El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-03-08
FIRST CHARGE Of
BRITISH TANKS
Push Their Way Through
German Positions Ahead
of Infantru
Continued from Page 1

breaking it over US in clouds. I felt
the stunning patter Of the fragments
on my iron hat.
Men in the front wave were going
down like tenpins. off there diagon-
ally to the right and forward 1
glimpsed a binding burst and as
much as a whole platoon went down.
Around me men were dropping all
the time-men I knew. I saw Dolosie
clawing at his throat as he reeled
forward, falling 1 saw Nickers
double up, drop his rifle and somer-
sault, hanging on TO his abdomen.
officer Obliterated By Shell.
A hundred yards away, 10 the
right, an officer walked backwards
with an automatic pistol balanced on
his finger, smiling, pulling his men
along like q drum major. A shell or
something hit him. He disappeared
in a weller Of blood and half dozen
Of the front file fell with him
thought we must be nearly there
and sneaked a look around the edge
Of the tank. A traVersing machine
gun raked the mud, throwing up
handfuls, and I heard the gruff TOW
row" of f1attened bullets as they
ricocheted off the steel armor.
ducked back and on we ment.
Slowi SloWi I found myself plan
ming what I would do when got to
the front trencheS-if we ever did.
There would be a grand rumpus and
In the German Trenches.
And then we arrived.
I don't suppose that trip across no
mans land behind the tanks took
over five minutes. 1t seemed like an
At the end Of it my participation in
the battle of High Wood ended No,
wasn't wounded. But when we
reached the boche front trenches g
strange thing happened; There was
gr~T-% =
tanks stopped over the trenches and
blazed away right and left with their
all around traverse
A few boches ran out and threw
silly little bombs at the monsters
The tanks smiled and moved slowly
on And then the Graybacks swarmed
up out of shelters and dugOuts liter
ally in hundreds and held up their
hands. whining Mercy, kamarad."
BOehes Surrender Before Tanks.
We took prisoners by platoons-
Blofeld grabbed me and turned over
a gang of 80 to me. We searched
them rapidly, cut their suspenders
and belts and I started to the rear
with them. They seemed glad to 60
So was L
AS we hurried back over the 500
yards that had been no mans land
and was now British ground, l looked
back and saw the irresistible tanks
smashing their way through the tree
u Ll46A hO0Af GAAA- GE-IN---t7
death and destruction in three dlrec-
lions.
Going back we were under almost
as heavy fire as we had been coming
up. When we were about half way
across, shrapnel burst directly over
were killed and half a dozen wound
ed. 1 myself was unscratched-
stuck my hand inside my tunic and
patted Dinky on the back-Dinky'
my mascot-sent up prayer Ior
some more luck like that and carried
on
After getting my prisoners back TO
the rear I came up again but couldn't
find my battalion 1 threw in with a
battalion of Australians and was with
them for "a hours
A Third Lost.
When I found my chaps again the
battle of High Wood was pretty well
over. Our company for some reason
had suffered very few casualties
less than %. Company 3, however,
had been practically wiped out, los
ing all but Is men out of 200. The
other two companies had less than
100 casualties. We had lost about a
third Of our strength 1t IS a living
wonder to me that any OF US came
through
1 don't believe any of US would have
if il hadn't been for the tanks.
The net result OF the battle Of High
WOOD was InaI our troops carried on
for nearly two miles beyond the posi-
ton TO be taken. They had to fail
back but held the wood and the
Three of the tanks were
stalled in the further edge of the
of fuel-and remained
there for three days unframed under
the fire Of the German guns.
Eventually some one ventured and
got some juice in to them and they
returned to our lines. The tanks had
proved themselves, not only as effec- I
tive fighting machines but as destroy
ers of German morale.-Copyright by
Boston Post.
(TO be continued fOmOrrow)