The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-09-21

parapet, making a kind OF ladder o,
stairway BY means Of which men are
enabled to climb out OF the trench. The
Royal engineers, under cover OF dark
ness, cut winding lanes through the
barbed wire to allow the passage OF the
attacking troops at dawn.
Extra ammunition is issued in canvas
bandolicrs, each containing fifty rounds
Every man in the attack carries two or
more OF these bandolicrs,
When the Bombardment Opens.
On the western front the element OF
surprise is usually eliminated from at
tack, on account Of the artillery pre-
Jude required. A host Of batteries bonn.
bard the enemy lines from two hours 20
four or five days before the attack. The
barbod wire and other dcicnses mult
be smashed to a pulp before the inian-
try 60 over the top As soon IS the
intense bomb Irdment opens. the de-
Tenders of the enemy trenches realize
that an infantry attack will probably
follow.
At 4 hmc designated from hcadquar-
tiers the artillery opens up. The small
calibcr guns, eighteen %pOundcrs up 10
four ilycs,' land IN the enemy front
line trench and barbed' wire. playing
havoc with these strong defenses. The
larger CALLER gun, C'tour %flyes,' up 10
! the big hitecn-iHch hOwitlers) throw
,helr-shelb farther behind the lines.
searching out machine gun cmplace-
ment', enemy artillery. dugouts ammu
milton dumps. etc. Under cover OF this
bombardmcnt, reserve troops are moved
up and maSsed behind the line. About
an llour before tic time planned for the
attack, these troops move mp o. the front
Inc. completely filling the conmunlca-
ton trenches, At the time designated
which is generally about four O'Clock in
the morning the artillery lifts its bar
rage 10 a point farther behind he enemy
lines and the successive line, Of at
tackers or waves" as they ar. called.
q. over, under the protection OF this
overhead fire. In the first part Of the
war a charge wa made on the run, but
II was found that :hc stronger and bray.
er hit the lines first. The shock was
scattering. a man here and there hitting
the line, and the defenders could more
easily rcpel the attack. Now the troops
march steadily forward. with intervals
Of a few icet between the men. As
some are hit, the ranks close. filling in
the gaps. More men are lost in cross
ing No Mans Land. BY this method.
hut when the wave hits the line. the
shock OF impact is concentrated The
defenders have their hands busy, and
the trench is surcr of capture.
Consolidation Of Forces.
After the attacking forces have taken
the front line sector of the enemy
,renches they consolidate or dig in"
his means tina, they prepare or fortiiy
their captured position in order TO repel
counter attacks launched against them
by the enemy. You must understand
that the enemy trench, lust attacked. has
been built with the idea Of rcpelling
cur frontal a,tack-therciore after the
trench IL taken il means that we must
reverse the order OF things and
slrengtien the rear wall Of the trench
which is now our front
Curtain OF Fire"
While this taking and consolidating
oil the enemy trench is going on. the ar
ttllery has established what is called a
curtain OF fire a lew hundred yards
! in the rear OF the captured frc I line