The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-04-11

is foot-slogging brother, and to
credit for the many successes
at length, and a huge cheer goes up
from the file of waiting men as the
quartermcster, with broad grin, an
swers:
Garry on"
One by one the men come up, each
with his tin mug and plate; each gets
a pint of steaming hot tea, a couple
Of rashers, and huge hunk of bread,
and goes off back to his dug-out to
enjoy his well-earned meal.
Meanwhile, the officer and his two
telephonists, despatched at dawn from
the battery, are making their toilsome
way to the o. P. Cor observation
post). At eight o'clock that morning
a daylight raid is to take place, and
every battery taking part must have
an observer, placed in some point of
vantage from which he can command
a view Of the objective and regulate
! the fire Of his guns accordingly.
! The half-ruined cottage-one of a
dozen-running along the white road,
gashed every few yards by yawning
shell-holes, seems deserted; doorless
roofless, with gaping breaches in the
walls where enemy shells have torn
their way in. Through the shattered
doorway runs a tumble Of wires, each
pair labelled with little squares of
wood bearing in indelible pencil vari-
GUS letters.
A notice-board, nailed to shutter
| 10 in In 10 1o4
ters
40. P. Keep Away!"
Up on the top floor a thin shaft Of
sunlight creeping through a narrow
slit in the wall facing the enemy, H.
Eliminates the dusty interior of the
room. Plaster and laths, shaken down
by repeated conclusions, lie thickly
on the floor, while the great timbers
snoring up the walls cross from side
to side. A narrow plank, fixed on
two uprights, serves the observing
officer as a seat, and on a shelf are
his fteld-glasses and stop-watch.
''Ten minutes to CO." he says at
length, turning to address his tele-
phonist, sitting on the floor, his in
strument perched on his knees.
Gust test the battery-line once
again."
Hello, battery! Oh, there you are
at last! Line all right? Everything
o. X? Rightg'
Lime o. K, sir!"
Peering through the slit, the Off
Ger has the whole panorama of the
front before his eyes.
The double line of trenches snake
away into the distance on either hand
J The steel-shattered terrain of Nc
| Mans Land between is strewn thick
ly with barbed-wire and ploughed up
with countless shell-holes. Farther
} back he can see the enemy's sup
! port and reserve lines, bristling with
} concrete "pill-boxes' and sand-bag
forts. AS he sits there watching, g
German observation balloon rises
: slowly from some concealed position
, in the enemy's background. The ris.
z ing sun catches the bullying envelope
and turns it into a mass of molter
gold.
A field-gun cracks necessarily, reg
Y istering on the enemy's front line
8 where the thin puffs of shrapnel floa
= away on the wind.
Q Two minutes to go-one minute t.
8 go-Up!
Then suddenly there comes one vi
9 brant, crashing repetition of sound a
= the batteries open out in the intens
barrage. The German trenches dis
I appear behind a thick veil of smok
and dust. The crack crack-crack O
e the field-guns, the thud-thud-thud o
( the howitzers, the whistling and rush
f1ocr Nf o11 oil
y great inferno of sound that deafen
o the ear and stupefies the senses.
9 The officer sees our men leap GU
;, of their trenches, their gas-maske
heads and cleaning bayonets givin
them terrifying appearance. He see
n them scrambling across the debris O
It No Mans Land. Some fall, but tn
6 others carry on. He sees them reac
q the opposite parapet and climb int
n the trench and vanish.
l. Two minutes later the Germa
IS counter-barrage begins. Their bat
IS teries, alarmed by the infantry in tn
front line, open out, and soon shell
:; of all calibres are screeching past tn
n o. P. in a vain endeavor to silenc
lie our guns.
"Barrage a bit ragged on the ex
lie IRENE left" reports the officer dow
the telephone, and resumes his sea
is at the observation slit.
By now German prisoners have az
lie peared, Holding their hands hig
It, above their heads, they scramble &
full speed out of their trench an
RS rush across the inferno between
and our front line, where a grim so
r. der awaits them, bayonet in hant
is Still the barrage continues in tn
as same intensive note. Never a MT
L. ment's pause in the stream of met;
r pouring out of the red-hot muzzle
n Sweating crews, working like devi
Id in the steaming gun-pits, fire ar
=. load, fire and load, automatically.
We Half-past eight and the raid is fiji
e. ished. A thin stream of khaki fiji
IS, ures come back across No Mans Lar
'e, some supporting wounded betwee
i'd them. The observing officer rush
ng to the phone.
IS; "Raiding party coming back-ba
ms rage back on Boche front line"
ng And Immediately the wall of expl
nd sive, which, while aTlr men have bee
p. in the enemy's FROM line, has dance
re, fifty up and down his support ar
u reserves trenches, comes sweepi1
re back and wipes out half dozen M
chine guns, which their crews we
ok amounting in frenzied haste to fire Vi