Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-06-16
FIRST STAGES OF DRIVE
DESCRIBED BY AMERICAN
Interview With Soldier Serving With
Scottish Units Gives Graphic
Picture OF Battle.
ROARING CROWD OF GERMANS
scenes OF Awful Slaughter-''It Was
Great Sport"-Huns Kept Coming
as Though They Sprang From the
Ground,
by sELFRIDGE HENNEGAS.

Nihe 1oiio"inG interview with an
american soldier. serving with the
scottish units. gives a graphic and
horrible picture OF the scenes that
look place during the superhuman ef-
Tort to break the French lines
With tho Allied Armies in France
1t was great sport-greatw This
was the cheerful way in which a GAL
liant young Seafroth summarized his
personal Impressions of the big Ger
man drive. He had been through the
second day OF it, just when 1t was at
It's height. and although he had some
wonderful things to tell me about tho
fury Of the fight. and the terror of
the Hun onslaught. he was quite con-
hdent as 10 the ultimate outcome. The
Germans. in his opinion at least. could
not undertake such a task again and
survive.
he was In hospital when I inter
viewed him, nursing an ankle smashed
oy machine-gun bullet at range
OF 200 yards. SO close were the Huns
upon them at one time. These cir
cumstances he proceeded to tell mo
ABOUT IN his own plain. but vivid, way.
ana they make strange and thrilling
reading.
We were posted doyn below c.
ne said. at the time the offensive com
menced. We had been in the trenches
tor some time. could not get out OF
them. In fact for every now and then
Fritz was making demonstrations in
front OF US which seemed to foretell
an Immediate attack. But always he
seemed TO hesitate. until one day we
learned that the blow had fallen at
another part. and we were hurried
down TO take our share In parrying
H. In ono sense we were glad that
u had como. Anything rather than
the suspense. you know.
we had to cover some kIlometers
mat night to reach the spot. but we
got there ell right by morning. TO
md that our duty was TO fight a rear
guard action TO let other units-then
engaged with the Huns-through TO
a prepared position behind US. A
sunken roadway was to be our de-
tensive position. And there we settled
down. what time the boys OF the other
regiments who had been fighting the
enemy from the beginning got to our
rear. We saw them as they passed.
and the FIRST thing that struck me
about them was TIE fact that any
casualties they had seemed TO be slight
or course. that was only the first day,
but, hard though II had been, the
boys looked all right and At for any
thing.
We had quiet enough time of it
until about midday. when suddenly
an officer arrived with the informa-
ton that johnnie had been seem
Word was sent all along the line OF
US and We got ready TO give Johnnie
what-for the moment he showed his
nose over the little ridge which we
were out TO watch. II was not in
tended. understand, 10 hold the ridge.
but TO harass and hinder the Huns
as they appeared. and > fall back
as slowly as we could while holding
them in check. The time Of waiting
for their appearance was about the
worst OF it. but that time did not last
long. All at once the edge OF the rise
OF ground became alive with men, and
before we had time TO think. crash
went our machine guns and rifles.
That was the first of It. It's not
easy TO say what happened then. All
l recollect is that from that moment
we kept pouring out the bullets at
point blank range. and simply knocked
the Huns out by the score. But heav-
SAo' ga thC iShu we COulu pump INTO
them seemed to make no difference.
The ridge itself. after a time. looked
IS IL it were sprouting Huns or was
made OF them. They simply poured
over the place like gray wave, and
came down and along the slopes in an
endless. roaring crowd. And still we
poured and poured the stuff into them
as fast and furiously as we could. And
~
like caldron OF smoke and fire and
Infatuated men.
when I think OF that part OF the
fight now l can recall one thing. and
that was the strange absence of Ger
man shells. Fact! Only now and then
did one burst in our vicinity. 1t
seemed to me. afterwards. when re-
viewing the day, that the Germans had
resolved to dispense for one with all
their machine-made war. and had fall
len back upon the oldtime human ele-
ment. Just as il they had let their
Paris regardless Of cost Not that
they hadn't guns with them. They
had machine guns and they fired them
too. but In the main it was a pure
case of 'croYding' us out of our de-
8.
THAT, as l say. is how 1t struck me
afterwards. and / don't think 1 am
far wrong. At any rate, crowd US out
they did, but only when they were
close upon us, and we saw that we
would be swamped and swept clean off
our feet by the awful avalanche II
we didn't begin to go backwards. DC.
casionally the Germans got as near
us as 300 hundred yards or so, but.
whatever the distance, we kept up our
fire ceaselessly. We had no need to
worry about aim. There was no snip-
ing there. The target was always in
front, and, as we retired. we fired and
fred and fired until we were sick and
sore of the thing.
We'll the end came for me some
7 got smack on the ankle, which put
an end to my firing. and l was cleared
out OF the way. or rather, l had to
clear out myself as best could. And
it was while clearing out that 1 saw
the best part of the battle. Somehow
or other l got down to the rear, get
ting life now and then from a wagon.
but generally limping along myself as
fast as / knew how. The nearest
dressing station was some distance off,