Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-27
ATTACK OF TANKS
TERR|F|ES BOOBIES
| Privates Flee Before Advance Of
1nPrcgnablc Crawling Mon
sters of Great Britain.
VILLAGE ASSAULT DESCRIBED
Bullets and Grenadcs Glance Off
Armored Sides of Lumber
ing Land Fleet.
ley Assnnla,ed We,

Icy Associated rressl
( AMSTERDAM. ia nuary 3.---Tank war.
fare. % it a,rikca the German troops.
\ is described By the Cologne Gazette In
story Of the lighting around Fontaine
Notre Dame during tho Cambria Of
fenssvc. The writer declared that
many Of the German private soldiers
+. look upon ttc tanks with fec,in. OF
terror. lie says:
The village is s,ll sune..n: Under
she'll fire; houses and men arc mingled
lin the same ruin: whole roofs have
been lifted through the air like
/ fca the:s-hui for the moment the storm
has gone beyond the unha ppy place.
] From a cellar In the main street
/ Silesian r.Gcman looks out. lie sn;ns
\ at first for fear Of gas then he stuns
4 his mask III his Dockc, and looks
around. Heavens. what a street. Grad
ual!y the r.hcmen creep like mice after
"a hailstorm out OF their cellars. Is
Tommy Atkins coming back: That is
( the question. FOR the battalion has
orders 70 hoid the village a. all costs.
I "Bu. suppose Tommy comes back
/ with his tanks? The word passes from
/ lip 10 lip. II has sinister sound. as
q
Gevil by name. In the big thrust tho
K English used eco tanks: some said 500.
I The monsters were said TO spit flame.
SC that no one could approach them,
and 10 crawl over every obstacle \
+. Siicsian riaeuan who stood in their
I way would be crushed like a worm
under steam roller. What could "A
poor soldier do BIZ: scu:tle out OF the
way: II was true the herr Lieutenant
said that steel bullets would go through
I the ar!Eo- OF tho tank. and that VIC had
only 10 aurl bombs At il and The tank
! would sop and catch fire. I;ui suppose
! II aid no. stop?
7 In the meantime the infantry bat
tie famed up all along the line one
"f the rf!en.cH al the ba::icade climbed
~ on damaged roof and peersd into
;he distance Over Bourbon wood to-
Yards canal lay sea or smoke In
;, g h.elsjie Rash OF shells could. lie, seen
{ rlysFagI&sy.:i The German IL kse r.scs
4 -Ssyasn!ipg I3Eva,d in light tigias vnrcc
: en- der the fire OF the guns. Ar Fig
B iish Altman fcM down 10 :. height
! CT about 200 yards and dropped ire
ball after ii.eball SO that the English
artillery could set their MARI He
was bold fellow 1Iurrah: The ,:er.
man hattier!anes sWooped down iii:e
! hawks on a dove. The Silesians would
nave clappcd their hands for ioy but
they were holding bomrs ready 10 !lyc.
CRAWLING MONSTERS
EMERGE FROM SMOKE.
/ suddenly there was the cry, The
tanks are coming But where: whore
! Ihcrc. on the hi!i: don't you see? 1t
\ Was quite true. There Was a vhite
trai! Of smoke on the slope o. Bourbon
Eil!. and. just Is. the darl; outline 81
shir emcrses from a fog 1T sea. hero
and there dark crawling monster Wa;
: visible.
i Then, indeed, even the most hard
!! ened veterans we're anxious. Good
Z heavens. These are monsters" E.er,,
/ one looked Gown the street. The tanks
: would have to come down il IL they
I wished to get through the village. ~
I the harricade signal arm went M
Z Nobody spoke. Every one hell ,r4,r
( Breath. Tanks in front. They arc
I coming straight toward US. was ,ns
next message. Their number was lc
! rcrishiy counted Six rustera1 cne
! soldier; '::iEht, nine. twelve stamraer-
! cd another with fixed ewes. Loot,
I there are more stiil: they have over
/ run cur forward position
The Silcs:ans ducked their heads. for
German shells were firing straight over
! their heads. Iiurrah. one was s.uc,;
and ;hcn another and another. But the
! others came OH without pause, and
/ row one heard the rattle and the
Snai!ie that they made and the Silesians
snihcd the swedish smell or the sugar
white smoke which the creatures
breathcd. The foremost tank fred like
mad with flashes of flame. The rife
men on tho bsrricadc stood rooted to
the spot like 4 man who has caught
his foot il tho railway and secs the
express approaching.
/, And now the first tank is so close
that one feels oneself already crushed
and smashed into pulp. But the
I Silesians-they showed some smart
/ Ecss--hcd from their posts into the
houses and gardens. One moment the
village was like an ants nest on
which man trod. and the next. when
/ every man had found his retreat every
;, thing looked like place OF the dead.
TANKS ENTER VILLAGE
THROUGH FLICkERISG
I one OF the tanks came stamping
/ into tho village. There are moments
even in the bittcrcst fight when there
( is 4 ray, OF huinor like feeble sunlight
clicking through fog. There was such
a moment i'll the midst cr the horror
i at Fontaine. Was ii not amusing TO
I watch tho stupid monster roll up the
/ High street. wkcro there was not "a
single living Silesian left? IL went M.
I it went down. 1t Eruntcd wickcdly
from sheer rage because it could find
no victim. The bores OF its small
guns shouted around and fred as If
| they could find something living. but
! always too high. And so they went
clip-claD up and down the street. like
tho festival car at carnival time The
! Silcsians pccred out into the side
streets. As soon rs the tank showed
snout at Il street corner they showcrcd
I him with bullets.
] But where are tho Tommcs?
Continued on Eighth Tase.)