Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-08-15
CHATTER xxv-csntInusd.

CHApTeU AAv-SouSsuoSo'
~
When ~ took over the front line
~ received IN awful shock. The
Germans displayed siSnboards .
the top Of their trench showing the
names that We had called their
trenches. The signs read "Fair."
~Fact," "Fate." and Fancy" and %
on. according to the code names on
our map. Then to rub 1t In. they
hoisted some more signs which read.
Come on. We are ready. stupid Eng
iish."
1t IL still a mystery to me how they
obtained this knowledge. There had
been no raids or prisoners taken. 30
1t must have been the work Of spies
In our Owl lines.
Three or four days before the big
eush We tried to shatter Fritz's nerves
ty felnt attacks, and partially sue.
eeeded az the oficial reports Of July
show.
Although we were constantly bonn.
bardlng their lines day and night, still
We fooled the Germans several times.
This was accomplished BY throwing
an intense barrage into his lines
then using smoke shells We would put
q curtain Of white smoke across No
Mans Land. completely obstructing
his view Of u trenches. and
would raise our curtain OF fire
a. II In an actual attack. All
down u trenches the men would
shout and cheer. and Fritz would turn
loose with machine-gun. rife, and
shrapnel FIRE. thinking we were COM
ing over. 81
After three or four Of these dummy
attacks his nerves must have been
near the breaking point.
On June "a. 1915. at 9:40 In the
morning our guns opened up. and hell
VA let loose. The din was terrific. a
constant boom-boom.boom in your ear.
At night the sky was q red glare.
Our bombardment had lasted about
two hours when Frits started reply
ing. Although We were sending over
ten shells to his one. casualties
were heavy. There was q constant
stream Of stretchers coming out Of the
communication trenches and burial
parties were a common sight.
In the dugouts the noise Of the guns
almost hurt. You had the same sensa-
ton 40 when riding on the subway you
enter the tube under the river going
to Brooklyn-a sort Of pressure on the
ear drums. and the ground constantly
trembling.
The roads behind the trenches were
very dangerous because Boche shrap'
'ael was constantly bursting yer them,
We avoided these dangerous spots by
crossing through open fields.
The destruction In the German lines
was awful and l really felt sorry fol
them because I realized how they mus,
10 clicking It.
From our front.line trench, every
now and again, we could hear sharI
whistle blasts in the German trenches
Thess-b4asts were the signals TO
Stretcher bearers, and meant tn,
wounding or killing Of some German II
the service Of his fatherland.
Atwell and / had q tough time Of II
spatrolling the different trenches q
Aight, but after.awhils got used to 1t.
Ny old outfit, the machine gun con
pauy, was stationed In huge elephan
lugouts about four hundred yards b.
hind the front-ins trench-they wsr
II reserve. Occasionally I would sto
In thslE dugout and have 4 confab wit
~ former mates. Although we trie
- - Jolly. still, there was q lurkin
.tssiiAg Of impending disaster. Fac
naa mas wondering, II, after tn
aleoaA, .Ovss the top with the best
1uakLs had been sounded. would he I'll
- alive or would hs be lying 'som,
where In France" In an old dilapidate
Aeuss, the walls Of which were scare
With machine.gun bullets, No. 8 &c
1ea Of the machine gun company hs
~ quarters. The company's cooks pr
cared the meals In this billet. On Il
s1fth evening Of the bombardment
German elghtinch shell registered
direct hit on the billet and wiped 0,
ten men who were asleep In the %
possdly b%omb-proof cellar. They We
turisd the next day and I attended Il
Aneral.