The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1918-11-29
HUNS 6ASSFD THE TANKS
THEN GAS MASKS FOR TANK
Carbon Dioxid Prevented Explosion m
Cylinders and Left Tanks Stranded
at Mercy of Enemy.

attacks. which for the moment put an
end to their usefulness, was used by
the Germans some time ago, accord
ing to Paul S. Bailey, who writes IN
the Illustrated World New York, No
vember) According to Mr. Bailey the
unexplained hull in the use of tanks
by the allies was due to this success
fnl defense. and hence the sudden am
effective renewal of their activity IN
recent months must have been caused
Ivy some new device for multiplying or
overcoming it, altho he does not even
suggest its nature. The German de-
fense. as described by Mr.. Bailey, was
due to the use of gas not against the
pilots and gunners in the tanks, but
against the motor mechanism OF the
tanks themselves, paraiyzlng them
and putting them out of commission
How this was possible is described by
MIR. Bailey as follows:
"The steel-sided monsters no longer
we're the mystery they had been at the
Ancre. The Germans had captured
some and even built few ponderous
Units for their own use. Going into
close action in a tank had become far
more risky than it had been in the
n onths of the inception of the land
dreadnaugllts.
."The 'tvpewrite.s' still could sttltter
out their leaden hail, and the courage
of the drivers was unimpaired, but
lately the Germans mad been match
ing wits against the big machines with
more success than before. They had
been digging chasms in unexpected
rlaces-ehasms not very deep but
wide enough so the caterpillar tread
could not negotiate them. Several
tanks had been caught in this way
Lut if the drivers were on che alert
danger could be avoided.
"Near Nancy another eXpedient had
been adopted by the Huns. Behind
Neutrality-suspicious. shelter of steel
they had advanced a three pound can
non to within 'open-sight' distance
of the tanks One of the machines
had been put out Of action in this
manner.
1.-THE men who manned the tanks
in this action, however, were certain
Of disaster from still another source,
provided none of these means sue
ceeded against them. They were go
ing straight into the heart of mass
attack. Men would surround them.-
SOONER or later the stanch machine
would succumb tc bomb-attack; the
end might come all too speedily if
skulking enemy could get near enough
to toss a 'fumer-' inside. Their resolve
was to kill enough Huns first so that
their sacrifice would dismay the en-
envy. 1t is not possible yet to get the
stories of the men who actually did
go into action. Those who were not
killed are prisoners in Germany.
From the allied lines this is the mar
rative of what took place:
1.-THE heavy tanks rolled and swayed
over the shell pits, not particularly
bothered by the barrage that was fall
ing in front of the advancing ranks Of
field gray In few seconds the
typewriters would have begun their
slaughter.
Suddenly the Huns dropped to the
ground, and from behind them came
veritable snare-drum succession OF
mild 'plops' In the neighborhood OF
the advancing tanks tons and tons OF
unwieldy projectiles were dropped
These were apparently lnnocuous
enough in their action. Each one Elk
ploded with a noise no louder than
that made by small caibered pistol.
Not suspeeting anything terribly dan
gerous, the tanks continued on their
way methodically.
"That is, they continued for about
twenty feet more. Then one after
another came to an unexplained stop.
The 'plopping' continued but with 1T
low came the sterner voice Of high ex-
E,losives. The latter shells located the
tanks and destroyed one after another.
The big machines seemed utterly help
less. Most of them were blown to bits,
while others seeing the hopelessness
/ Of il all surrendered.
"Some allowances must be made for
p.ecing out the story from the tales OF
Hun eaptives secured later. The eX-
rlanation given. however, is that all
along the line where an attack by
Tanks had been anticipated by the Ger
mans, a new defense had been pre-
pared. Each individual tank was to
be caught in a slight gully that ran
nearly the entire length of.the attack
While the tanks We're going thru this
gully they We're to be gassed.
''The program was carried out with
more success than even the Germans
themselves expected. When the slow
moving forts reached the given point
they were met By the mysterious and
seemingly futile bOmbardment. This