Omaha daily bee., 1918-05-05
The Second Rehearsal.


In May the batt had 20 days in the
trenches and in support, before COM
ing out for the second rehearsal. The
greater part of that 20 days was spent
in trench raids and patrol work, as
there was need of all the information
that could be had as the time came on
for the big attack.
I did not take part in any of the
raids. AS matter of fact l never
took2part in but one trench raid in
all my II months of service in the
trenches. Right here I want to say
something about trench raids and
such stunts and volunteers for them.
Every now and then | read something
about some fellow who volunteers
for special and dangerous duty as a
habit. | never saw one of those men
myself The man who says he VOL
unteers more than once for trench
raids and that sort of thing either
misses the truth or is5,a most ex-
traordinafy person. i think that
Enearly everybody does volunteer
once; and then he finds. that once is
enough. After that he does his duty
as it comes to him, and unless he is a
fool for fighting he doesn't go about
hunting trouble. | know that this is
contrary to the accepted ideas of gal
lantry and heroism; but it is the
truth. y
All the trench raids that I have ever
read about have. been large successes.
The only one that | was ever in was
a fiat failure. / am going back and
tell you about it. 1t will only take a
minute and it does illustrate a point
of British discipline that shows very
clearly what makes the British army
great.
This raid took place away back in
the early days of 1916. The lines
were about 500 yards apart. The GUS
tomary orders were given out to cross
over into the German trenches and
take prisoners and do all the damage
possible. We sneaked across with II
men and one officer, lieutenant.
/ The Fritzies had three lines of wire
outside of their trench, narrow lines
not. more than six feet wide and per-
haps 10 yards apart. There had been
no artillery preparation and it was
up to US to get through the wire with
out making any noise and to get back
If we could. We managed to get
beyond the first two lines of wire
and would have got through the other
but'through some miscarriage of Or
ders our own machine guns and light
artillery opened fire on as.
Three Men Clicked.
We hugged the ground, but not
quick enough. and three of our men
clicked. Worse than that the lieu
tenant, who was just getting through
the wire. got tangled up with one leg
caught in a loop or something; any
how he couldn't get loose and we
couldn't pry him out, try as we
would. The Germans had got
windy by this time and were send
ing up lights. So it was plain enough
that the raid was all off. The officer
ordered us to go it on our own and to
back as best we could. He was to be
left behind. After the custom the
non-com detailed man to stop with
the officer on the chance that he
might do some good and get the lieu
tenant loose before daylight. This is
always done when an officer gets in
a position where he cannot move. He
mustn't be left alone. A man has to
stay no matter how hopeless the sit
uation. Itis rough on the man, but
1t is part of the game.
Well, we quit the lieutenant and
the man. and worked back across No
Mans land, and made it into our
trenches without any further casual
ties. About an hour later, just be-
fore dawn, the man who had been left
came crawling in. He had deserted
the officer. The lieutenant never was
heard from, and was probably either
killed or taken prisoner. The man
who deserted him was promptly ex-
ecLted.
But to get back to the, trenches.
After 10 days spent at the front line
and 10 more in supports, we we're
moved back again to the little town 80
miles to the rear, where the rehearsal
field was. They gave it tosus good
on this dose of getting ready. It
was hard work all the time, morning,
noon and night. 1t got so we could
do every move in our sleep Besides
which they gave us the regular "phy-