The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-10-30


Motor Battery" or a French Nor
| tar Battery" The trench mortars
are trench guns of three, six and
nine-inch usually placed In mo
Mans Land" at night 10 join in the
artillery barrage in the morning
with the view OF displacing enemy
machine guns. Quick and alert men,
men with snap and Judgment are re-
quired to man these mortars for ex-
The dug-outs will be the abodes for
the members of this battery extraor-
binary.
Close to EHemys Lines
Trench mortaTs have been as close
as 400 yards from the enemy's front
line, according to recent press dis
patches and current magazines.
These guns have done wonderful
work in shattering and displacing
the enemy heavy guns. Orders may
come for the placement OF trench
mortars on a certain sector Of the
line which the division is holding,
and after the enemy has been slap
ped, spanked and pounded on his
tender spots. and still harder IL he
talks back. suddenly may be ordered
to some other sector to resume like
operations, probably this time to
demolish some observation ramifica-
ton. It's a thrilling little game"
that has draw" beaten for intense
moments, and it's a game in which
one does not know where he will
sleep. should he happen to get a |
period of rest.
Trench mortars-and this battery
will be motorized-can be easily |
shifted from point to point. The |
mortars can be fired at angles. Owe |
erhead explosives are very damag- |
ing. For instance prisoners have |
been taken when trench mortars |
have been directed over the heads of |
the enemy; driving the enemy to- |
ward the allied nations lines to es-
cape the bursting of explosives to
his rear. :.
Camp No Longer Carnival
Camp Lewis with it's myriads Of
twinkling lights from the barracks,
and its paved avenues of illumina-
ton from automobiles. is no longer
regarded as a carnival or a won
derland for the middle west soldiers. |
The lights from the soldiers bar
racks, so pretty when full moon
comes up over the mountains of for
ests. which encircles the camp like
an amphitheatre. do not attract the |
fancy of the soldiers who have seen
more than three months of this life.
Even Mt. Rainier. "the pretty lady
of the west" may seem piqued to
think that she is not admired by the
boys to the extent she was a few
months ago. A noticeable change
has come over the soldiers as their |
training advances. They are eager
to. get across and to do their part |
to put 81 end to the struggle with
the hop" Of getting to their homes
and - loir places of business as |
quick Is possible. This is the new
change and with this spirit Of !
determination to lend all" by a
terrific blow 1t is certain to break
favorabley in battle and is signif- |
cant that it will fulfil General
MARGINS prediction made several |
weeks ago and carried in the Asso-
ciated Press dispatches that the
Germans will be out Of France and
Belgium by Christmas.
Towns Are Good Mothers
Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia and 9TH
ers cities have been good mothers to
the boys from the middle west, who
have been adopted" in many of the |
homes, if not by some kind mother,
then by some daughter. American
Lake, picturesque American Lake,
our American Lakeland what a i
wonderful name-has made many a
heart happy on a weekend. This
beautiful body Of water. famous as
a summer resort and short dis
tance from the camp which is train
ing men so it can always hold it's
name. will be greatly missed when
business suspends for the Boys of
the 18th Division"
The middle west boys are quick to
learn. They know what discipline
means The hovs in the Of Of dixi |
sion were warned before they left
camp that it would be to their phys
lcal betterment if they would not
mingle with the French women or
girls. Shortly after the arrival of
the division in France. a delegation
Of Red Cross ladies called on a GER
tain commanding officer, according
to the letter he has written home.
The. officer had very hard task in
squaring himself because one of his
oriavtes from the middle west.