Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-11-24
BULLET ENTERS TANK
THROUGH HOLE; KILLS
Experience Of Gunner Is Most Har-
rowing That Has Come from
Battle Front In France.

WITH THE AMERICAN FORCES
IN FRANCE, Nov 23--American
fighters in the French two-man tanks
ran into some hot work In front Of
Romagnc during the American
army's advance along the west bank
or the Meuse early In Octobe- and
Sergeant James Avertt, Of B.rming-
ham. Ala. with his "buddy." did
their share in giving the Hun his
due. Avertts buddy" wash He'd in
the thick of the fight by a Julict that
entered peep hole in the side OF the
tank and struck him fair In the face.
II was during the American push"
in the Argonne sector. Avertts tank
went along with lot OF other
brother" tanks in line with the
American infantrymen croHiIng
them In the rear. AVERT was the
machine gunner OF his tank while
his buddy ran the engine and
steered the tank.
81 WAS so near a number os Ger.
mans encountered in shallow trench
that | could see the terror on their
faces when my gun began to let fly
bullets almost in their very faces"
Sergeant Avert said. "These were
me first Boches | ran into on this
drive and ! certainly let them have II
as fast rs my old machine could
fire, and that was some fast, and I
Just kept going ahead and pounding
away until every last one o. them
was stretched out on the ground.
On Hail Of Bullets.
Passing beyond this hastily dug
trench, In the meantime watching my
brothers on my right and loft and
at the same time keeping tao on the
doughboys coming up, got sight ~
a little batch of Germans behind A
hump In the hill along the roadway.
or what had been roadway before
our heavy artillery opened M that
morning. These were machine gum
ners, / soon learned and buI.-,S be-
gan to splash Off the tanks sides par
ticularly those which struck a glanc-
ing blow
II ordered my tank buddy at the
wheel to keep after those gunners 4
1t cost us all four wheels He did.
and we went up after them sort OF
sideways, and I got around on TO rhe
side OF that hump, and my brother
on the other side was doing the same
and we wiped that bunch out n
tiffy-I believe Il was by enfilading
fire, as the officers call IT."
Sergeant Avertt explained that the
tank men, all OF whom were AmCEi-
'ans using two men tanks invented by
the French always watched each
other closely. or endeavored 10. the
idea being 10 keep 100 yards or 80
apart for their mutual protection,
and II being important also that hey
not get too far ahead OF the infantry.
Just beyond the hump was
clump of woods, and we began 10
pour bullets into that" Sergeant Av-
ertt continued. land for time there
was some smoke arising above the
treetops so we knew there we're
Boches in there About four OF us
opened up in full force and showcrcd |
that woods with lead.
THE machine gun answers were |
pretty stiff for while. as we went |
forward, but I Just kept peppering |
away and talking TO my buddy all |
he time and telling him what we
we're going to do-clean out that |
woods. My brothers on either side |
ZONE way had the same hunch. The |
back OF me too were firing |
light along with us and the Boche
n that thicket must have though; all |
lell had broken loose, because first
hing l knew the firing virtually