Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-12-24
OTTAWA BOYS SAVED
ON LAST DAY OF WAR
BY MAUSOLEUM
lContinued from Page ID

lish, but they are far different iron
the Aussies. They have a system fol
everything and their artillery support
ing us was wonderful All their equip
ment is excellent and painstaking.y
taken care of. They call their aut,
trucks lOrries, but are using thou
sands of American Peerlesses, Loco
mobiles and Packards. BY the way
they captured a lot of Peerless trucks
from the Germans.
On this sector we received all Enc
fish equipment, rifles clothing and. il
TACT, everything. Their rifle is a lit
tie different from ours tholdng tel
rounds), but we soon got used t,
them, although the old American
Springfield is the best rifle in tn,
world, barring none tFritzs la1i
rifle is very near like the Spring
heidi When the English, Aussies
Canadians and Scotch started then
last and biggest drive of the war VT
helped and won recognition from tn,
British government. We received GU
first casuals on this salient.
Finally during the last Of Angus
We were again pulled opt, marched C
Amiens lalways at night. you know
and here got on trains, and after
three days and nights ride got of at
a little town behind tho French callct
Nancois la Petit. Here we spent {
week drilling The weather was won
derful and we greatly enjoyed it,
| it was The first time behind the line.
for us for two months. Then one
night long line Of French lOrries tool
Us to Brocourt Woods, near Verdun
it being an all night ride. Here The
| trops rested overnight and the mex
day and that night started out in /
erwin grain, deep mud and inky dark
ness for the line.
We were now equipped with Amer
lean rifles again. At Aisnes, a lev
eled little town facing Verdun, We
relieved the French and regimen
Of American negroes using FrenCi
| equipment. The French pulled GU
entirely, making that an American
sector. This was the place where il
1914 the French stopped the German
I with cttGh b,,. r,
here has been very little fghtint
Their. The country was all rolling
high hills and absolutely devoid OF
trees, buildings or even shrubbery
and every inch Of it had been turned
over many times by artillery fire. A.
iar as you could see there was moth
ing but desolate, brown country ant
mud and wire entanglements 1t nov
began to rain and kept it up steadily
and the mud kept getting worse
Fritz soon sensed that the Ianks
were in front Of him and began tt
realize that something must be in tn,
wind, for where the Yanks were pu
lthey always started something ant
always pushed him back, so he began
to shell for the first time in tW,
years. Our artillery gave them shO
| for shot and added eleven for eacl
one of his
| But Fritz had a right to be leery
Behind our lines thousands upol
| thousands of Americans were beinj
brought up, the first Yanks we hat
seen since leaving Brest; also wer,
being brought up thousands Of gun
of every CALDER All the roads wer,
full of traffic miles and miles of men
trukS and lOrries full of supplies AM
ammunition; gnus being pulled b,
| horses, trucks and monster tractors
and moro men. State street in Chi
cago would look sick up against on
Of those roads during the starting o
a drive. It was a wonderful sigh
when the moon was bright, as all thi
is done at night During the DAY tn
roads are empty as Jerrys plane
were always overhead. Every nigh
| he shelied with long ranges AM
every night his planes dropped thei
| big bombs with their crashing roal
| but luck was with the Ianks and tn
casuals were few.
On the evening Of the 25th of Sci
TENDER everything was ready for tn
biggest drive OF the war. Six lhol
sand big guns were in position an,
division after division of Yanks wa
waiting for the morning light. Tn
Fourth Diyisionof regulars was be
hind US, ready We were still hold
ing the line, having been there twcr
ty-three days and were not fires
troops. All the men slept on thoi
packs and rifles; some nervous, som
cool but all anxious for tine star
In front Of them Fritz had CONGO,
trated his best outfits and was val
ing. He knew it was to come som
time, but as usual never expected
80 soon.
AS daybroak approached eyerythin
was made ready, and at 5 a. m. tn
morning Of the 26th of September tn
last and final drive of the war wa
started. The sky became one soil
sheet of flame as G,0b0 American gun
opened up with the most terribl
barrage ever recorded, Tho moi
, was deafening, but the song of u
. shells was music to the ears OF I'll