Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1918-03-29

" hNf ~ NUS i'iiNAA Wv WV
man airInen must have taken back 20
their division commanders, and this
stream is slowly but surely getting big.
Yer and bigger every day, and tho pace
Is always the same. No slower, no
faster, bat ever onward, ever forward.
Three weeks before the big push Of
Iuly las the hattie of the Soniine has
peen called--started, exact duplicates
NJ the German trenches we've dug
about thirty kiles behind our lines.
rhe layout OF the trenches was taken
from airplsne photographs suhmitted
~ the Royal flying corps. The trench-
es were correct Co the fout: they
showed dugouts, saps, bsrbtd wire de.
lenses and danger spots
nattalions that were to 50 over In
the first waves were sent back for
three days to study these trenches, en-
gage in practice attacks and have night
Insneuysss. Each man was required To
make map Of the trenches and, ia
millsriae himself with the names and
location Of the parts bis battalion WAS
TO attack,
In the American army HOnconiniis-
stoned officers. are put through a COURSE
of map making or, road Stretching, apd
dsrl,ra nay SIX ytars's service Ia the
Cnite,l States cssnlts I bad plenty OF
Practice Ia thss work, therefore map
ping these trenches was epfntiSia-
tlvels easy tAxk FOR sue. E.Heh tissa
bsd 10 submit fls ifsaD 70 thu camnHny
sd,,nmantler 90 be passed nlpdh. gnH l
was lucky enough to,hsve tnine selec,-
ed ~ being sufficiently authentic TO use
In the attack.
M plio,a$raphs or, maps ARE allowed
10 leave France, but-m tbIs easeait an.
pealad to me as IA ,vsluabls sr,lyenIr "
the, great war aud nionsxed 10 &iaslg-,
gle 1t through. Atthis time II e@rrfes
no military Importance asl theA British
lines. ani hanpy 70 fsHy. have siHee
been advanced beyond this pUint, ~
in having it,in my possession 4 am not
breaking any regulation or 'eantious
or the British army.
The whole sttack WAS relearset]
and rehesrsed ,nitii we Heartily cursed
the one who had conceived the idea
The trenches were named according
to system which madeit very slfnple
for Tommy to find, eveb In the DARK,
any point in the German lines.
These initiation trenches, or trench
models. were well guarded fr0n 0bser-
yation by. NUMEROUS ei,ied planes
which constantly cirrlcd above them,
No German airplane could Epprdacn
within observation, distance. A re-
Sttfcted area was maintained and no
civilian .was allowed within three
miles. so we felt sure that we had a
great surprise In store for FRITZ.
When we took over the front line
we received, an awful shock. The
Germans displayed aignb0ards over
the top OF their treneh showing the
names that we had called their
trenches. The signs read "Faiy."
Fact" Fate" ana Fancy" and so
on, according to the code names on
onr map. Then to rub It In, they
hoisted some more signs which read,
Come on, we ere ready, stupid Eng
fish," ntst
II n still mystery to me how they
obtained this knowledge. There had
been no raids or prisoners taken. so
lt must have been the work OF spies
ia our own lines.
Three or four days befoFs the big
pnsh we tried to shattss Tritss nerves
by feint attacks, aud partially sue
ceeded an the oficiai reports OF July
1 show. y
Although we ware constantly bonn
harding their iiues day and. night. atiii
we fasied The Gsfinsns several ttIHks.
This was accomplished by throwing
an intense bsrTses into his lines
then using smoke shells we would put
curtain OF white smoke across No
Mans Land. completely ohstructinE
his view OF our trenches, and
would raise our curtain Yof fire.
~ IL In an actual attack. All
down our trenches the men would
shout and cheer, and Fritz would turn
loose with mschine-gun, IS riffs, and
shrspnei IRE, thfnklng We were COM
iHT 0Tsr. ssa s
After three or four OF these dummy
attacks his nerves must havs been
near the breaking point,
= On June "A, 1916, at $40 Ia the
lf0gning our guns opened up, and he'll
was let loose. The din wss terrific, q
constant boom.boom-boom In your ear.
At night the sky vas red glsre.
our bon1bardment had lasted about
two hours when Fritz started reply
ing. Although NE were sending over
ten shells TO his one. our casualties
we're heavy. There was Il constant
stream Of stretehers coming ont OF the
eofamunica ton trenches and burial
parties were common sight.
In the dugouts the noise Of the guns
almost hurt. You had the same sensa-
ton as when riding on the subway you
enter the tube under the river going
- Rrookgyn---a sort oe pressure on ths
ear dMms. and the ground constantly
trembling.
The reads behind tue trenches uese
very dangerous because Rochs shrsfl'