The sun., 1919-03-02

they had taken no steps to shell our
lines and they took no prisoners who
would reveal our identity. But they
did know now that some sort OF
effective reenforcements had been
brought up. They had been driving
the French at will and now they were
stopped.
AS a matter of fact the Germans
had become too confident; perhaps
Foch had counted on that. Relatively
speaking, they were loafing on the Job
when we came up. 1t had all been SO
easy. and now they were only waiting
to bring up more men and enough guns
to start the final drive apd administer
the coup de grace.
They waited a day or two too long,
for we were able to establish our lines
without great hindrance. and on
| the Sd American artillery had been
brought up to support our division.
| Infantry action has accomplished won
ders in this war on both Sides but how
ever brilliant their performance, foot
| soldiers are not enough to check big
drive or carry through big offensive.
1t was becoming more and more a war
| Of artillery, and the Boche made his
to bring up our guns.
Three regiments Of artillery came to
our support in this crisis--all Ameri-
cans. The Twelfth and Fifteenth OPP
Grated 76s; the Seventeenth was sup
Piled with heavies-French 1855. They
took up their positions the day they
came in, the light guns about a mile
or a mile and half back OF the line.
| 90 hAv ~
mand. The heavies were about three
miles back. All were camoufiaged,
but the lighter guns were we'll within
the range of the enemy's observation
=, and their positions were frequently
changed AS will be seen later these
! guns were unable 10 do fully effective
work at arst, but in the end. after the
marines had got the enemy on tho
run and had felt out all his positions.
they drove the last Germans from Bel
leau Wood To the marines. in those
last gruelling days. their help meant
everything.
Made Bombardment Terrific.
BY the 4th the Germans seemed to
have gained an inkling OF what was
in front OF them. for their shell FIRE
increased materially. and for two days
the bombardment was terrific. There
| was the constant roar of heavy guns.
punctuated by the explosions of BURST
ing shells. They had evidently sue
ceeded in bringing up some OF their
15os, and they appeared to be prepar-
ing the ground for an advance.
During the Sd and 4th our casualties
from shell fire numbered over 5000
dead and 1875 wounded. The casual
ties were heaviest in the woods at the
rear where our reserves were located.
Possibly the Germans did not yet real
ize that we were actually holding the
front line. They shelled all the cross
roads, to get our supplies and moving
troops and to cut our communications.
They shelled Lucy heavily. then bat
| TALON L. c. The shells fell 80 thickly
| in the town that you could scoop up
handfuls of shrapnel bullets in the
streets--round pellets about the size
OF marbles. On the 4th. too. they be-
gan using gas, so that the men were
obliged to fret away the hours in their
sitting masks.
BY this time our lines were pretty
we'll consolidated and formed a long
row of shallow rife pits and shelter
trenches where the men had dug them
selves in. The men in reserve. warned
by the shrapnel fire, had also dug in.
I went down TO inspect them on the
4th. Each man had dug a hole six
feet long, two and half feet wide and
three feet deep. Even the battalion
commander had his hole.
Only Direct Hits Encctfxe.
They looked shallow and open
enough, but they did help; they offered
good protection against flying shell
splinters-aEainst everything in factex-
cept a direct hit Under cover OF dark
| ness the men crept out TO stretch their
limbs, but they spent most OF the day
time sleeping in their holes.
They were arranged in rows like
graves In a potter's field or soldiers
cemetery. The men IN fact loosely
referred TO them as their graves. When
saw them each WAS filed with the
motionless form of sleeping man 1t
was gruesome sight.
We were not quite satisfied with the
disposition of our forces, and on the
night OF the 4th We reformed our line,
and the front held so thinly by the
marines was greatly shortened.
On the left Wises battalion of the
Fifth was relieved by the French, who
had now somewhat recovered and took
over the line as far as Hill 1l2 The
First battalion OF the Sixth was also
Withdrawn TO support, and Major Ber-
RVS battalion of the Fifth was sent in
there TO hold the line from Hill 142 to
Lucy. - shorter !!ac than that held ~
the SiHth battalion