Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-20
No Wonder
Germany Quit
BY MAJOR FRANK G. MAHIN
OF the Army Recruiting Station

II was to go on my first tour of
inspection. 1t was to be a trip
through the boyaux to the front
line; then along our entire front.
In the course of our journey we
were to visit our sentry posts, and
| mind you, this at the creepy hour
of two o'clock in the morning. l
had been in the line at that hour
before, but in an American sector,
and had gone in with others ear
lier in the night. Prowling around
at that hour, just two of us, l knew
would mean, that we would be stop
ped many times. And let me tell
you that a sentry in the trenches
takes no chances-you may look
like general to him, but he will
wait until he can surely kill you, If
you prove to be an enemy, before he
discloses himself. You needn't
strain your imagination to appreci-
ate-that it isn't exactly pleasant,
in the pitchy darkness, when your
nerves are tangled, to have u bay
onet point almost into your skin,
| before the other fellow has even let
| you know he is there. So it wasn't
wholly with relish that l looked
| forward to my trip. To make it
worse, the French Lieutenant with
me was reputed to be a reckless
cuss. We made most of the round
| without mishap, although my heart
| had raced several times when
Boche machine guns had spit a
/ burst at us in the pale moonlight.
| 1t was doomed to something even
worse, however. Near the right
| limit of our sector was a ravine,
which ran at right angles to our
| front, and here our front trench
! feathered out to nothing, for a dis
! tance of about eighty yards. One
| could detour around this place, by
way of boyauX up either side of the
ravine, but my friend, instead of
! turning up the detour, continued
along the fast disappearing front
line. There was sentry at this
| junction, and because of him I was
ashamed to even suggest that We
| take the detour. l was the first
American these Frenchmen had
seen and l could not let them think
| | was afraid. But better reason
! than that did not dare to speak,
| for the Boche front line was across
| a little valley, not over a hundred
| yards away. 1 could only follow
We had gone but a few yards when
machine gun bullets began to sing
over our heads. Quick as a flash
we fiattened on the ground. When
the firing ceased we sprang up and
rushed only to hit the ground again
in a few seconds, because of shots
After that we squirmed and crawl
| ed until again in the trench far
enough to be protected. The expe-
! rience was certainly exciting, but
needlessly risked. My friend, how
ever, thought little of it, having
, been face to face with death for
three years. He had such contempt
for the Boche that it seemed he felt
no harm could come to him from
such source. He had never been
wounded, although he had been in
the thick of things from the start,
and as he said to me, it was
through good luck. Some weeks
later he asked me how to apply for
a transfer to the Americans, to act
as an instructor. He said he was
the last of four brothers-the 9TH
ers having been killed-and that il
he were killed, as he surely would be
If he continued in the line, there
would be no one to pass on the
| family name to a new generation.
So he felt he was justified. after
/ three years of active service, to ask
to be put out OF danger; with three
brothers killed in battle, his mother
killed in an air raid, and his father
a general in service, he thought his
| family had done its share. 1t was
such patriotism and willing self
] sacrifice that came from a spirit
| Germany couldn't conquer.