The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-11-20


further instructions. Three taps meant,
when you arrived within striking dis
lance of the German trench, rush ii
and inflict as many casualties as pos
sible, secure a couple of prisoners, and
then back 10 your own lines with the
speed clutch open. Four taps meant,
II have gotten you into position from
which it is impossible for me to extri-
cate you, so you are on your own"
After getting Tommy into mess on
the western front he is generally told
that he is ION his own" This means,
"Save your skin in any way possible"
Tommy loves to be ION his own" behind
the lines, but not during a trench raid.
The star shells from the German
lines were falling in front of us, there
fore we were safe. After about TWEEN
ty minutes we entered the star shell
zone. A star shell from the German
lines fell about five yards in the rear
and to the right of me we Rugged the
ground and held our breath until 1t
burned out. The smoke from the star
shell Travelled along the ground and
crossed over the middle of our line.
Some Tommy sneezed. The smoke had
gotten up his nose. We crouched on
the ground. cursing the offender under
our breath, and waited the volley that
generally ensues when the Germans
have heard a noise in No Mans Land.
Nothing happened. We received two
taps and crawled forward slowly for
five yards: no doubt the officer be-
lieved what Old Pepper had said, per
sonally believe that that part of the
German trench is unoccupIed." BY be-
ing careful and remaining motionless
when the star shells fell behind us. we
reached the German barbed wire with
out mishap. Then the fun began. /
was scared stiff as Ii is ticklish work
cutting your way through wire when
about thirty feet In front Of you there
is line of Boches looking out into No
Mans Land with their rifles lying
across the parapet, straining every
sense TO see or hear what Is going on
In No Mans Land; because at night,
Fritz never knows when a bomb with
his name and number on II will come
hurtling through the air aimed In the
direction Of Berlin. The man on the
right, one man In the center and my
self on the extreme left were equipped
with wire cutters. These are insulated
with soft rubber not because the Ger
man wires are charged with electricity,
but to prevent the cutters rubbing
otpC 90 hor haI xx,fr Ofo xuhinh
are Of iron, and making a noise
which may warn the inmates Of the
trench that someone Is getting fresh
in their front yard. There is only one
way to cut barbed wire without noise
and through costly experience Tommy
has become an expert In doing this.
You must grasp the wire about two
inches from the stake in your right
hand and cut between the stake and
your hand.
If you cut wire improperly,
loud twang will ring out on the night
air like the swapping of banjo
string. Perhaps this noise can be
heard only for fifty or seventy-five
yards, but In Tommy's mind 1t makes
a loud noise In Berlin.
We had cut a lane about halfway
through the wire when, down the CEN
ter of our line, twangl went an i'm
properly cut wire. We crouched down,
cursing under our breath, trembling all
over, our knees lacerated from the
strands of the cut barbed wire on the
ground, waiting for a challenge and
the inevitable volley of rifle fire. Moth
ing happened. / suppose the fellow
who cut the barbed wire improperly
was the one who had sneezed about
half an hour previously. What we
wished him would never make his new
year a happy one.
The officer, In my opinion, at the
noise of the wire should have given the
four-tap signal. which meant, ION your
own, get back to your trenches as
quickly as possible" but again he must
have relied on the spiel that Old Pep
per had given US In the dugout, "Per-
sonally believe that that part of the
German trench Is unoccupied." Any
way, we got careless, but not so care
less that We sang patriotic songs or
made any unnecessary noise.
During the intervals Of falling star
shells we carried on with our wire cut
ting until at last we succeeded In get
ting through the German barbed wire.
At this point we were only ten feet
from the German trenches. II we were
discovered. we were like rats In trap.
Our way was cut or unless we ran
along the wire to the narrow lane We
had cut through. With our hearts In
our mouths we waited for The three.
tap signal to rush the German trench.
Three taps had gotten obcyt halfway
down thaiiaA xbsn IA M esc6t e.