Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1918-04-19

menced. Every now ard then would
glance at the dial Of my wrist watch
and was surprised to zee how fast the
minutes passed by. About five minutes
to two I got nervous waiting for our
guns to open up. I could not take my
eyes from my watch. I crouched
against the parapet and strained my
, muscles in deathlike grip upon my
rifle. AS the hands on my watch
showed two o'clock binding red flare
lighted up the sky in our rear, then
thunder, intermixed with sharp, whis.
ting sound in the air over our heads.
The shells from our guns were speed
ing on their way toward the German
lines. With one accord the men
sprang up on the fire step and looked
over the top in the direction of the
German trenches. A line of bursting
shells lighted up No Mans Land. The
din was terrific and the ground trem-
bled. Then, high above our heads we
could hear signing moan. Our big
boys behind the line had opened up
and OPS and 15-inch shells commenced
dropping into the German lines. The
flash Of the guns behind the lines, the
scream of the shells through the air,
and the flare Of them, bursting, was a
spectacle that put Pains greatest dis
play into the shade. The constant
pup, pup, Of German machine guns and
an occasional rattle Of rifle firing gave
me the impression Of huge audience
applauding the work Of the batteries.
Our 18-pounders were destroying the
German barbed wire, while the heavier
stuff was demolishing their trenches
and bashing in dugOuts or funk holes.
Then Fritz got busy.
Their shells went screaming over
head, aimed In the direction of the
flares from our batterie s. Trench NOR
tars started dropping "Mlnnies" in
our front line. We clicked several cas-
ualties. Then they suddenly ceased.
Our artillery had tapped or silenced
them.
During the bombardment you could
almost read newspaper in our trench.
Sometimes in the flare Of shell-burst
mans body would be silhouetted
against the parad0s of the trench and
it appeared like huge monster. You
could hardly hear yourself think. When
an order was to be passed down the
trench you had to yell it., using your
hands as q funnel into the ear Of tho
man sitting next to you on the IRE step.
In about twenty minutes generous
rum issue was doled out. After drink
ing the rum, which tasted like varnish
and sent q shudder through your
frame, you wondered why they made
you wait until the lifting Of the bar
rage before going over. At ten min.
utes to four word was passed down,
''Ten minutes to go!" Ten minutes
to live! We were shivering all over.
Ny legs felt as If they were asleep.
Then word was passed down: "First
wave get on anc near the scaling lad
ders."
These were small wooden ladders
which We had placed against the para
pet to enable us to 60 over the top ON
the lifting Of the barrage. Ladders Of
death" we called them, and veritably
they were.
Before a charge Tommy is the po-
litest of men. There is never any push
ing or crowding to be first up these
ladders. We crouched around the base
of the ladders waiting for the word
to go over. I was sick and faint, and
was putting away at an unlighted flag.
Then came the word, '.Three minutes
to go; upon the lifting Of the barrage
and on the blast Of the whistles, Over
the top with the best O. luck and give
them hell" The famous phrase of
the western front. The Jonah phrase
of the western front. To Tommy it
means If you are lucky enough to come
back you will be minus an arm or a
leg. Tommy hates to be wished the
best of luck; SO, when peace is de-
clared, If 1t ever is, and you meet
Tommy ON the street, just wish him the
best Of luck and duck the brick that
follows.
glanced again at my wrist watch.
We all wore them and you could hardly
call us "sissies'' for doing so. 1t was a
minute to four. could see the hand
move to the twelve, then a dead ST.
lence. 1t hurt. Everyone looked up
to see what had happened, but not for
long. Sharp whistle blasts rang out
along the trench, and with a cheer the
men scrambled up the ladders. The
bullets we're cracking overhead, and
occasionally q machine gun would rip
and tear the top Of the sandbag para
pet. How I got up that ladder will
never know. The first ten feet out in
front was agony. Then We passed
through lanes in our barbed wire.
knew I was running, but could feel no
motion below the waist. Patches on
the ground seemed to float to the rear
as If I were on q treadmill and seem