The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-10-29


for another two hours and a half.
Were going forward and TAKE
those trenches at $50 in the morn
ing"
A buzz of conversation and num-
srous expressions Of satisfaction run
through the company. Everybody has
an ST told you so'- expression on his
face The. captain continues:
Now, boys, this is not going to be
any picnic party. We have informa-
tion that some Of the best troops the
Boches have are Immediately in front
Of US. In fact, some OF them have
bean identified by our intelligence de-
partment as Prussian guards.
Keyed to Combat Pitch,
I'VE have just as big a part to
play in this offensive as any other
OF the hundreds OF companies that go
forward. We must reach our COM
pany detectives. else the troops on
our left and right can't advance ac-
cording to their schedules.
st know you boys, and I'll stake my
last dollar that every one of you win
put into this fight the very best that
is in him.
''AI1 ask OF you men is that you
follow me. and go where co.
The whole company joins In one
big shout when the captain has fin
ished.
Will they follow him and give the
best that is in them? Just wait and
see! There could be no other inter-
probation OF that shout.
This operation, marking the open
Ing of the great battle to the north
west Of Verdun, was, as the one cap
g.; 30 x4H TT
think the Americans had yet attempted
Facing the Germans on a front OF 20
miles that night were several hun
dred thousand American troops. And
the back areas were damned with tens
Of thousands Of reserves, who would
wait to be thrown into the battle if
they be needed.
Sleep Out Of Question.
Not an officer Or man on that
whole front tried to sleep that night
It was after dark when the men were
told they were going forward. The
big artillery would start at 1880.
Everybody waited up to hear it.
And when it did start nobody could
have slept. even il he had so desired.
1t was said later that pouring steel
and gas into the Germans that night
was the greatest concentration Of ar
tillery the world had ever seem
The night passed as with one long.
continuous roar, save for. a short In
Permission between the time the corps
artillery finished its work and the
division guns started theirs.
For more than an hour before the
time fixed for the infantry to start
forward. the boys were in formation:
every bayonet fixed. every rife in per-
feet order, every cartridge belt bulg-
ing.
had imagined that boys who were
about to receive their first baptism
of fire would be nervous and unset
tied, but was forcefu1ly impressed
by the calmness and steadiness that
perva ded all ranks.
I can't say they were light-hearted
or festive as they stood there in the
darkness, waiting for the hour of 5: 80
to come. There was none of that.
On the contrary, there was something
positively spiritual about them Their
boyish, clean-slaaven faces seemed to
say, as I peered into them: 1.-The
test hour for Americans has come.
Our country expects us to give
good account of ourselves, and we're
going to give it,"
aero Hour Comes.
The lover the top hour" came, and
front to the other tens Of thousands
of shadowy forms moved forward in
the gray dawn. 1t had begun to rain.
80 much the better for our pur-
pose,' a colonel said. We'll pull a
surprise party on the Boches. They
won't be expecting us in this RAIN
We took them completely by sur
prise. Our artillery fire pulverized
their wire ENHANCEMENT
Before s o'clock, the rain had stop
ped, the haze was lifting and the sun
came out, permitting our airmen to
watch, the retreating enemy.
Only one serious difficulty confront
ed US, and that was in bringing up
our artillery. Our infantry was ad
vancing so fast that the big guns |
couldn't keep pace with them.
What had been No Mans Land a |
few hours before now had to be cross !
ed with the heavy guns. There were !
no roads, and the ground was so soft |
that the first guns sank to their hubs |
and stuck.
Make Roads For Advance.
Up rushed the engineers For the
next few hours hundreds OF big
a,,~.ped fbair loads of bou,Id-