Gunnison news-champion., 1919-06-13

ed 10 protect Pans from fut0e IAN
ger.
On several occasions admirers of
the Issth Field Artillery on the
lines have referred TO her as the
Tramp Regiment" of the Flying Ar
tillery- The regiment is generally
unattached and It's chief duty is TO
i'll gaps in the lines rs they appear.
Late in August il was rumored that
something was about to happen in
the vicinity Of Verdun- With the
rImor came = convoy across the east
side of France. and the ella Mon
ster' went into position in = woods
south of Mandres, and At ! 90 a. N.
on Septemberi2th, she opened fire
without adjustment and successfully
filed her place in the barrage that
opened the St. Mihiel drive
This was the first time that artii-
lery of this type had lain down rolling
infantry barrages, but such was the
success Of the first attempt. tha; the
tramp regiment" was shifted TO Ger
manvilie, from which position the "Gi-
Ia Monster fired $50 shots of the
barrage which opened the Argonne-
Meuse offensive.
Then she jumped to Cuisy and be-
gan firing on the left side of the
Meuse river, in which position she re-
mained for 2s days under fire from
German one Founders and "7-'s- on
the other side of the iver. Shortly
after her arrival there, a Boche bat
ltery opened up on our sister rcgi-
ment 1.-THE l46th r. Al In exactly L
minutes the ella Monster had fired
20 shots and silenced the enemy bat
terry. And she continued these tricks
on all kinds of targets until on Octo-
ber 5th. the Hun infantry made a
counter-attack and broke thru our
lines. Orders were given to set pot
ards to destroy the guns and gun
crews donned rifles and hand gren-
AIDES and dug in" a few hundred
/ rards in front OF the guns. The Huns
were stopped and the "Gila Monster"
4 lived.
Shortly afterwards, she was moved
to Madeleine Farm, again under heavy
shell fire, where her crew participated
in the record l55 m m rifle fire of the
entire war, firing l26 shots in a.
minutes. The French commission.
when informed of this record stated
that this fire was more rapid than is
expected from this type of gun. and
even exceeded what had before been
considered the maximum mechanical
possibility for operation.
! The next trip took her thru Verdun,
across the Meuse into her last posi-
ton, from which she never fired and
iwhere on November l1th, 1918. her
crew lay down in peace for the first
time in a real nights sleep since the
opening of the Chateau Thierry drive
on July IA, 1918.
Thru the entire conflict the .Gila
Monster" had continued firing after
other guns had stopped and crews
had taken to their dugouts. She had
been taken into almost impossible
places, thru mud, rain, high explo-
sives, shrapnel, gas, machine-gun bull
lets, bombs and costies. She had
endured as violent and continuous a
round of fighting and as much of the
typical western front of hell as any
gun in the A. +. F., and today she
stands ready for action at Hoehr, Ger
many, with the Goth lLost Brigade)
Artillery Brigade, the only organiza-
tion of National Guard troors on the
east side of the Rhine, an honored
member of the Army of OCCUPATION,
and ready at a minutes notice TO re-
peat her previous performances in
protection of the victory she has
played such an important part in win
ming.
Firing records show that she has
fired in this campaign 1871 high ex-
plosives and gas shells. WITH a COM
bincd weight of over 1SS tons, a re-
cord unequalled by any gun of its
kind in the A. E. F., and several
hundred more rounds than is general
ly considered during the life of a rifle
of this type and caliber. Still all
parts of the gun are working well and
in almost perfect condition.
The commander of the "Gila Mon
ster" and Chief of Section is Sgt.
Leonard Mauldin, of Haskell, Texas,
veteran of three wars and conceded
to be the Boche "Bull- -dogger" in the
A. +. F. Sgt. Mauldin was assisted
BY Ammunition CorPl. Charles B.
Aufill of Post Oak, Texas; Gnner Cpl.
Carl A. Richardson, of Trinidad.
Colo, Gunner Cpl. Charles B. Balm of
Parlin, Colo, and a gun crew from
Colorado, Utah. California, Minnesota
and Oklahoma. 1t is the boast of
Sgt. Mauldin that this gun has never
received orders Of fire which were not
carried out accurately and completely
and at the designated time, and that
every man in the crew has always
worked enthusiastically and cheerful
~ on every occasion, whether it be for
2 hours or 72 hours; in fair weather
or in storm; in quiet positions or
under the heavies' shell fire.