The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-07-26

| IL was necessary, ne writes, tt
rush the machine guns June 10 ant
Is, and to take them by sheer spiri
and dash, as otherwise our wave
would be held up. The wood,
seemed crowded with them. Ii
every instance the enemy finall,
abandoned the guns and those no
killed or captured ran away. W.
lost over SO per cent of our mer
killed or wounded"
In this fighting grenades were
used occasionally, but the American
rifle and but and bayonet did mos
of the work. The Germans haC
placed machine guns in the trees
while their snipers concealed them.
selves here and there with the Lugel
pistol which is almost as accurate
as rifle, and is more easily hidden
After the line was established it be.
came necessary to keep in touch
with headquarters, and here the run.
ners earned the admiration of their
mates. No matter how severe was
the barrage, They never once hest.
tated," says the official report. The
list of those who distinguished them
selves is too long to be repeated
here, but the story of Pvt. Roy c.
Lascher may be cited as typical OF
all:
He repeatedly carried messages
thru barrage June TO-" says the
report, when it seemed almost GER
tain death to do so. On the morn
ing of June IA, during violent bar
rage, he voluntary got out of his dug
out and walked to my trench, where
one-pOunder shells were continually
breaking in addition to the other
shells of the bombardment, and
asked If I had any message to send.
He knew that my barrage signals
were exhausted and thought would
want runner to 60 to battalion
headquarters to ask for a counter
barrage."
1t is by such glimpses as this that
one must see the fight in Beliean
wood. An observer in front trench
was noted by his comrades in the
trench behind. His head was visible
over the trench parapet, because only
by so exposing himself could he
watch the enemy. Every second of
such exposure meant that he took
chance on death, of course.
A shell came along" and an eye
witness, "and cut down a tree near
by. 1t fell right across him, we
thought, but after a moment we saw
his head in the same place, with the
tree trunk foot above it. The tree
had lodged on a rock. He stayed
there for an hour and kept us cor
rectly informed. When the fight
slackened he sent back runner:
Wanted to Breathe
Pass the word to Lieutenant
Lennihan,' said the runner, that the
forward observer asks to be relieved
for few minutes to get breath of
air."
Heroism? There is no end of
heroism.
Sergeant Conrad had his leg
broken so that the ends grated &C
cording to the surgeon who dressed
it. "You could feel the ends grind"
said he. But he managed to crawl
along the ground and pull in Lieu
tenant Gilfillan with him. How he
did it only the God of courage knows.
When he got to the hospital he
tainted
1--WE forced hot coffee between his
lips" said the surgeon, land when
he came to his first words were:
How is Gilfillan?'"
The worst came after a week or so, |
when the men in the wood began |
to feel that they would never ct out.
The German attacks were constant,
and there was no relief in sight. The
boche airplanes sailed overhead con-
tinually, and there were no allied
planes to keep them off. They ma
the troops and dropped
bombs On them.
1--WE felt that we had to have
Sleep, said one man, in describing
he air activities of the Germans,
so that one night we crawled out
nto the wheat field and slept. The
ield had never been bombarded, and
here was no spot anywhere else
hat was not being continually ham,
nered by the shells. But the next
lay the boche fliers photographed
he field and found the places where
he growing wheat had been pressed
lown. The next night the field was
prinkled with bombs"
Holding Their Nerve
By and by the continual pressure
f sitting still under the lombard
nent got on the nerves of many. 81
ad to bite my lips to keep them
rom trembling said several. The
1oment action became possible that
ervous feeling passed away, for
hese were brave men. They took
he advice of Regimental Surgeon
)esseze. /
"Sit down and get your back
gainst the wall, he told them, 'and
hen smoke one cigaret after another
ntil your nerves quit fidgetting."
At last came the end, when an
Their unit relieved them, and what
as left of what had been famous
orps moved out. For a few days
1ey were pretty pale and shaky, for
leir physical as we'll as their mental
offerings had been great, and they
ad eaten little. But they were as
anne as ever.
Just give us rest and we will
0 back" the men said. mot that K
ere anxious to-but we'll CO."
That is the spirit of the whole II