Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-15
AMERICANS LESSON
OF CAUTION COSTLY
Unable to Realize Necessity
Until Experience Has
Driven It Home.
DEADLY FIRE OF GERMANS
BY JuNIUs b. WOOD.
Csblexram to The Evening Star AID the
Chicago Daily News. Copyright, 1918.

Cablexram to The Evening Star AID the
Chicago Daily News. Copyright, 1918.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY AT
THE FRENCH FRONT. May lex
perience has brought home one hard
lesson to the Americans on the active
front west of Montdidier. This 10 the
necessity of caution at all times with
death ready to strike with the sudden
ness of a bolt of lightning from the
elearest of skies has been grasped the
one principle of modern warfare whlch
hitherto all the teachings of the French
have been unable to impress upon them.
1t has been a costly lesson. but the
Americans in this sector have learned It,
Comrades who will never return to
the ranks and others who are In nos
pitals before they resume their places
in the line constitute the price in man
power which has been paid. 1t is hopeo
that others will profit by the lesson
when they reach the stage where the?
Will be under constant nre anu t a.o.u
the heedIessness which brought bitter
experience to their predecessors
Lacked Practical Meaning.
When the American contingent first
occupied this area, where the guns are
not stilled day or night. the phrase
unnecessary circulation was merely
one of the many in the military lexicon
lacking practical meaning to soldiers
and officers. There was unnecessaf!
circulation in the battered villages, at
the support billets and even In the
open fields stretching toward the front
lines at all hours. When the men re-
turned to the same front area Few
days ago this was the most striking
change that was noticed. The build
ings, which are more completely IN
ruins and nearer the oblivion which
few weeks of war makes, were empty.
Instead of soldiers basking IN the sun
shine and wandering in among ire
ruins picking up souvenirs, the s-reess
were deserted except by rev VINO
were furtively and quietly attending TO
the duty of carrying the beams OF de-
mol;shed buildings to brace the dug
outs or hurrying with messages. IN
necessary circulation" had been written
into their military ritual In letters OF
blood.
81 can't see any Germans in those
trenches over there" said Private rat
Sullivan. to his comrades in the 'front.'
line trenches one day. For ten MIN
utes Private Sullivan stood up in the
waist-high trenches gazing intently IN
the direction of the German lines,
few hundred yards away, commenting
glibly on the peacefulness of the coun,
tryside. Then suddenly came sound
like dozen factory whistles, ending
in an equal number of crashes.
Served Enemy's Purpose.
When Private Sullivan recovered con-
seriousness the following night, he dis
covered himself being carried to the
served the enemy's purpose. Three
batteries were trained on the same
spot, and all fired at the same time.
There was more than one Private Sullt-
van the first few days. but there is
none now.
High in the air. whenever the slight
est ray of the sun pierces the earth
mist. German sausage balloons float
abling them to see far behind our lines.
In the car of each of these balloons
are two pairs of unseen but all-seeing
human eyes. Every movement is tele-
10 strike with deadly accuracy. All
the venom of the soldiers is directed
against these silent, shapeless splotches
on the blue sky of the heavens. Aero
planes bring them down, but always
there arise others to take their places
Only few days ago the soldiers used
to sneak away from the billets to look
at a partly demolished church. One
day. like the load of a giant shotgun,
sixteen shells. without the slightest
warning, except a half-second whistle.
dropped like hail around the church.
After that the church was given a
wider berth.
whats the Usep"
Whats the use? Why take a chance
Of dying unless you take a German
with your said one philosophical vet
eran. Many casualties are the results
of necessary activity, but a large pro-
portion Of officers. as we'll as men, were
hit because of their carelessness and
their ignoring the risks of which they
had been warned by older and more ex-
perienced men.
1t is difficult to realize while walk
Ing through the deserted streets of a
ruined village or across fields of
sprouting grain and blooming daisies,
that three or four miles away many
pairs of eyes behind the strongest
glasses are watching until the men
reach carefully registered spot, when
they give a signal and half dozen