The Raymer enterprise., 1919-04-17
Correspondent Reveals How
Beaten" Troops Turned
Tide Against Foe.
sIDELIGHTsONMARcH SHOW
Allied Troops Believed Retreat Was
"Part Of Some Blooming Strategy.
Cos the Chaps Next Door
Couldn't Hold On"
BY PERCY NJ. sARL.


London.-"woo-oosh! Bang"
looked out Of my tent on the morn
ing of March 2l. 1918, imagining that
some aerial humorlst was bombing us.
But II was long-range. ten-inch. high
velocity gun. and couple more In
quick succession, the second shell land.
Ing about fifty yards from me. showed
that 1t was no stray round. realized
that the great German offensive had
started.
The night before had Joined the
Fort.eth division artillery. which was
lying In CLOSE reserve inst south Of
Arras. was hoping for q recupera-
tive period on what was -eckoned a
fairly "qulet" front.
"stand by your horsesl. brought us
all onto the lines. Fortunately. the
Boehe was shooting by the MAP and
not from observation, or we should
have taken little further intere9 in
the March show" As II was. he
dropped about six,y rounds right in
the midst OF us wlthDut doing mnch
damage The enemy had broken
through at Bellecourt and was coming
on fast.
Blazing Away At Foe.
"The divisional artillery will come
into action at-so-and4so map spot
ting" and we were of. But when we
got there-well. the cupboard wasn't
exactly bare, because just before we
reached our objective we came across
an 1s-ponnder section squatting In the
open and blazing away over open
sights at the oncoming hordes OF
Boches.
We dropped back and found less
conspicuous place from which to de-
clare war Then we had one solid
weeks hades. such as General Sher-
man never thought Of or he would
have used stronger language about
war" The Germans brought their
field guns on so rapidly. and In such
numbers. that we were shelled from
pillar TO post Our Infantry hung on
doggedly, and were wiped out, battal-
ion after battalion. Each batch of re-
serves found their predecessors posi-
tons untenabIe and were compelled to
try ts hold line bit farther back.
Always in the open. for there was no
time 10 dig oneself in; and when one
hillside became too hot for comfort we
shifted, either to flank or slightly to
the rear. never saw soldiers SO
cheerful or determined. Dog-tired
they hung on; and while the great
game Of tactics" went On, the whole
line having TO conform to some un-
known situationi many milesto flank,
the Third army grnmbllney wondered
what 1t was falling back Tor.
"All Part Of Strategy"
II the pessinists who conceded
German victory las, March could have
seen those beaten soldiers refreat
ing. they might have taken heart. be-
cause IL never occurred 20 the troops
themselves that they were being beat.
eu. The retreat. TO them. was all part
~ "some blooming straingy COS the
Chaps next door couldn't hold on
Back through Mory. Ervillers, 81.
Eeger. Gommeeoint. Courcelles and
Bucquoy feil my part gof the line, and,
then We stopped them. March 30 saw
about the end of the nightmare as far
ne we were concerned. and the Forti.
eth divisional artillery pulled of n
regular "h0y stood IN the burning
deck" stunt My own brigade. the One
Hundred and Seyenry-eighth brigade
royal tield artillery. composed of Lon
don citizen soldiers inostly, came into
action In the open, nnder heavy fire
directed by hostile alrpEanes and
smashed up mn attn.ck Of three bat
inlions which had been on the front
held by a company of the British
guards. One battery was practically
wiped out, gun after gun being knocked
our 10y concentrations of enemy artil-
lery. ! was rharlful to find myself
when the Ceases fire" order came
through.
There were many weary weeks of
routiIe warfare and night alarms. II
was between BoiSleux-au-M Mont and
Boiry-St Martin. abo nj 400 yards from
the place where that first ten-ineh shell
landed. on March Ii. We stopped the
Boche
There we rcfitted e4qnd planned and
prepared for the fina triumphal ad.
vance Of themllies in he ensuing sum
mer and fall.