Evening star., 1917-11-07
Raid on U. S. Trench Planned.

/ Military experts explained in detali
| today their reasons for believing that
more than three months preparation
had been made by the Germans for the
raid on the American trenches Satur-
day morning. Every move was care
fully rehearsed, so that each man of
the unusually large raiding party
would be able to do his part in the
darkness, cross the pitfalls OF no mans
Hand. pass through the breaches in the
Ilabyrinthine barbed wire entangle-
ments and hurl himself into a hand-to-
hand fight in one little spot of the
| trenches.
The time was fixed to a second and
instructions were given how to reach
| their own lines through the same
| breaks in the wire defenses. The only
| hitch was the counter barrage by the
IAmerican and French batteries. which
held the retiring raiding party between
| the trenches until nearly daylight.
/ Preparations for the German "box
barrage" required months Of unob-
trusive. painstaking observation. The
rected agains the little apex of the
| trenches chosen for the attack.
These batteries were equal. it is said,
to As per cent of the total strength of
the whole of the United States field
artillery July 1 last year. The barrage
was wonderfully accurate, showing
! that the ranges had all been determined
in advance. To accomplish this it was
4
airplanes and observation balloons.
Hundreds Of Shots Fired.
Hundreds Of shots were fred in the
same area for the purpose Of obtain
ing the ranges. So scattered were
these range-nnding shells among the
hundreds of others fred daily. and so
long was the period over which they
were extended. that it was not sus-
pected that a barrage was in prepara-
+, tion in this particular area.
Preliminary to the raid 500 shells were
| thrown on another sector of the trenches
at o'clock Friday evening, accustoming
the defenders to the sound Of the bonn
bardment When the Americans relieved
the French in the trenches at 10 o'clock
| all was silent. Five hours later an inferno
Of exploding shells and flying steel broke
loose. one end Of the trench was COM
pletely cut OF by shells which fell as ac-
curately as If placed by hand. Enough
l fell in the trenches to drive the men into
| the dugouts. :
| The Americans had never seen the
trenches by daylight. They were in
those of comrades seeking shelter or
foes attacking. After the men had
been driven into the dugouts the bar
rage moved forward nifty yards and
parapet Of the trench. ready to jump
over. So great was the din Of the ex-
p1oding shells and so intense was the
darkness that the French and Amer
lean soldiers in the advanced listening
post were unaware Of the raid.
Corporal Killed at Dugout Door.
It is agreed that at the moment the
Germans hurled themselves into the
| trenches the Americans. though sur
prised by the sudden onslaught, rushed
out Of the dugouts to repel them. A cor
poral was killed at the door Of a dugout
because he thought a man running to-
ward him in the dark was another Amer
ican seeking shelter. He. was shot before
he realized his mistake. One private was
killed by a German and another had his
throat cut with German trench knife,
apparently as he was fighting the enemy
from entering the trench.
Another, who was overlooked in the
roundup of prisoners. said the attack was
50 sudden and the surprise SO complete
that he never suspected the presence Of
the Germans until the flash Of an ex-
ploding shell disclosed the Teuton helmet
of man leaping into the trenches. Then
he shot the intruder.