The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-11-05

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front of the woods and within the
woods the shells were bursting with
such wonderful precision and SO close
together that organized resistance
would have been impossible by hui
man flesh and blood.
by IL o'clock the line OF battle
had miraculously jumped out Of our
sight which was indeed surprising
as we could see our first detectives
we'll back of our now irresistible line
of advance. Overhead the air was
full of planes and every few mo-
ments one would seem to endeavOr
to emulate a shooting star and shoot
in flames across the sky on mad, I'M
comfortable dash to Mother Earth.
The noise of bursting shells was now
very distant and evidently all was
going well, so we remembered that
we might as we'll eat and did so. We
then waited for orders, but none
came. We didn't know what to make
of it until the astonishing news came
in that our end of the work, which
was to have been accomplished in
three days, was over and efficiently
completed in less than one. Here
we were, all dressed up and nowhere
to go The darned old artillery and
the first line troops had done their
job so well that they had no occa-
sion to use us.
Moved Up to Front
"The next day was intensely inter-
esting because we moved up closer,
the great advance having carried our
troops at least ten kilometers ahead
Of where We were, so we started for
these woods where we could he
available as reserves, should Jerry
try comeback. We went right over
the field of battle within twenty
hours of the very time it started and
1t was one of the most fearful sights
1.-THE German positions, where we,
went through them, started on a hill !
side just north of Regnieville which
had one wall left in it after having
been in No Mans Land for about
three years and half. They con-
sisted Of several lines of trenches.
about fifty yards apart, running all
The way up the hillside and each
absolutely protected by tremendous
bulwarks Of barbed wire-sometime
twenty yards thick! The shell fire
had torn everything away except this
fendish bulwark of wires. Yet the
had purposely left this task
to the tanks, with confidence that
was indeed justified. The Big Bugs
crawled along speedily right into
this wire, began turning circles as If
In play and simply tore the wire, |
post and stakes and everything else
out of the way Of the troops.
Our losses were very light, and 80
we're Jerry's. He characteristicallv
retired to the dugouts he had been
working on for over three years, |
when the bombardment became too
tremendous, got all his clothes to.
sether and when the blaze was over |
'ame out sheepishly to surrender. As |
'ne officer said, 1t isn't case Of
hese Boches having poor morale, It's !
ust that they haven't any Miles of
prisoners have been going by steadily |
Ind from the looks of them thew
haven't been captured in fighting.
Their clothes faces and even hands
we're clean and their officers stated
hey simply got all their packs ready
md then surrendered.
Well, I'll try to get this off to.
morrow as the mail truck leaves our
alton supply hut shortly. haven't
eceived any mail for three weeks
low but, neither has anybody else,
o ! suppose mine is just accumulat.
ne somewhere and the day will vet