American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-08-23
YANKEE CAPTAIN DIRECTS
GUNFIRE FROM TREE TOP
Artillery Officer Spots Fire OF Battery
at Battle for Yaux From Lofty
Perch; Shelied by Enemy All Day.


Because a man sat in a tree the tax
ing of Vaux was made easy for the
American infantry.
When the time came for the attack
the Americans climbed out of their
trenches and went across the fields
and took Vaux. They did the first
100 meters in two minutes. There
after they progressed at the rate of
100 meters in three minutes. A meter
is four inches more than yard. Even
a fat suburbanite walks faster than
that when he starts from the break
fast table at scratch to catch the 9:22
for the big town.
Vaux Was Necessary.
The man was Capt Follett Bradley
OF the American artillery units which
are working in conjunction with the
American infantry organization which
took Vaux Overlooking Vaux and
the Boise de la Marette is Hill 2O4,
half of which and all of the top was
held by the Germans. 1t was neces-
sary to take Vaux and the Bois de la
Marette in order to protect the right
flank of the troops who had taken and
held the Bois de Belleau.
H hour" according to the order
issued by the chief of staff of the
American unit which has been con-
Quoting the operations on the Marne,
will be o'clock ] day will be July
l. Get ready"
Before Vaux or the Marette could
be taken the German artillery posi-
tions must necessarily be reduced. To
reduce artillery-which means to slam
the guns with shells until the gun
ners are afraid to come out of their
holes and work them-good observa-
tion is necessary. 1t is sheer waste
merely to toss shells at a landscape
The idea is to hit something. Before
the gunners can hit they must have
some one to do their aiming for them.
A Captain Up Tree.
So Captain Bradley found a tall
tree on the slopes of 2O4, which over
looked the German line and the places
where the German guns might be.
Being a tall tree, it was under sus-
picion by the Boche, and naturally un-
der shell fire. Bradley ran "a tele-
phone wires from that tree to various
positions, so that if one wire was cut
others would still be working. Then
he climbed the tree and began to
telephone.
He began in the morning at day
break. His guns were placed over a
spread of perhaps Is kilometers of
land. SO were the German guns. If
he had concentrated his fire upon a
single area the Boche would have
known that an attack ON that area
was planned, and would have prepared
for it. He arranged to fool them He
spotted their batteries all along the
line.
"Bing!" a shell would go on a Boche
battery at one end of the line, and
"Bang!" a shell would go on another
in the middle, and so at the other
end. There was no concentration all
day long, but the guns worked with
a concentrated energy and purpose
just the same. Bradley sat there
with a glass at his eyes and the tele-
phone head dress strapped on and
told the gunners how to shoot.
Hit Tree Once.
OF course. he was under shell fire
Once his iron hat was knocked of
and dented Once the tree was hit
Once all his wires were cut but he
had a gang of the bravest of the
brave-telephone linemen-on the
Job. The moment an "out" was re-
ported that moment they traced the
bad wire down until the break was
found.
BY and by the Hun was up in the
air. Shells kept dropping with ;
miraculous accuracy on his best con
-.,ealed positions. If they had dropped
all the time on single position
mind you, it might have been cas-.
= for him to spot the o. P. in which
Bradley sat But they were smeareC
all over the landscape The Boch'
got sulky and went to his holes anC
sat there. He did not even pretend t
work his guns One could ride arounC
back of the American lines in a sens
OF security.
When the Guns Began.