The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-09-03
Wounded Are Only Anxious to Get
Back Where the Battle
Is Raging.
ONLY CONTEMPT FOR ENEMY
Say When They Get Into Actual Fight
Ing Contact With Foe There
Is No Fight Left
in Him.

suffering from wounds or gassing II
the recent German offensive fOun,
every one of them full Of cheer regard
ing the future; every n anxious tt
get well and be back in the fighting
line. And every one of them held {
poor opinion of Fritz as a fighting man
They were unanimous, the attache de
clared, In stating that the Germans
were long-distance fighters only. AS one
Of them said:
"They are not so bad when they are
80 yards away with a machine gun, but
at close quarters the German soldiers
are no good"
Marine after marine asserted that
when he and his comrades got into &C.
tual fighting contact with the enemy
there was no tight left in him. Then
tho Germans would throw down their
guns. and, waving their hands over
their heads, cry out "Kameradw
Feel Contempt for Huna-
"Our men," added the attache, gave
me the impression Of looking with ut
ter contempt upon the German soldiers,
who can fight only when they feel that
they have the protection Of artillery
and gas, and surrender when 1t comes
to hand to hand fighting.
Far from feeling the slightest dread
Of the enemy, every mar expressed
eagerness to get out Of hospital and
return to the front. Every one Of them
wanted a chance Of getting even with
the Germans for having been gassed
or wounded.
1.-THE men were Justly proud Of the
record that the marines had made, and
their morale appeared to be OF the
very highest quality. The cheerful
ness of all, including some infantry In
the wards, may be summarized by the
remark Of one recovering from gas:
Why he said, there's nothing in it.
When all Of us marines get going, we
will wipe Fritz off the map, and we
will eat our next Christmas dinner at
home at that"
A British officer who has see much
the American marines at their head
quarters in France, and seen them at
work against the Boche, writing on
what he describes as ian instructive
glimpse at the American war spirit
and American efficiency in the field"
says:
ION the roads to the front there is
perpetual movement. Hundreds OF mo-
or lorries, each n packed with
French soldiers, pass us. in quick sue
on their way to another part
# the line. Again and again we pass
bodies of American troops on the
march, then a group Of women and
Although the road winds
,ver the face Of q we'll titled country
ide, few birds are seen, except for an
occasional pair of ring doves. Such Is
he incongruity of war!
Aircraft Hum Continuous.
1--WE find the marines headquarters
t an old farmhouse. shut in on every
ide by woods. Here the hum of air.
raft is continuous, and links up the
Intermittent crash Of artillery fire. A
,oche observation balloon hangs above
he woods to eastward, and a 'woolly
ear shell lays a vivid black smudge
gainst the limited skyline ahead. In
he farmyard we seem to stand In a
tile world apart, but the sounds OF
djacent fighting are close about us.
"a marine officer who has had no
leep for three nights ONE in, dusty
ut cheerful, from the trenches. The
,arines are doing themselves proud
ut there, he says. There has been
)me stiff fighting in the woods, but
le BOche will have to shift soon; that
the opinion of this old campaigner,
no has fought by sea and land all
yer the globe. We leave the farm
nder the guidance Of a young lieu
nant. a broth of a boy with the
ICE OF a Greek god.
"A rough cart track runs behind a
1T of woods, and in this vicinity the
merican artillery is stationed. W.
,proach one Of the batteries, well hid
N even at close quarters. A tele-
lone fixed to a tree trunk rings sharp
and the captain, capless and with
It tunic, a megaphone in n hand,
lswers the call. :
/" every good, sirv He swings round :
the guns. !
"'On barrage! Fire? /
Through the megaphOne his order
netrates to every corner of the wood, T
d the gunners leap to their work in {
moment. Crash! Crash-C Crash! I
The guns fling out their deaf /
ing message Of death almost stimuli :
neously, and in the momentary ST. .
ice between the rounds the whizz of !,
e shells can be heard as they fly on '
cir way to the wood where the Boche S
II fingers. N
1T is real team work, this gunnery,
thing else describes 1.-THE work Of
team, perfectly trained, in which I
and efficiency produce a re- t
It beyond praise. For a time salvo '
lows sa1vo. Then m the order +
,ase fire 7 and silence descends upon :,
!, battery"