The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1917-05-03
BRITISH TANK FIGHTING.
Canadian Tells How Strange Ma
chimes Give Battle.

The first account of fighting as
| viewed from the inside of British
tank" is contained in a letter. Just
released by the censor, from Sergt.
| F. E. Divall. a Canadian. who has
| been attached to one of the tank
companies. He says:
The order to advance is given.
Steadily the long. powerful shapes
move forward in the gray mists OF
dawn. AS the weird-looking forms
travel over the front trench the
troops therein rub their eyes in Won
der at the strange cube-impressiOn-
ist cast of many colors which the
tanks are wearing. Inside the
tanks are the keen-eyed fighting
men, strangely garbed. as becomes
their strange craft, while around
them is complicated mass of ma
chinery.
Now we are passing over she'll
holes, tree stumps, and many other
trifies, which fill the ground of No
Mans Land The deck of the tank
rolls and pitches like torpedo-boat
in storm. The crew hold on to any
thing within reach to steady our
selves while we rush down a large
Pt,f eol,
through without seasickness.
"Suddenly the gunnery officer
gives the order: To action His
voice is only just heard above the
noise of the whirling machinery. A
few sighting shots, and we have
found the range We succeed in put
ting. out two machine gun emplace-
| ments. the guns of which have been
worrying our infantry for some time.
And now the action begins in earnest.
Hun bullets are rebounding from
| our tough sides like hail from a
glass roof, while inside the tanks
IiO "AioiS NiS" 10 cI vail lOuS suns,
which break forth in a devastating g
fire, under which nothing can live.
And now we are on the parapet of
the first Hun trench, just on the out
skirts of the wood, which is our OBJ
jective, and as We go humping on to
the other side we land with a terrific
| bump. A can of petrol has slipped
from it's pigeonhole, and come clat-
tering down on to the armored deck,
with its stopper shaken out, and the
dangerous spirit running over the
floor. However, we enfiladed that
trench, followed up the retrea ting
Huns for a minute or two, cleared
out the nearest dugout, and went on
our way to the next trench.
by this time the fumes from the
hundreds of rounds which we had
fired, with the heat from the engines
and the waste petrol and oil. have
made the air quite oppressive and
uncomfortable to breathe. Now we
are nearing the next enemy trench
and We hear the deep report OF
bursting bombs. above the pattering
of the storm of bullets, striking our
armor.
Soon We find ourselves on the
edge of the Hun trench. This proves
to be composed of shell holes of all
sizes, just linked together, showing
how severe our previous lombard
ment had been. The Huns show fight
here, and We have warm ten min
utes before they give signs of retreat
ing. We leave them for a min
ute or two in order to ram a ma
chine-gun emplacement, which is still
threatening our rapidly advancing in
fantry. We just crawl over the en-
bankment, guns and all; it is not nee
cessary to fire single shot
Now it is time for us to advance
|
have the good fortune to strike a
road which has escaped serious dam
age, and, making all speed along this
we make up to the Huns who have
escaped from the last trench. But
they have had enough of the all-de-
| vouring monster, and are ready to
| throw down their arms and make
their way to our infantry glad to be
prisoners.
The last trench proves to be the
worst. for just as We are crossing a
large hole our bus stops. Two or
three Huns. seeing our difficulty,
crawl out of a hole like rabbits, and
are brave enough to creep on the
back of the tank from behind. But
we hear them on the armor and they
were doomed not to get the iron
cross, for we open small trap-door
and shoot them with a revolver OF