Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-09-04
Stuck His Head Over the Parapet and
Got It Square.

the step and stuck his head over the
parapet and got it square, landing
right beside me. l thought he was
killed, but when we got back we found
he was only wounded. The men who
saw it were over the parapet before
the order was given and then the
whole bunch after them, because they,
too, thought he was killed and figured
he never would know how they came
out about their VOWS. All the men in
the company were glad when they
found he was only wounded.
While half Of us were on the firing
step throughout the day or night the
other half would be in the dugouts or
sitting around in the bottom of the
trench, playing little games, or mend
Ing clothes or sleeping or cooking or
doing thousand and one things. The
men were always in good humor at
such times and it seemed to me even
more so when the enemy fire was
heavy.
If man was slightly wounded down
would come the rifles to order arms,
and some poilu was sure to shout,
Fright this way. One franc" It was
standing joke and they always did it.
The poilu who did it most was Swiss
and he was always playing a joke on
somebody or initiating some one of
us or making faces.
We were all sorry when this Swiss
we tried to keep up his jokes and say
the same things and so forth. But they
did not 60 very well after he was
dead. He got his in the same charge
In which the chaplain was wounded.
He was one of the bunch that charged
before the order was given, when the
chaplain got it, and was running pretty
near me until we got to the Boche
wire. I had to stop to get through,
though must of it was cut up by artil.
lery fire, but he must have jumped II, |
for when I looked up he was twenty
or thirty PAGES ahead of me. We got
to the Germans about that time and
I was pretty busy for while. But
soon saw him again. He was pulling
his bayonet out of Boche when an
other made jab at him and stuck him
in the arm. Then the Boche made a
swing at him with his rifle, but the
Swiss dropped on one knee and lodged
it. He kept defending himself with
his rifle, but there was another Ger
man on him by this time and he could
not get up. The corporal Of our squad
came up just about that time, but he
was too late, because one Of the
Boches got to the Swiss with his bay
Onet. He did not have time to with
draw it before our corporal stuck him.
The other German made pass at the
corporal, but he was too late. The
corporal beat him to it and felled him
with terrific blow from his rifle butt.
The Huns were pretty thick around
there just as another fellow and N.Y.
self came up. A Boche swung his rifle
at the corporal and when he lodged it
the BOche almost got me. The swing
took him off his feet and then the COR
poral did as pretty bit Of work as
I ever saw. he jumped for the Boche,
who had fallen, landed on his face
with both feet and gave it to the next
one with his bayonet all at the same
time. He was the quickest man ever
saw.
There were couple of well-known
savate men in the next company and
saw one Of them get under Fritz's
guard with his fopt and, believe me,
there was some force in that kick.
He must have driven the Germans
chin clear through the back Of his
neck. IS
We thought it was pretty tough luck
to lose both the chaplain aud the VIII
lage wit in the same cha1ge, along
with half Of our officers, and then have
to give up the trench. Evety man In
the bunch was sore as boilgwhen we
got back. ri.
+ ..,.. ISIS. (To be continued).t J.
G u