Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1918-05-23
Over the Top
BY Sergt Arthur Guy Empey

meant that we were to crawl forward
slowly-and believe me, very slowly
tor five yards, and then halt to await
further instructions. Three taps meant,
when you arrived within striking dis
lance of the German trench, rush it
md inflict as many casualties as pos
sible, secure couple of prisoners, and
then back to your own lines with the
speed clutch open. Four taps meant,
VI have gotten you into position from
which tits impossible for me to extri-
cate you, so you are on your own"
After getting Tommy into mess on
the western front he is generally told
that he is ION his own.'' This means,
Save your skin in any way possible"
Tommy loves to be ION his own" behind
the lines, but not during trench raid.
The star shells from the German
lines We're falling in front Of us, there
fore we We're safe. After about twen-
~ minutes we entered the star shell
zone. A star shell from the German
lines fell about five yards in the rear
and to the right of me; we Rugged the
ground and held our breath until it
burned out. The smoke from the star
shell travelled along the ground and
crossed over the middle of our line.
Some Tommy SneeZed. The smoke had
gotten up his nose. We crouched on
the ground, cursing the offender under
our breath, and waited the volley that
generally ensues when the Germans
have heard a noise in No Mans Land,
Nothing happened. We received TWO
taps and crawled forward slowly for
five yards; no doubt the officer be-
lieved what Old Pepper had said, per
sonally ! believe that that part of the
German trench is unoccupied' BY be-
ing careful and remaining motionleas
when the star shells fell behind us, we
reached the German barbed wire with
out mishap. Then the fun began.
was scared stiff as it is ticklish work
cutting your way through wire when
about thirty feet in front of you there
is q line of Boches looking out into No
Mans Land with their rifles lying
across the parapet, straining every
sense to see or hear what is going on
in No Mans Land; because at night,
Fritz, never knows when bomb with
his name and number on it will come
HURTING through the air aimed in the
direction of Berlin. The man on the
right, one man in the center and my
self on the extreme left were equipped
with wire cutters. These are insulated
with soft rubber not because the Ger
man wires are charged with electricity,
but to prevent the cutters rubbing
against the barbed wire stakes, which
are of iron, and making noise
which may warn the inmates of the
trench that someone is getting fresh
in their front yard. There is only one
way to cut barbed wire without noise
and through costly experience Tommy
has become an expert in doing this.
You must grasp the Wire about two
inches from the stake in your right
hand and cut between the stake and
your hand.
If you cut a wire improperly, a
loud twang will ring out on the night
air like the swapping of a banjo
string. Perhaps this noise can be
heard only for fifty or seventy-fve
yards, but in Tommy's mind it makes
u loud noise in Berlin.
We had cut lane about halfway
through the wire when, down the CEN
ter of our line, twang! went an inn
properly cut wire. We crouched down,