The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-10-31
YANKS IN ITALY
READY TO FIGHT
WITH AMERICAN TROOPS IN BAT.
TIE LINE FROM THE ALPS
TO THE ADRIATiC
THRILLING AIR BATTLES ABOVE LINE
The Y. M. C.. A. Follows The Troops
When They Move Up To Front
And Face Tho Austrians
BY H. c. EVANS
Copyright 1879

With American Troops in Italy
On the day the Americans started
their smashing drive just south OF
Verdun against the Germans their
comrades in Italy moved up to the
fighting line of the Piave river, and
were facing the Austrians. The boys
had been in camp for a few weeks
n hundred miles back of the front,
and were eagerly expecting the Or
der to move. At 9 o'clock p. m. the
commander of the army notified me
that his troops would move the next
day. This was official notice that
our Y. NJ. c. A. forces should move
with the fighting forces. That night
we loaded a large army truck with
our Y supplies and at dawn the next
morning it started for the front. The
army reached its destination at mid
night and detrained. The boys were
greeted by two Y men who had estab-
lished their canteen under a big null
berry tree and who served hot cof-
fee, biscuits and jam to the tired men
until 3 a. M. Other Y. NJ. c. A. men
accompanied the trains with a car
load of supplies.
At moor the following day the march
to the immediate front, four miles dis
tant, was made. Here the men were
assigned to billets in a village that
has been under shell fire for months.
Our canteen was established in a de-
serted school house, one corner OF
which had been knocked off by an
Austrian shell.
Evidently the Austrians knew the
Americans had reached the line. This
was evidenced by the increased bonn
bardment of that particular part of
the line, and by the daring airplanes
that insisted GA maklT.,, observations
above us. Three of them came nos
ing overhead before we were un-
packed. Up went four of our planes
and a spectacular fight occurred.
Three of our planes engaged the three
Austrians. The proceedings remind
ed one of a half dozen tumbling &C
robats. There was diving and tumb-
ling and looping the loop, and every
conceivable maneuver, streams OF fire
pouring from the machine guns. We
had forgotten our fourth plane, when
suddenly we saw it far above the COM
batants poised like an eagle ready to
strike. And strike 1t did. Down it
came like a bolt out of the blue at
terrific speed. 1t came straight at an
Austrian plane, a stream Of liquid fire
blazing from it's machine gun. The
Austrian did not have sufficient no
tice of this unexpected attack to es-
cape. We saw his machine suddenly
slow up and then it crashed to earth.
The daring Italian aviator who accom-
plished this feat swept on nearly to
the ground, then swung into the air
and Joined his comrades who were
chasing the enemy planes that had
taken sudden fight r the river.
At shutdown four more enemy planes
were seen coming over u camp.
Evidently the Austrians were deter
mined to secure photographs OF the
Americans. Then began another spec
tacular scene. All along the line the
anti-aircraft guns spoke. We could
see the shells burst all around the
planes a half mile in the air. After
a quarter Of an hour Of this, during
which time the planes arrived direct.
ly overhead, a hit was made and one
Of the planes suddenly shot toward
the north, falling as it went. 1t dis
appeared just over the hills on enemy
ground, the other planes following.
Within two blocks of our Y can
teen a long distance Italian gun spoke
in thunder tones every five minutes.
Others were near by. The Austrians
were replying. A building just across
the road was struck.
That night we slept on the floor of
the old school house in spite of the
incessant noise from the batteries.
We expected an air raid but it did
not materialize. The loss of two
ly had satisfied the Austrian curios-
ity.
l recall the trite saying perpetrated
by some wag before the war that life
is just one damned thing after an
other" Life at the front is a lot of
damned things all happening at the
same time. No wonder the boys are
so impatient to come in direct con-
tact with the enemy. to get to him
face to face, and end the everlasting
nagging they must endure just back
of the front lines, when they cannot
strike back. Everywhere there are
regulators of trafic and numerous no
tice boards. We are warned Of the
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