The Washington herald., 1918-03-10
CHAPTER XIV.
Preparing for the Big Pash.

hao naro une trying 10 Keep
my secret from him I think / must
have lost at least ten pounds worry
ing over the affair.
Beginning at in the evening It
was our duty to patrol all communi-
cation and front-line trenches, max
ing note Of unusual occurrences, and
arresting anyone who should, to US,
appear to be acting in a suspicious
manner. We slept during the day.
Behind the lines there was great ac-
tivity, supplies and ammunition pour
ing in. and long columns Of troops con-
stantIy passing. We were preparing
for the big offensive, the forerunner
OF the battle of the somme or Big
Push"
The never-ending stream Of men,
supplies, ammunition, and guns pour
ing into the British lines made g
mighty spectacle. one that cannot be
described 1t has to be witnessed
with your own eyes to appreciate its
vastness. At our part Of the line the
influx Of supplies never ended. 1t look
ed like a huge snake slowly crawling
forward, never a hitch or break, q
wonderful tribute to the system and
efficiency Of Great Britain's "contemp-
tible little army" of 100000 men
Huge 15-inch guns snaked along. foot
by foot, by powerful steam tractors.
Then a long line of -four point hve'
batteries, each gun drawn by six
horses. then a couple OF mine point
two" howitZers pulled by immense cat
erpillar engines.
When one Of these caterpillars would
pass me with its mighty monster in
tow. flush Of pride woNId mount to
/ my face, because could plainly read
on the name plate, Made in U. S. A."
and would remember that IL wore
a name plate il would also read,
Made in U. S. A" Then / would
stop TO think how thin and straggly
that mighty stream would be IL all
the Made in U. S. A. parts OF Il
were withdrawn.
Then would come hundreds of lin
bers and &c. s." wagons drawn by
sleek. well-fed mules, ridden by sleek
well-fed men, ever smiling. although
grimy with sweat and covered with the
fine white dust Of the marvellously
well-made French roads.
What a discoura ging report the Ger
man air men must have taken back
to their division commanders, and this
stream is slowly but surely getting
bigger every day. and the pace is al
J ways the same. No slower, no faster,
but ever onward, ever forward.
Three weeks before the big push Of
July l. as the battle Of the Somme
has been called-started. exact dupli-
Gates of the German trenches were
dug about thirty xilos behind our hnes
The layout OF the trenches were taken
from aeroplane photographs submitted
by the Royal Flying Corps. The
trenches were correct to the foot; they
showed dugouts. saps, barbed wire
defenses, and danger spots.
Battalions that were to 90 over in
the first waves were sent back for
three days TO study these trenches. en-
gage in practice attacks. and have
night maneuvers. Each man was re-
Quired TO make a map Of the trenches
and familiarize himself with the names
and location OF the parts his battalion
was to attack.
In the American army noncommis-
stoned officers are put through a course
OF map making or road sketching, and
during my six years service in the
United States Cavalry. had plenty
OF practice in this work, therefore
mapping these trenches was a COM
paratively easy task for me. Each
man had TO submit his map to the
company commander to be passed
upon. and l was lucky enough TO have
mine selected as being sufficiently
authentic to use in the attack.
No photographs or maps are allow
. ed to leave France, but in this case
it appealed to me as a valuable SOU
venir of the great war and man
aged to smuggle it through At this
time it carries no military importance
as the British lines, 1 am happy TO
say, have since been advanced beyond
this point. so it has been reproduced
in this book without breaking any
regulations or cautions Of the British
army.
The whole attack was rehearsed and
rehearsed until we heartily cursed the
one who had conveived the idea.
The trenches were named according
to a system which made it very sim
pie for Tommy to find, even in the
dark, any point in the German lines.
These imitation trenches, or trench
models, were well guarded from OBJ
servation by numerous allied planes
which constantly circled above them.
No German aeroplane could approach
within observing distance. A restrict
ed area was maintained and no civil
ian was allowed with three miles so
we felt sure that we had a great sur
prise in store for Fritz.
When we took over the front line
We received an awful shock. The
Germans displayed signboards over
the top Of their trenches showing the
names that we had called their
! trenches. The signs read Fair. 4"
Fact" Fate" and Fancy and 90
on. according to the code names on
our map. Then to rub II in, they
hoisted some more signs which read.
When are you coming over?" or
Come on, we are ready. stupid Eng
lish."
1t is still a mystery to me how they
obtained this knowledge. There had
! been no raids or prisoners taken, 80
it must have been the work OF spies
in our own lines.
Three or four DAYS before the big
push we tried to shatter Fritz's nerves
by feint attacks, and partially sue
: ceeded as the oficial reports OF July
1 show.
Although we were constantly bonn
harding their lines day and night. still
J we fooled the Germans several times.
| This was accomplished by throwing an
: intense barrage into his hnes-then u.s.
: ing smoke shells we would put a cur
, tain Of white smoke across No Mans
Land. completely obstructing his view
J Of our trenches, and would raise our