The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-30
Big ENEMY TRACTOR
HELPS AMERICANS
Powerful Machine Taken i'm st.
Mihicl Salient Is Nick
named Hindcnburg.
GETS GUNS OUT OF MUD
German Positions Are Found
Bristling With Fake Tanks
and Dummy Airplancs.
pypAYMoND G. CARROLL.
Special cable Despatch TO TIE srS and Ne
Public Ledger.


Special Cable Despatch TO The srS and Ne
Public Ledger.
Copyright. iais; all rights reserred.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE.
rept. 29.-Hindenburg is now doing his
level best to overthrow the Eaisers mill
tary machine TO help the Americans
reach Berlin.
Hindenburg is one of three big German
tractors recently captured by the Ameri-
cans He was named after the German
Field Marshal the day he was captured,
and from that day TO this he has per-
formed valiantly for the doughboys
When any of our guns or ammunition
wagons get stuck in the mud linden
burg is sent for. and the call Is seldom
in vain, for H:ndenbu-s is host~when II
comes to pulling. Our boys say he
iacIles his new work with great zest. as
though he really enjoyed working for
democracy.
Hindenburg was captured in the St.
Mihiel salient. He has n thick iron body
which sets UP five feet OF the ground. A
big Mercedes motor furnishes his power
and he can make eight miles an hour.
When he was captured he was in pretty
bad shape and II was a question whether
hs could be used.
Two Detroit Boys Do Trick.
II have two lads from Detroit in my
company" said Lieut.. James E. Delango.
They will put him In shape" These
boys were sent for, and after looking
the monster over one of them said {:
Sure We can fix him up =,
The two men referred to, Sergeants
Henry Maggie and John Dukel, set to
work Immediately, and after hammering
out some substitute parts In the regi-
mental blacksmith shop they soon had
the big fellow rolling under his own
power.
In connection with this story Of the
tdaptability Of the American soldier |
might tell OF an American aviator who
was compelled to land near yerdun dur
ing our offensive. His machine got to
earth near the headquarters of an enei-
neer regiment that has operated the mill
tary trains in that vicinity for more
than year. The aviator had no me-
chsnic with him and was extremely
Crestfallen over his plight.
Capt. Francis w. Taylor. after hear
ing his story. took four of his wagon
ers, Bert Vincent and Harold Jorgenson
Duke Kennedy of St. Louis. and told
them to repair the airplane. These boys
were not airplane mechanics and they
were compelled to take the machine
apart SO as to study the mechanism.
Having thus learned the trouble they
reassembed all the parts and in a
couple of hours sent the fiier rejoicing
on his way into the skies again.
nj IT,, lx~
After a study of German camoufiage
methods behind their lines our boys are
wondering how much OF Germany that
brstles is real. Lieuts George Spence
and Fred V. johnson of FL Paso. Tex,
who have been making an official exam
nation of German methods of decep-
ton, found two examples OF fake Ger
man tanks.
One had a caterpillar runner that ran
the entire diameter of the tank. This
was made of cheesecloth, with strips OF
wood to give imitation of the cleats.
Stove pipes projected from openings to
give the impression OF guns inside. The
whole thing was built over the frame of
an ordinary farm wagon. minus only
the tongue.
The other imitation was more impos-
ing. II was larger and was so mounted
on wheels that 1t could be moved about.
Motive power was supplied by men in
side. This tank was SO made that II
could be moved upside down or on its
ends or right side up. the purpose of
tho Germans evidently being to create
the impression among our observers thai
they had invented a tank that could
move in any direction and in any posi-
ton.
Our men also discovered a whole park
fun of dummy airplanes. These were
made of boards nailed together. in the
form of genuine machines with iron
crosses painted on them. From a dis
lance they resembled real planes. To
add TO the deception some huge pictures
Of hangers were painted on the ground
object OF the Deception.
1t was evidently the purpose of the
Germans to have our aviators take
Photographs of there airplanes and
hangers and afterward induce our ar
tlllery direct its fire against them
This, they probably calculated. swould
cause US to waste ammunition and at
the same time keep our men awake
thus adding to their exhaustion.
In addition to these things, our men
found number of ancient siege guns
of the vintage of twenty years ago
They were mounted in different battery
f'S''iohS anu WV 50 theS "cuiu nc
visible to our aviators. In addition to
these old guns were large numbers OF
Russian cannon. The Germans, lacking
ammunition for the latter, moved them
up TO our front, apparently with the
idea OF soaring the notion of an Of
fensive out of our heads
II our scouts had not learned the
truth in advance it is probable that
our commanders would have hesitated
quite a while before launching an at
tack. for in all truth the enemy's posi-
tons as revealed by our air photographs
and even to our observers in balloons
looked most formidable. The whole
enemy front fairly bristled with forbid
ding muzzles.
1t requires only brief testing. however
Ia determine what proportion Of the
guns, tanks and airplanes was real