The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-04-06
". VA. OFFICERS
CONTINUED from First Pags-)

SCouttuuod from First PAge-)
werfer theavy gum from its emplace-
ment, weakened the enemy's morale.
ind retupned to its trenches without the
loss Of a man.
The tiny green disks on the faces of
luminous sychronized wrist watches
pointed to SAC p. m! when an advance
party crept across No Mans Land anu
cut barbed wire entanglements.
1t was clear. starlight night. To-
wards the eneny's trenches the dark
ness divided itself into two parts, the
lower darker than the upper. like the
vague outline Of eggs yoke seen through
the she'll when held against candle
The line between told where the earth
began and the sky ended
The general area to be raided was
about the salient formed by the juno
ton of trenches McRae and Mckinley
and the special objective was the enemy
minenwerfer emplacement five yards
east Of the junction of trenches Hayne
and Perkins From information given
by prisoners this was known to be oc-
cupied at night. g.
The raiding party. under command OF
Lieut. Harold R. Selby. Ohio Wesleyan
football star, consisted Of four squads
of eight men each. with covering party
OF ten mon and TWO automatic rifles,
and a medical squad of five men and
two stretchers to bring back the
All men We're Instructed that II cap
tured they were to reveal only their
rank. number and name. A nominal
chain OF command was arranged so THAT
in event Of commanders becoming ca
sualties, their position would be as
sumed by the next man.
Al the aero hour. minus thirty min
utes the party assembled In the rront
line trenches, and at minus twenty min
utes moved into No Mans Land. Flares
sent up from Hun trenches showed the
party in the open and the American
raiders were protected by artillery,
trench mortars and rifle grenadeS, a
box barrage being formed around the
raided area to prevent -re-enforcernents
being brought up from It's rear
Rombs were whtstling through the
air. rifles were cracking. and rocke-s
were flaring: Major General Glenn and
the other spectators on hill $50 yards
to the left felt like boys who heard the
distant sounds of circus, but were
compelled to go on hoeing corn
Two groups Of four men each carried
a mobile demolition charge with nVe-
minute fuse to plant under the mlnen-
werfer emplacement and ammonle1on
store. The fuses were to be lighted
when the signal for withdrawal was
sounded
A flight Of three white rifle lights
illuminated. the sky, reminded the
Sammies that It was tho zero hour. and
the raiding party rushed tho enemy
trenches An enemy can stand under a
rifle or artillery fire, but against death
twenty shots in two and q half seconds,
It was hopeless
With the fire from four light trench
nortars to help them. the raiders went
over the top, and tho mortars ceased
firing, The bayonet men were armed
with rifles and bayonets- three live
grenades each. trench knives and ten
rounds of thtrty-caliber ammunition
The throwers had forty-fve-calioer
pistols, fifteen live band grcnades and
trench knives tho carrtersA same only
twenty live erenades; squad leaders,
pistols, perlscopes, trench knives ana
two position flares
At the zero hour. plus ten minutes
flight Of three red rifle lights and a
succession of -Gs' blown on the bugie
.irna1led withdrawal Tho theoretical
f1eld artillery crept back Onto the raided
aroa- and all but tho automatic r1ue
cover party ceased firing.
Flares from enemy trenches showed
the Yanks creeping back, and tho HUNS
peppered n the enemy. VINO Wero run
ming close to the ground
Theoretical prisoners were sont oacX
under escort at once to the American
lines. Ali identity discs, maps, oocu-
merits, letters, etc. found in the enemy
trenches were brought back sand bags
beiug carried for this purpose. Theo-
retical enemy dead weTe searched LOT
mapa. etc.
Regulation steel helmets. similar to
those worn by General PershinSs men
wera worn by tho raiders to reduce the
losses from head wounds. IN tnat "hen
hit bv rifle and shrapncl bullets only
severe conclusions would be produced
,nstead Of serious or fatal wounds.
The party wes made UP OF the FOLLOW
ING Ohio, and West Virginia lleutenonts:
From sa9th infantry. northwestern
ohio. Lieuteuants Baumefster. J. r.
Zones. Adams Slayer. Cottrcll. ChrstS,
Heynan. Graves, BNorsythe. Leader and
TX v. Miller.
From saeth infantry. southern and
.o,+.-n Ohio: Leutenants Webb. wan
ch,stnr. wilders, T. Wright Palumoo'
Prout Kite, LaMAroho. Hayes r Brown
and Merrymau-
Erom assist infantry. Cleveland: Lieu
..,.nts Hauscheer, Fulton. Ptak, Mau-
s.r Norris, Sullivan, Love, Copp. Baoo
and Brainard.
From ss2nd infantry. north eastern
Ohio. heutenants F. Miller keIeE
N. W. Kaufman, J. L. Hilion. hen a;ts
rubin, Hyre,, whinnery. T1Ppy' Sth'lh
| Maurer and Bales. .,, =,
other problems Of warfare WIN Us
the subject Of night battles unul NV