The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-03-17

in the hair darkness they looked
twice as big as they really were. They
llurcned forward, slow, clumsy but ir
resistible, nosing down into shell holes
and out. crushing the unburied dead,
sliding over mere trenches as though
they did not exist.
There were five I'm all One passed
directly over us. We scuttled ont Of
the way and the men let go cheer.
For We knew that hero was some
thing that could and would win bait
ties
The tanks were an absolutely new
thing to US. They had IS a matter
OF fact been used before further up
1.-The line earlier in the big push. But
their secret had been guarded SO care
fully even in our own army that our
bait had heard nothing OF Thorn.
But we didn't need TO be told that
they would be effective One look
wac enough to convince us. Later II
convinced Fritzie
CREWS HIDE GREAT TANKS.
| The tanks passed beyond US and
| half way up 10 the FIRST line and
stopped Trap doors ia tho decks
| opened and the crews poured out and
| began TO pile sand bags in front OF
the machines 80 that when day broke
fully and the mists lifted the enemy
| up in the night
Day dewned and risky little
breeze from the west scattered the
fog and swept the sky clean. There
wasn't a cloud by 8 o'clock. The
sun shone bright and we cursed 1t.
| FOR II it had been rainy the attack
would not have been made.
We made the usual last prepare
tions that morning, such as writing
! 1@ff daft
sages: and the latest rocks made their
wills In the little blanks provided for
the purpose in the back OF the pay
books We Judged from the number
iof dead and tho evident punishment
other divisions had taken there that
the chances of coming back would
be slim. Around 9 o clock Captain
Green gave us little talk that cor
frmed our suspicious that then day
was to he q hard one
\ He said, - nearly AS ] can rem en-
Der
Lads 7 want to tell you that there
is TO he a most important battle--one
of the most important in the whole
war High wood out there commands
n view Of the whole of this part Of
the Somme and is most valuable
There are estimated to he about 90
000 Germans In that wood and in
tions ara mostly or concrete with hun
dreds or machine guns and field ar
tillery our heavies have for some
reason made no impression on them
and regiment after regiment have at
Itepted to take the woods and failed
with heavy losses. Now It Is up to
the Forty seventh division TO do the
seemingly impossible. Zero is at II.
{ We go over then. Tho best of luck
and God bless YOU"
"SKY PILOT brings CHEER.
We were all feeling pretty sour on
, the world when the sky pilot came
along and cheered us up.
He was a good little man. that chap
! lain, brave as they make EN-. He
[ always went over the top with us and
; was In the thick of the fighting; and
no had the military cross for bravery.
He passed down the line giving us
a. slap on the back or g. hand grip
) and started us singing. No gospel
hymns either, but an old rollicking.
: good-natured song that he happened
; TO think of that would loosen things
up and relieve tho tension.
Somehow he made you feel that you
wouldn't mind going TO hell II he was
. along; and you knew that he'd be
/ willing 20 come If he could do any
good. A good little mani Peace TO
his ashes.
, At 10 o'clock things busted loose
, and the most intense bonn bardment
. ever known in warfare up TO that
time began. Thousands OF guns both
, French and English, in fact every
: available gun within radius OF
s ffteen miles. poured ii ln In the
= Bedlamitish din and roar IT was i'm
. possible to hear the next man unless
, he put his mouth up close to your
ear and yelled,
MY eardrums ached and 1 thought
: should go insane II the racket didn't
stop 7 was frightfully nervous and
= scared bat tried not to show II. An
+. officer or a non-com must conceal his
: nervousness, though he be dying with
= fright.
The faces OF the men were hard set
I and pale. Some of them looked post
lively green They smoked flag after
? flag. lighting the new ones on the
] butts.
All through the hombardrpent Fritz
, was comparatively quiet. He was saw
I ing all his for the time when we
3 should come over Probably, too, he
was huled up 10 large extent in his
concrete dugouts. i looked over the
r top once or twice and wondered IL /
/, too, would be lying there unbuTied
I with the rats and maggots gnawing
! me into an unrecogniznble mass. There
/ were moments in thai hour from 10
0 to II when j was dinstinetly sorry for
Z myself
I BAYONErS FOR CHARGE.
t The time. strangely enough, went
fast--as ii probably does with con
! ldemned man In his last hour, Al
4 zero minus ten the word went down
= the line Ten to so" and we got
G TO the better positions OF the trench
9 and secured our footing on the side
lof the parapet 10 make our climb over