Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-08-20
THOSE Terrible TANKS
They Did Splendid Work On British
Front.
GERMANS LAY DOWN BEFORE THEN
Bio Iron Monsters outspeed lnfan-
try, Tear Down Houses, Flatten
Out Machine Gun Nests, and Work
Destruction Generally.

| Destruction Generally.
During the lull in the big battle.
which has now resolved itself into
reciprocal artillery fire, writes a New
York World correspondent with the
British front. 1t is possible TO clear
away the fog that has enveloped some
of the most astounding episodes in
which this great surprise victory
abounds.
| have already been able to give
the World readers some idea OF the
wonderful work OF the air force and
the cavalry and so far as was pos
sible, on the first days following the
success Of the 4th army, to tell some
thing of the work Of the tanks. But
today [ am able TO give a better idea
of the Importance of tanks and armor-
ed cars TO this action. where more
than 10000 Germans changed owner
ship.
The foes military critics them
selves, in trying to ameliorate the
poignancy Of the defeat. have out
spokenly criticized the German SOL
diers for still being afraid OF the
tanks. They should talk with the
men captured in towns, trenches and
trains. who frankly say:
There's no use trying TO stop tanks,
| for if you do you are flattened out"
Tank Fight Has Got Them.
They frankly admit that the Ger
man soldiers, despite their intensive
training in anti-tank warfare, and
Il he use of the high powered, anti
TANK rifle. are suffering from tank
fright" One prisoner said that near
Is every time one of these elephant
guns" was fired the men who dis
charged 1t were thrown head over
heels by its terrible recoil. for 1t Is
only lightly supported in order to be
easily movable. and the tank crews
have seen them upset by the recoh.
Despite the armor- piercing bullets
machine gunners state that they have
no chance against tanks. The bes
| thing to do. they declare, If near the
front line, is to surrender. That Is
why the tanks in this latest opera
tion corralled so many prisoners.
The tank family has some unusual
progeny. including "whippets." which
tire small and fast. and armorcd cars,
which have the same attributes. Re-
ports of their stirring deeds were still
coming in when / visited tank head
quarters, and was enabled to witness
in a thrilling show how these steel
monsters work with airplanes in bat
tie.
Planes Cooperate With Tanks.
\ foe plane was manocuvring in an
endcavor to knock out a British tank,
when a British two scatter came to
the rescue. Its pilot made nose
dive out of the clouds to give battle.
but seven other enemy planes soon
appeared out Of the clouds and hasten
ed to attack him. During running
battle he was shot through the left
leg with three high explosive bullets.
The leg had hung only by a thread of
flesh, and, as the airman's report
made in the. hospital. stated, the leg
had fallen into his controls and he
had to lift it out. Meanwhile he had
been shot in the right foot.
But he managed to evade his pur-
suers, and finally shot down the enc
my machine menacing the advancing
tank. Eventually he made safe
landing, then tainted. His observer
was wounded also, but the tank went
on.
When the tanks first attacked the
advanced German trenches some Of
the enemy tarried to use their ma
chine guns. only to be f1attened out by
the onrushing monster. Others leaped
from the trenches, threw away their
arms and surrendered in big patches,
many drifting toward the British lines
by themselves with arms upheld, be-
cause no one had time to accompany
them.
Outspeeds tho infantry.
The tanks had planted their flag
and the flag of the Australian corps
at German corps headquarters at
Eramerville and at division headquar-
ters at Harbonnieres more than an
hour before the infantry could reach
those places and had continued their
merry way of ploughing through
houses and machine gun nests with
deadly effect.
When the British communiquc said
on Tuesday night that thousands Of
machine guns had been captured and
gave no accurate number. 1t was max
ing further allowances for hundreds
of these deadly weapons which were
crushed into the ground by tanks and
which can be counted only after being
dug up. Twenty-six were found this
morning In a la.e German trench,
along with some of their dead de-
tenders.
AS fast as they could the German
batteries opened on the tanks and
OhS VI Wv -
firing at pointblank range. tried to
smash one tank by direct hits. But
the tank adopted. zigzag course and
escaped being hit. finally crunching
whole battery pieces with their de-
tenders. Many guns were thus cap
tured.
At another place three tanks ad-
vanced toward a wood whence Ger
man 5.9's were working at a frenzied
rate. finally hitting one tank. The
two other tanks Immediately let of a
dense smoke cloud. and while the
Germans were firing into the cloud.
they executed a flank attack. annihi-
lating the whole outfit.
There is one captured German COL
onel who has a better appreciation Of
the sprinting capabilities Of the Brit
ish tank than he ever had before.
One Of them chased him for twenty
minutes, in and out of the woods. and
passing over him twice before he took
refuge in the trenches. Finally he
los