Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30


attempt to blast the German pos
The bombardment was set for the da,
TO be known as a." w. arrived anC
only TX" and "Y" we're left in which
to prepare for the great gamble. Ane
yet certain information which the artil.
1ery vitality needed was still not avail.
able. The gunners had to know exactly
where in the German trenches opposite
them were certain batteries, gas cylin.
ders, ammunition dumps, mine shafts
nerve centres and vital parts Of the Ger
man position.
Without that information the British
attack might prove boomerang. AL
ready high price had been paid In the
effort to get it. Air scouts had been shot
down; several accommodating parties that
tried at night to crawl across No Mans
Land had been wiped out by German
sentries and machine guns more air
scouts and still more land scouts went
the way of the others. .-
1t looked as if the bombardment
would have to be made blindly with
little more than guesSes to guide it.
Then a young British officer-we will
call him Saunders, since his right name
has not come out--came to his superior
officer with suggestion. Because of his
knowledge of German. Saunders had
been assigned to a listening set" a
combination telephone and microphone
which-h luck perated-enabled
those in one front-line trench to hear
an occasional snatch of talk in the
trenches opposite. d.
Il just heard some German private
name his captain" Saunders said.
Schmidt is the name"
The divisional general to whom
Saunders reported this discovery looked
puzzled.
We'll, what about it?"
Il think, sir, it may help me obtain
the information you want" Saunders
said quietly. I'D like your permission
to go for try in the German trenches. "
The general looked Saunders over. He
saw slim, somewhat Sedentary-looking
man with very little that was striking
in his appearance; he might belong to
any blond European race; he certainly
did not look the kind to succeed where
scores of others, picked men, had died
without avail. Nor did anything that
the general knew about him promise
better than his looks.
4 X X
GAUNDERS was university man who
~ had studied several years in Ger
many In the war he had been of some
use in questioning German prisoners
in their own language. Outside of that
he had been good enough routine man
and shone, if the word can be used, only
as routine man. :,
The plan he outlined to the general
was simple one. Saunders would dress
as German officer. try to sneak into
their trenches, wander about and come
back. Success, even his chance of sur
the knowledge that there might be o.
Capt. Schmidt in the trenches opposite
and Saunders nerve. =, =.
The general wanted information
badly enough to give him the .pern1is-
sion he asked.
tailor-soldier did a rush Job alter
ing German officers uniform to f1t
Saunders. The shoulder tabs and num-
Der of a regiment of German foot ,artil-
lery. known to be in the trenches OPP
posite were sewed on the uniform. Some
one else clipped Saunders hair and
nustache at his direction.
Then, soon after midnight of "X" day,
in the worst of terrific downpour of
rain. Saunders, with two raincoats over
his German uniform, crawled out of his
To escape detection he burrowed his
way through the mud. Star shells burst
over him, but even by their glare of
light Saunders was indistinguishable, so
still he lay and so completely mired.
To divert German lookoutS the Brit
ish started some picayune fracaS further
down the line, as If 1t were German
visit across No Mans Land that was
transpiring. Meanwhile Saunders kept
burrowing, guided by the very star shells
the Germans sent up.
It took him two hours to cross No
Mans Land and another hour to find
the spot where he was willing to make
his next gamble. The instant star
harbed wire and slid headlong into
trench
Gaining his feet, he whisked off his
outer raud-freighted coat and started
down the blackboard.
"Wer da!" sentry rasped and
light fell on Saunders.
Even before the challenge was out
Saunders himself snarled in perfect
cultural Prussian. -~.<
81 am looking for Capt. Schmidt!"
The sentry noted the rank and the
badge Of the foot artillery on Saunders
uniform. The way in which Saunders
had bounced on the challenge was SO
typical of the Prussian officer that the
sentry snapped to attention.
HE is down at battalion headquar-
ters, Herr Leutnant!"
"Good!" Then, as II 1t was the
sentrys fault, Saunders took from his
pocket a postcard and thrust it into
the mans hand. This was in my MALL
Some thickhead misdirected it. See that
it doesn't happen again. understand?
And you-have you forgotten the pass
word?"
The sentry had been looking for an
opening in which to ask Saunders for
the password But he was so taken back
by his onslaught that he blurted out
eagerly:
"Schnapps, Herr Leutnant!"
''Al right" Saunders growled, and
with surly salute went down the
trench, leaving the sentry feeling as If
he had had narrow escape.
"Wer dai" came another challenge.
This time and thereafter Saunders
did not even stop.
"Schnapps!" was all ne SAID.
X X &
4 LII through the night and far into
\ the morning Saunders hurried up
and down the trenches with the manner
anu lOOk Vi a IIldIl OIl oil III SCAe ClA dlAu
that left time for little more than the
giving of a password.
Noon found him still hurrying, his
eyes apparently seeing nothing but
duckboards and mudholes. Several times
he was stopped by sentries who wanted
something more than a mere password.
But Saunders perfect Russian manner
discouraged questioning by mere pri-
vate. And the one time that an officer
stopped him found Saunders equipped
with satisfactory answers. For by THIS
time he was beginning to learn things
All that afternoon he kept on learn
ing. although he still hurried and his
eyes still had the look of man intent
on some objective just around the cor
ner
Night fell, and again the rain. Sauh-
ders so managed it that midnight found
him approaching the sentry who had
first challenged him the night before.
The challenge came again, and this
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