Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-06
GLEE OVER FORCING
old HUN" TO RUN
Allied Troops on British
Front Having "Any Amount
of Excitement.
TYPICAL DRIVE DEPICTED
nv EDWARD PRICE BELL.


Cablegrnm to The Sunday Star and
Chicago Daily News Copyright 1915
LONDON, October AL informa-
ton from various sectors of the Brit
ish front tell of the keen satisfaction
of tie allies that the ''old Hun" is
at least showing unmistakable signs
Of distress. HE is dead sure on the
run now is the burden of the bulk
of soldier comment. Austria and
Turkey are expected to follow Bull
garia out of the war sooner or later
probably sooner. 1t is even doubt
ed whether the empire that Bismarck
welded together with blood and iron
will emerge with it's integrity COM
plete.
Meanwhile we are having any
amount of excitement all along the
line" said Capt. r. F. w. Rees. Il
will give you an illustration. The
Brandenburgers and Prussians are
opposite us. We want to know which
c. To find out such things we use
our old friend the trench raid. Now
a trench raid against BrandenburgerS
and Prussians is no childs play. 1t
IS WOTh IOT men WHO KNOW
their job. We like these raids all
the more for their difficulty. Solid
killing is not half SO attractive, for
after all we are not butchers.
Decide by Drawing Straws.
ION this night, which was astonish-
ingly dark, our enterprise was in
trusted to one company, B Company
which drew the longest straw from
the hat. OF course, the whole COM
pany could not go. for it showed a
strength of $50 rifles. We asked for
volunteers and ISL responded. We
found that the extra man was a spare
cook. Sixty was all we could take
and we selected them according to
enlistment. AS usual we practiced
the raid behind our lines a few days
Then came the night. At $40 we
went out into the gloom. marching
been cut for us and the barrage was
to fall at 8:45. At $40 we were In
position. In five minutes time the
first gun barked and instantly there
ensued a shell hell of noises. Close
over our heads whined shells, shrek
ing deathdealing things that seemed
to miss US by inches. Their flashes
and the torrent of very lights from
the German trenches made no mans
land as light as day. An enemy wiz
ing party scuttled for safety over the
top toward the support lines.
Rapid Firers in Action.
I'VE could see the men frantically
using their rapid firers over the par.
apet. Machine guns began to hic-
cough and spit. Then we went in
They were ready for US. Point, jat
and short point we went at them
driving stool int hot
white faces. Down into the trench
we went and fought our way traverse
by traverse toward their dugouts. Our
fellows had the terrible music of the
barrage in their brains and all hell
could not have stopped them. We
passed back prisoners as we advanced
Arrived at the dugoutS we cleared
them in no time. Just a smoke bomt
as warning and up came the Ger.
mans in pairs with hands above theil
heads and the sweat of death fear on
their foreheads.
tied their hands and hustled them
back. Discovering that they were to
live they became happy Germans We
set fire to the empty dugouts and a
bugle sounded all clear
Journey Back Called Nightmare.
'That journey back to our trenches
was a nightmare. A counter barrage
had fallen and it seemed as If there
was an impenetrable curtain OF
shells between us and home. Huge
minenwerfers made chasms at our
feet. Shrapnel burst around us like q
giant haflstorm. High explosives tore
the air until we hardly could breathe
In our nostrils was an overpowerine
stencil of picric acid. 1t took an hour
to get in. When a man was knocked
out we waited to succor him. Once we
got on a roadway that was simply
plastered with shrapnel. The gap in
our wire had been tapped, and the
enemy shells were thick there. How.
ever. by that time we had got oul
shell sense and by judicious rushes
between the bursts we got past with.
out casualty.
Our prisoners numbered forty. Oul
casualties were fifteen wounded, al
Of whom we brought in with US.
Forty of 'em!" snorted the sentry
There We are. IF we'd gone we'd got
an 'undred, IL not more"