The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-05-09
in two minutes we're blazing away. ]
was a thrilling sight.
Torn by Shells.

III TWO minutes were DidLiuS uhays II
was a thrilling sight.
Torn by Shells.
In going forward we went around
the end Of the larger weed in front Of
US, over ground HAT was torn to bits
by the heavy shell Care that had just
preceded. over another edge, across a
valley. and under the crest of q hill
And here we found the tanks going
ove the top of the hill to take up
their position. At this point we were
stlll about a mile from the front line.
At this place | opened up an aid post
under the crest of the hill to take care
of what wounded came In while we
were getting into position.
Shrapnel vas bursting In the air,
shells were whizzing overhead, and u
guns behind me were belchlng forth
the fire. The noise was deafening.
A railroad ran through the valley
and ain engine pulling q couple of fiat
airs was going by. A couple of sol
diers were sitting on the rear truck
swinging their feet. A shell burst on
the track and only missed the last car
about fifteen yards. Neither man was
hit and the train went blithely on.
BY this time II was getting along
toward evening. the sun was sinking
In the west, and finally went down a
great ball of fire. At the time. i re-
member, / noticed its color. 1t was
blood red and had a sinister look. Was
II my imagination, or might II have
been a p~remonition? ri any rate, |
shall never forget the color OF the saa
as 1t set that night at the end of the
first day of probably n of the great
est battles in history. 1t certainly
didn't look good to me.
The drumming of the guns contin-
ued. twilight gradually deepened into
night, the ~slgnalers stopped their wig
wagging and took up their flash sig
nails, a fog dropped down on US and
put the lights out of business, and
when we left to go forward under the
cover Of darkness they were busy put
ting out their telephone ines-signal-
ers and runners don't have an easy
time.
Shell Dump Goes Up.
Behind us a shell landed in an am
.munition dump and 1t went Up with q
roar Their the rife ammunition started
going Off like n great bunch of fire
crackers, and great tongues of fame
lit up the sky.
1t is reported that the Germans had
l.f-,.. gl1ra,r~k 4, lIvn and Vxya rryaY.n
to counter-attack in the morning. We
got into positions without a single
casualty. / opened an aid post In an
old dugout and settled down to sleep
until morning. You may think 1t fun
ny that one could sleep under such
conditions, but / had been up since
80, had tramped about six or seven
miles, had had a rather trying day
and was dog tired.
Just like some Of the warm days we
get the last OF March at home. In
going forward II was necessary
for us to march seyenty-five yards in
front of three batteries Of field guns.
There are six guns to a battery. They
shoot an ei~ghteen-pound she'll and
while we were there each gun was
shooting twice to the minute. You
can imagine the racket when | tell
you that the discharge of one gun can
be heard about four miles. In addi-
ton the Boche was trying to knock
out this battery and he was dropping
his six inch shells q little too close for
comfort.
Nearly In a Trap.
Then l made a lovely mistake. i
was to establish an aid post near bat
TALON headquarters and went blithely
on when I met d company commander
and asked him where to go.
Back there about a quarter Of q
mile" he replied. '"Thls Is the front
center company. If you keep OF In
the direction Won are going you are
going up over that ridge and Fritz will
be waiting for you with a machine
gun"
SO my sergeant and orderly and
myself didn't waste any time In clear
ing. On the way back / found a gallon
can full of water, got into a corrugated
ITOH SutttcT uLu u0u u WdSH anu u
shave. II certainly felt good. | don't
believe ! had washed for thirty-six
hours. Ii was warm and bright. i
could look out of my shelter and see
our support lines digging themselves
In several hundred yards away. The
cannon fire ceased, the machine guns
settled down to an occasional itful
burst and II vas midday OF a beautiful
spring day.
A coupe OF partridge aew over me.
What did they know or are about all
this noise and racket and men getting
up In line and killing each other?
Along about three o'clock things be-
gan to liven up again. In the mean-
time headquarters had been establish
ed In a sunken road with banks about
fifteen feet high on either side Cater
this cut was half filed with dead).
My aid post was In a dugout near by
and gradually things got hotter and
hotter.
Our men had dug themselves in
and were popping away with their
rifles. The field batteries behind us
were putting up a barrage, alrpianas
were circling overhead. both our and
the ermans'. The Germans put up a
countar.haPrarp the @macfina pune