Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-04-24


to 40 I got nervous waiting for our
guns to open up. could not take my
eyes from my watch. | crouched
against the parapet and strained my
muscles in a deathlike grip upon my
rifle. AS the hands on my watch
showed two O'Clock binding red flare
lighted up the sky In our rear. then
thunder, intermixed with a sharp. whis.
Ting sound in the air over our heads.
The shells from our guns were speed
ing on their way toward the German
lines. With one accord the men
sprang up on the fire step and looked
over the top in the direction of the
German trenches. A line of bursting
shells lighted up No Mans Land. The
din was terrific and the ground trem-
bied. Then, high above our heads we
could hear signing moan. Our big
boys behind the line had opened up
and 2's and 15-inch shells commenced
dropping into the German lines. The
fash of the guns behind the lines, the
scream of the shells through the air,
and the flare of them. bursting, was a
spectacle that put Pains greatest dis
play into the shade. The constant
pup, pup, of German machine guns and
an occasional rattle of rife firing gave
me the impression of u huge audience
applauding the work of the batteries.
Our 1S-pounders were destroying the
German barbed wire. while the heavier
stuff was demolishlng their trenches
and bashing in dugouts or funk holes.
Then Fritz got busy.
Their shells went screaming over
head, aimed in the direction Of the
flares from our batteries. Trench NOR
tars started dropping "AIinnies" in
our front line. We clicked several cas-
ualties. Then they suddenly ceased.
Our artillery had tapped or silenced
i them.
During the bombardment you could
almost read q newspaper in our trench.
Sometimes in the flare of a shell-burst
a mans body would be silhouetted
against the parados of the trench and
1t appeared like a huge monster. You
could hardly hear yourself think. When
an order was to be passed down the
trench you had to yell ii, using your
hands as a funnel into the ear of the
man sitting next to you on the fire step.
In about twenty minutes a generous
rum issue was doled out. After drink
ing the rum. which tasted like varnish
and sent a shudder through your
frame, you wondered why they made
you wait until the lifting of the bar
rage before going over. AT ten min
utes TO four word was passed down,
'Ten minutes to CO." Ten minutes
to live. We were shivering all over.
My legs felt as If they were asleep.
Then word was passed down: First
wave get on and near the scaling lad
ders."
These were small wooden ladders
| which we had placed against the para
pet to enable us TO go over the top on
the lifting of the barrage. Ladders of
death" we called them, and vertically
they were.
Before charge Tommy Is the po-
litest of men. There is never any push
ing or crowding to be first up these
ladders. We crouched around the base
of the ladders waiting for the word
TO 60 over. l was sick and faint. and
was putting away at an unlighted flag.
Then came the word, "Three minutes
to go; upon the lifting of the barrage
and on the blast of the whistles, over
the top with the best o. luck and give
them he'll" The famous phrase of
the western front. The Jonah phrase
of the western front. To Tommy it
means If you are lucky enough to come
back you will be minus an arm or n
leg. Tommy hates to be wished the
best of luck; so, when peace is de-
clared, if 1t ever is, and you meet
Tommy on the street, just wish him the
best of luck and duck the brick that
follows.
] glanced again at my wrist watch.
We all wore them and you could hardly
call us ''sissies" for doing so. 1t was a
minute to four / could see the hand
move to the twelve, then dead ST.
lence. 1t hurt. Everyone looked up
to see what had happened, but not for
long. Sharp whistle blasts rang out
along the trench. and with a cheer the
men scrambled up the ladders. The
bullets were cracking overhead. and
occasionally a machine gun would rip
and tear the top of the sandbag para
pet. How got up that laddel will
never know. The first ten feet out in
front was agony. Then we passed
through lanes In our barbed wire.
knew was running. but could feel no
motion below the waist. Patches on
the ground seemed to float to the rear
as il were on a treadmill and seen
cry was rushing past me. The Ger
mans had put a barrage Of shrapnel
across No Mans Land. and you could
hear the pieces slap the ground about
you.
After / had passed our barbed wire
and gotten into No Mans Land a
Tommy about fifteen feet to my right
front turned around and looking in my
direction. put his hand TO his mouth
and yelled something which / cot 4 not
make out on account of-the noise from
the bursting shells Then he cOughed.
stumbled. pitched forward and lay still.
His body seemed to float TO the rear
Of me. I could hear sharp cracks in