Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-10

drum major. A shell or something hit
him. He disappeared in a welter of
blood and a half dozen OF the front
file fell with him.
thought we must be nearly there
and sneaked a look around the edge
of the tank A traversinG machine gun
raked the mud. throwing up handouts
and I heard the gruff s'row row. OF
fattened bullets as they ricocheted or
the steel armor. / ducked back and
on we went.
ming what I would do when / got to
the front trenches-if we ever did
There would be a grand rumpus and
would click a dozen or more
And then we arrived.
don't suppose that trip across no
mans land behind the tanks took over
five minutes II seemed like an hour
At the end of it my participation IN
the battle of High Wood ended. NO,
wasn't wounded. But when We reached
the hoche front trenches a strange
thing happened. There was no fight
worth mentioning. The tanks stopped
over the trenches and blazed away
right and left with their all-around
traverse.
A few boches ran out and threw silly
little bombs at the monsters. Inc
tanks smiled and moved slowly on.
And then the graybacks swarmed up
ont of shelters and dugouts literally in
hundreds and held up their hands
whining Mercy. kamarad"'
We took prisoners by platoons. Bio
field grabbed me and turned over a
gang of thirty to. me. We searched
them rapidly. cut their suspenders and
belts. and I started TO the rear with
them They seemed glad to go. So
was I.
+
As we hurried back over the 500
yards that had been no mans land and
I
and saw the Irresistible tanks smash
ing their way through the tree stumps
of High Wood. still splitting death and
destruction in three directions.
Going back. we were under almost as
heavy fire as we had been coming up.
when we were abovt half way across
shrapnel burst directly over our party
and seven of the prisoners were killed
and half dozen wounded myself
was unscratched. ] stuck my hand IN
side nv tunic and patted Dinky on the
back-Dinky's my mascot-sent up
PRAYER for some more luck like that
and carried on.
After getting my prisoners back to
the rear ! came up again, but couldn't
find my battalion. threw in with
battalion of Australians and was with
them for twenty-four hours.
When I found my chaps again the
battle of High Wood was pretty well
over. Our company for some reason
had suffered very few casualties, less
than % Company r. however. had
been practically wiped out. losing. all
but thirteen men out of 200. The other
two companies had less than 100 cas-
ualties. We had lost about third OF
our strength. 1t is a living wonder to
me that any of US came through
/ don't believe any of us would have
if it hadn't been for the tanks. -
The net result of the battle of High
Wood was that our troops carried on
for nearly two miles beyond the posi-
ton to be taken. They had to fall
back. but held the wood and the
heights Three of the tanks were
stalled in the further edge OF the
woods-out of fuel-and remained
there for three days unframed under
the fire of the German guns
Eventually some one ventured and got
some juice in TO them and they returned
to our lines. The tanks had proved
themselves, not only as effective fight
ing machines. but as destroyers of Ger
man morale
Copyright, 1918, by Mcclure syndicate.} ---