New-York tribune., 1918-05-19
American Boys Make
Their First Raid in
High Spirits and With
Great Success

into position a little more nervou.,.
The 75s had delivered their salute NJ.
once, but many times, and again and
again increasingly. Grenades w..s
whistling over US. Trench mortar.
were ejecting winged messengers :.
fast as they were fed somewher. hs
fore US.
We were laying down a box barrao.
Our guns, like a draughtsman's ste.d,
hand, were drawing two parallel line.
one on each flank of the Germ.,
trenches We were to raid. On each lin.
a living wall Of steel was leap;n.
through which nothing that lived couls
pass.
The third and fourth lines, parall.,
also and at right angles with the first
were excluding help from the enemv.
rear and beating down upon nj,
trenches. The line across No Man.
Land was creeping slowly but as surely
as death, narrowing the rectanele a,
fire.
Hail and rain and hurricane ana ~.
phoon. all the phenomena and excre..
cences of nature, were outdone bv II.
fury and storm Of our steel End lead
We were concentrating the wrath a.
Sodom and Gomorrah on the enemy
Others Of our guns were picking ont
and deluging the German batteries.
Company K reports battery on Ger.
man left has ceased firing"
This was the first message over II.
wire few minutes after our outburst
Company @ reports guns silene.a
in German centre"
Company 2 reports one German N,
still active on German right"
One by one the reports were selayea
to the artillery.
Underground we could see nothing
We shook with the eruptions and
heard:
I Company K reports all guns silenced
on its front"
Company z reports one German gun
still firing"
"We'll get that gun in another min
ute, Or The captain could not
finish amidst the noise. So many Of
our guns were now firing that sounds
were indistinguishable. All was one
vast rolling roar, as if a million men
were being strangled to death and each
was trying to cry out through a
smothered throat.
"Let's go to an o. p" the captain
suggested.
1t was o'clock. We stepped out.
1t was light. Neither of sun or stars
or moon, but quivering, uneartb,y
light of shells passing, great bursts Of
flame springing up on all parts of the
line before US, flame bursts in the air
and rockets rising. The ground, the
sky and the very air were believing
and vibrating as the barrage kept on.
Dodging Shells
In No Man Land
In the front line the rading party
was waiting. There was no excitement.
| AAtIiC itSIfOuSilESS.
Pm going 70 lose my old puttees
tonight, so | can draw good pair to-
morrow" we heard one of the men say.
The others laughed quietly We could
talk here because we were further from
our own guns and the Boche was almost
silent.
At 4:O5 our men went over the top.
From the observation post we did not
see them for while, but soon moving
shapes appeared in No Mans Land,
rolling toward the line of our barragc.
A few enemy shells fell into the field,
causing little geysers of mud snd dirt,
but our men moved on without quick
ening pace and like the clockwork Of
our bombardment.
We lost sight of them. Minutes
passed. Our fire continued, and We
could hear the German fire increasing
also. These were anxious minutes for
the officers and men in our lines. But
they passed quickly.
At 4:3O our men began coming back:
The order, Every man for himself"
had been given. Some were running.
Some were walking, running, crouching,
avoiding shell holes and lodging shells.
In few minutes all were back.
They brought visitors with them,
two tattered and forlorn German pris-
oners, scratched, bleeding and fright
ened. ready to give all the information
we needed in return for a bite to eat
and kindly cigarette, which were Of
fered. Our raid had been a complete
success. A battered mortar, sons
rifles, grenades and other souvenirs
completed the booty. Some one sug-
gested sending the things to the Prcsi.
| dent