The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-04-03
er the Top
/ American Soldier
Who Went
THUR GUY EMPEY
a Gunne, Sercing In France
Hight. 1917. BY Arthur Guy BmpsJ.
CHAPTER XIV.
PREPARING for the Bio Push.
u Ganne, Sercing IN France

CHAPTER XIV.
Preparing for the Big Push.
Rejoining Atwell after the execution
II had hard time trying to keep my
necret from him. I think / must have
vlost at least ten pounds worrying over
the affair.
Beginning at seven in the evening it
was our duty to patrol all communion
.tion and front-line trenches, making
note Of unusual occurrences, and ar
resting anyone who should, to US, ap-
pear to be acting in suspicious man
,ner. 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-
.stantly passing. We were preparing
for the big offensive, the forerunner
OF the battle of the Somme or big
Push"
supplies, ammunition and guns pour
ing Into the front lines made mighty
spectacle, one that cannot be de-
.scribed. 1t has to be witnessed with
your own eyes to appreciate its vast
ness.
At our part of the line the influx of
supplies never ended. 1t looked like
q huge snake slowly crawling forward.
never a hitch or break. a wonderful
tribute to the system and efficiency of
Great Britain's "contemptible little
army" of five millions of men.
Huge fifteen-inch guns snaked along,
foot by foot. by powerful steam tract
tors. Then long line of 'four point
i've" batteries, each gun drawn by six
horses, then q couple of mine point
two" howitzers pulled by immense
caterpillar engines.
When one Of these caterpillarS would
pass me with its mighty monster In
tow, q flush of pride would mount to
my face, because I could plainly read
.on the name plate. Made in q. S. A"
Ind IVoAid remember that II wore a
- plate 1t would also read, "Fr0m
q. s. A." Then I would stop to
blk how thin and straggly that
l. .hty stream would be If all the
Made In u. s. A." parts of it 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Withdrawn.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
Srimy with sweat and covered with the
Ene, white dust of the marvelously
Nell-made French roads.
What discouraging report the Ger
man airmG must have taken back to
their division commanders, and this
stream is slowly but surely getting big
ger and bigger every day, and the pace
hs always the same. No slower, no
faster, but ever onward, ever forward.
Three weeks before the big push Of
July las the battle of the Somme has
been called-started, exact duplicates
of the German trenches were dug
about thirty kilos behind our lines.
The layout of the trenches was taken
from airplane photographs submitted
By the Royal flying corps. The trench
e were correct to the foot; they
showed dugouts, saps, barbed wire de-
lenses and danger spots.
Battalfons that were to go 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 required to
make a map of the trenches and IA
miliarizs himself with the names and
location Of the parts his battalion was
TO attack.
In the American army noncommis-
Sioned officers are put through a course
Of map making or road sketching, and
during my six years service in the
United States cavalry I had plenty Of
practice In this work, therefore map
ping these trenches was q compare
lively easy task for me. Each man
had to submit his map to the company
commander to be passed upon, ana l
was lucky enough to have mine select
ed as being sufficiently authentic to he
Ii the attack.
No photographs or maps are allowed
20 leave France, but in this case ii np-
pealed to me as valuable souvenir Of
the great war and managed to sIEsug-
gle 1t 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
n having 1t In my possession am not
breaking any regulation or cautions
At the British army.
The whole attack was rehearsed
and rehearsed until we heartily cursed
the one who had conceived the idea.
The trenches were named according
to q system which made it very simple
for Tommy to find, even in the dark.
any point in the German lines.
These imitation trenches, or trench
models, were well guarded from obser-
vntiOn by numerous allied planes
which constantly circled above them.
No German airplane could approach
within observation distance. A re-
stricted area was maintained and no
civilian was allowed within three
miles, so we felt sure that we had a
great surprise 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 trench showing the
! names that we had called their
trenches. The signs read Fair"
Fact" "Fate," and Fancy" and so
On. according to the code names IN
our map. Then to rub it in, they
Aoisted some more signs which read
.ACome on, we are ready, stupid Eng