The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-07-31
HAD
TO USE GAS MASKS
Lines That They Had to Be
Put Upon Horses.

Washington. July so.--Here lie the
situation:
Far behind our lines. eight or nine
miles to the rear, the enemy for days
has been hurting gas shells. The
whole area back OF us reeks with
cloudy poison. Our gunners, gas
masked, and trying to keep the
masks on the horses, do their best to
help us and return the fire But many
OF their guns are dismounted. They
are weakening.
Suddenly the artillery preparation
against our own trenches begins. 1t
Ia hurricane fire. We are over
whelmed with steel--a tropic shower
OF steel with every drop a bursting
shell. Our fighting equipment is a
hitter of twisted metal. Every few
PAGES men are being torn to pieces.
1t is more than blood and bone can
stand. We are driven into our dug
outs
Then. suddenly as It commenced.
the barrage is lifted We hear the
thunder of it pass over our heads,
creeping toward our reserves We
know the enemy IL coming over. We
rush out to meet and stop him-with
the machine guns.
The gray wave advances. men run
ming a little way. iurching forward
from crater to crater. But they ave
facing a flying wall OF lead. Here
and there they begin to drop, always
in some grotesque position. The line
wavers There Is confusion. We hear
hoarse commands. What seem to be
open lanes appear in the enemy
ranks Yet they stiffen and start to-
ward us again, The fire-sweep of
our machine guns has not lessened.
1t is increasing, So we are puzzled.
Almost instantly. though, we under
stand.
Plenty of Tanks.
Sure enough they are rumbling to-
ward us--great dingy sugs, steel
sided. hut jeweied with quick spurts
OF flame. we have had no time 10
strew explosives In their path. They
are protected by infantry. so we can
no, even try TO fling grenades into
their tractor machinery or loopholes.
Our machine gun bullets spatter
harniessiy against their armor. And
they are approaching.
But We still have our 3T-millimetre
gun-the baby gun" of the infantry
! It Is very light So we took it into
/ dugout and kept it safe while the
! toes shells crashed upon our trench
I NOW the etsnt men OF the crew rush
/ for it, They slip the cleaning shaft
right through the bore and so carry
| IL up and out. 1t is set up In a t~ INK
! ling ready for use.
/ There is a drifting wrack of smoke
| and dust over the field. In no time
! the little piece. its flash hidden in a
/ funnel-like continuance upon thu
muzzle. is splitting its wicked inch
and half armor piercing shells int
! the flock of tanks. Their armol
doesn't help them. Our shells viii
penetrate an inch or more of sole
steel and carry their deadly charge
OF INT clean inside. Carefully aim
ed. the gun Is speeding twenty-five
shells a minute. And 1t Is SO accu'
rate they can be placed wherever tbs
/ gunner likes, almost to the Fraction
4 OF an inch
Already one of their tanks Il
stopped. caterpillar ribband dang
! ling woundily. Another receives :
shell right between the eyes, SO Il
speak. 1t labors moment. ther
spills the rempants Of its crew. wht
stagger away for their own lines. The
supporting infantry, swept by oul
machine guns. breaks and runs. The
attack 10 repulsed
That is Uncle Sans ''anti-tank
gun. the smallest piece of artiller!
supplied to our forces, and one o
the most deadly.