The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-11-17
( GRAPHIC TALE
OF TANK FIGHT

llllSldll, NldDafld, Will MS Duu'
dy," did their share in giving the
Hun his due. Avertt's buddy" wa;
killed in the thick OF the fight by 4
bullet that entered a peep hole in
the side OF the tank and strucl, him
in the face.
1t was during the American
push in the Argonne sector
Avertt's tank went along with a
lot OF other brother" tanks in line
with the American iniantrymen
crowding them in the rear. Avertt
was the machine gunner OF his tank
while his buddy" ran the engine
and steered the tank.
Saw Terror On Their Faces
II was so near number OF Ger
mans encountered in shallow
trench that could see the terror
non their faces when my gun began
to let lily bullets almost in their
very faces" Sergeant Avertt said:
These were the first Boches / ran
into on this drive and | certainy let
them have it as fast as my old ma
chine could fire. and that was some
fast, and ! just kept going ahead
and pounding away until every last
one OF them was stretched out on
the ground.
Passing beyond this hastily dug
trench, in the meantime watching
my brother on my right and left and
at the some time keeping tab on the
doughboys coming up, got sight
of little batch OF Germans behind
a hump in the hill along the road
way, or what had been a roadway
before our heavy artillery opened
up that morning These were ma
chine gunnerS, | soon learned. and /
bullets began to splash Off the |
tanks sides particularly these which .
struck glancing blow
Il ordered my tank buddy at the |
wheel to keep after those gunnerS il /
it cost us all four wheels. He did,
and we went up after them sort Of
sideways, and | got around on to
the side of that hump, and my
brother on the other side was do
ing the same. and we wiped that
bunch out in a jiffy--I believe it
was by enfilading fire, as the oifi-
GERS call it"
Sergeant AVERT explained that
the tank men, all OF whom were
Americans using two men tanks in
7ented by the French, always
watched each other closely, or en-
deavored to, the idea being to keep
a hundred yards or so apart for
their mutual protection, and it being (
also that they not get
too far ahead OF the infantry.
Just beyond the hump was 4 f
clump OF woods. and we began to ,
pour our bullets into that Sergeant y
Avertt continued, and for a time n
there was some smoke arising above :
he treetops so we knew there were {
Boches in there. About four of us n
opened up in full force and show h
,red that woods with lead n
Cleaning Out the Woods /,
The machine gun answers were o
pretty stiff for awhile. as we went r.
Onward, but | Just kept peppering b
way and talking to my buddy all f'
he time and telling him what we
we're going to do-clean out that &c
,oods. My brothers on either side IL
had the same hunch. The III
oughboys back OF me too were fir I
lg right along with us and the =
,oche in that thicket must have
hought all hell had broken loose,
ecIuSe the first thing | knew the
iring virtually stopped and | fig
red all the Bochcs had been killed
+ had decided to beat it before we
II got there i'll force.
Along about this time | noticed
nat the tank boys on the right were
Winging around the side OF the
ump OF trees, and from the posi-
on OF their guns and the speed OF
leir tanks Judged that they were
wing fits to some Fritzics running
way. then switched so as to run
ongside the thicket. at a distance,
nd joined the tank boys going
ound the end.
" ust about that time there was
volley of machine gun bullets. and
me anti-tank gun stuff too, from
hill a bit to my lett, suddenly my
nk just began to tremble or some
ing. and then stopped, and shud-
red all over. ! looked down and
Y buddy was limp in his seat. One
those damned bullets had come
through my 'buddy's' peep-hole
d hit him square in the face.
QyRira :mao'a
My buddy was dead. His final
itch on the throttle shut OFF the
5 and the old tank stopped. and
ere | was, and the other boys
mt on. That's about all | know
out that fight.
Avertt said that when he went
o action he determined to keep
unit OF the number of Germans his
chine gun touched Off but
len he began to use his gun he
ild think of nothing but a pur-
Sc to spread death and destruc-