Newark post., 1918-11-20


guns began to speak. Then quite
suddenly all the guns spoke at
once. 1t was the beginning of a
three-hour bornbardment which
smashed German roads and wires,
muted German batteries, sought
out and pulverized German P. C.'s
fell like rain Of death on moving
German troops and drove scuttling
under ground all living creatures
over there.
The cargo Of many ship, the
strain and sweat Of many steve
dore, the sale Of untold thousands
Of Liberty-Bonds, the toll of many
millions Of devoted hands came in
to their own in that bombardment.
It's intensity can be estimated
from the fact that the count CT the
rounds fired on one-third Ct the
American front amounted 10 TO-
600 from the larger guns and TO-
600 from the 75's.
The noise reached its most
deafen:ng climax in the last few
minutes before the zero hour. That
IS the period of most painful eX-
pectancy, when anxious eyes fol-
low the creeping minute hands on
thousands and thousands Of syn
chronized watches. At $50 the
first faint sign of dawn would be
showing in the east, the long wait
ing would be done, the Infantry
would be up and over the top. And
everyone behind them, from the
generals to the cooks, knew in his
proud and confident heart that for
, a time there would be only one
!, problem-that Of keeping up with
!, the doughboys.
Then $50 came and an observer
. must needs strain his eyes through
the mist that blanketed the valley
below and hid completely from
view, the trenches and those with
in them. A few moments later, out
from under the edge Of the mist
swarnling like multitude Of
towny bees from some giant hive
. out and on and up the hill went
;. the doughboys.
!, In an instant, the wires hummet
= with the news, signals flew from
: the hill tops, pigeons sprang int
the air with the tidings and over
head the lowering aircraft paused
= wheeled and started back. Sool
= from each of them would drop t
- some open field a cleaning cylin
= der. traceable in its passag
q through the air by its futterin,
- streamer of white, messages fro-
= S the air to the waiting commender
E in the rear.
"a Over on the Minute"
The burden Of all these mes
d sages was pretty much the sam
v along the whole 20-mile front
n Take one flashed back by coz
le uoral, squatting telephone il
n hand. at his lookout station. H
n may have tried to keep his vOic
le level and military. His report, &
le it was caught on the typewriter i
IS some message center far behinc
d will some day gather dust in tn
re archives Of the War Department
at Washington. 1t read:
m Troops over the top with We
le on the minute"
a 1t meant that the line-whic
re had held at least that much groun
I'd for four long years and which ha
Or not moved an inch either way fo
ut more than year the line wa
ne moving ct last and toward &c,
as many.
n Then. as the Infantry rushe
rs forward smother;ng or passing b
st the rear guard machine nests an
rs rounding up the disorganized Ge,
lg man troops whose retreat had bee
cut off by the barrage every othe
Sc arm Of the service took up tn
ry sleepIess task Of keeping up wit
is the Infantry.
ne The problem Of moving up tn
T. guns and other supplies was mad
he supremely difficult by the natur
ne Of the terrain over which the An
ed orleans were fighting, and by tt
Id condition in which four years {
is battle had left that terrain.
ed Here was a stretch of FrenC
he countryside all little hills and va
F. leys. In the summer Of 1914, it We
r. beautifully carpeted with gree
in field after field of we'll husbande
ed farms, with here and there a golt
er en- wheat crop embroidered wit
he scarlet poppies, and here and thel