks
were quite as amusing to those in
side as they appeared to the British
infantry, who had barbed wire level
ed for them and machine gun en-
placements entirely crushed as they
advanced. The cramped quarters,
the headsplitting noise, and the diff
ficulty Of ascertaining what was go
ing on outside made the lives of the
battle. Their periscopes were apt
to be shot away; the steering gear,
never easy, became almost impos-
sible. The mere manual labor Of
moving the levers Of the engines and
turning apparatus was enormous, es-
pecially in these early machines. The
crew had difficulty in communicating
with the outside world and had to
rely chiefly on two carrier pigeons
taken with them on the voyage; as
for communication with them by the
outside world. this was even harder.
The tank, indeed, proved to be an
admirable protection. against ordin-
airy rife bullets. ....,. w
Even when the tanks themselves
were knocked out this was not neces-
sarily fatal to the cSews, who often
managed to escape, and the, casual
ties were small in proportion to the
number of tanks put out of action.
Those who inagurated tank tactics
in this first battle deserve all the
credit they can receive.
Once having proved their value the
tanks came TO stay. Later in the
year tanks were sent out to Egypt
and were in action at GAIA. In Nov
ember they were used again in
France. Meanwhile more and more
tanks were being constructed and an
increasing personnel to form the
crews and the repair sections was
being trained in England. After the
first success in France the growing
Importance of the organization was
emphasized by a change of title
from heavy section" to heavy
branch of the machine gun corps"
Finally in July, 1917, the growing
size and importance Of the tanks or
in entirely separating it from the
machine gun corps and establishing
1t as a special tank corps by itself
under a director general.
In France the tanks have been in
action in successfully increasing
numbers at each attack delivered on
a large scale. At Arras in April, at
Messines in June. and at the third
battle OF Ypres in August they have
continued their valuable work. They
naturally have not enjoyed the adj
vantages of surprise, so useful in
their first engagement, and 1t could
not be expected that a Yigilant en-
envy like the Germans would not
contrtve countermeasures. They
have now established special OBJ
servers and airplanes to watch for
tanks and signal their appearance
and guns both in the rear and in the
trenches deal with them Armor-
piercing bullets are served out to
their rifemen and machine gunners
for use at close quarters, and elab-
orately concealed tank traps are
prepared to engulf the monsters.
1t is hardly possible yet to al
locate all the credit for the hard and
persistent work carried out by the
pioneers of this corps. But even IL
they cannot yet be named, they have
the satisfaction Of having helped to
save the lives Of hundreds Of brave
men. and perhaps to have brought
nearer the final victory Tt has been
truly said that we were first this
time in inventing a new engine OF
war, an engine at once effective and
at the same time, unlike so many Of
the German inventions, transgres-
sing none Of the hitherto accepted
conventions Of war.