The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1941-03-14
CHAPTER X-Continued

tary sedans, the bright sky festered
INTO hideouS hiss Of sound It
came crashing in out of the dis
lance. The ear could trace its course
as it settled toward the earth.
An instant's silence and the ground
trembled under the impact Of high
explosive. A geyser of muddy brown
earth shot skyward, the air filled
with the mighty defamation.
The departing commanders gave
an anxious look at the spout of dirt,
but changed neither gait nor pos
ture. General Mole calmly touched
a match to the stub of his cigar
and gave several vindictive puffs.
We'll, there's the first shot," he
muttered. Sounded to me like a
long-range baby probably from
twenty or thirty miles"
An observation plane radioed in
the information. Van Hassek's
heavy artillery had set up north Of
the Nueces. Mole offered no COM
ment. There was nothing he could
do about it until the enemy came
within range of his howitzers. His
own lO5-millimeter cannons, good
for fifteen miles, had yet to be mold
ed, mounted, tested, and delivered
to the Army.
AS for his airplanes, there was
no taking further risks over Van
Hassek's moving columns 1t didn't
matter that the air service had sent
In the crack combat groups from
all three of its powerful wings Nor
that American pilots and gunners
had proved themselves this morning
much more than a match for the
Van HasSek airmen.
The American squadrons had paid
a heavy price for their swoops
against Van Hassek's invaders. Into
one anti-aircraft trap after another
the Americans had fallen.
The first big shell fell in an empty
field well back from the Seconds
front lines. A second shot followed
quickly, and the business of long
range cannonading settled down into
| glum, racking routine. From a
range of approximately twenty-five
miles, observation reported. The
Van HaSSek columns were still roll
ing forward in a great, tortuous
martial serpent whose tail reached
far back across the Rio Grande into
| Mexico.
The ten thousand men of the divi-
sion worked feverishly through the
hot afternoon, deepening and extend
ing their trenches, adjusting gun po-
sitions. They pretended Indifference
to the roar of Van Hassek's artil-
lery, to the frequent squirting foun-
tains of earth that rose hideously
IN oft
shell caught a full squad of men
who in flash were shreds of flesh.
A stark reminder of what was to
come. But the men who saw this
tragedy went stubbornly on with
their work.
Out of the distance came the rum
BILE of light American artillery.
The firing came from the Frio Riv-
er, which meant that Major Randi,
commanding, was potting at the
head Of the main attack force The
sound of Van HaSSek's counter-bat-
terry assault waited in fifteen min
uteS later. 1t rose in volume. The ar
tillery duel went on, growing in VIC
lence, which told the whole Second
Division that the intrepid Randi was
forcing the Van Hassek advance
guard to extend itself.
Firing broke out to the north and
south on the extreme TANKS. At the
division command post Mole and his
staff waited on these actions with
tense nerves. Three o'clock was
near. II Van Hassek's invaders
could be delayed much longer, they
would not be able to deliver their
attack In force against the Second
before daybreak.
General Mole and his staff made
an estimate of the situation. Mole's
jaded face frightened in a moments
eXultation as his staff unanimously
agreed with his own deduction. The
Van Hassek commanders would not
be able to attack now until morn
ing. Their advanced divisions had
not even started into assembly areas
for battle deployment
THAT means we've delayed them
one day without a fight" Mole ex-
claimed. ut gives us a real chance
of getting through tomorrow with
out getting blown out of our shoes.
After that-we will see what we will
see. But what a hell of a pounding
| were IN Tor tonight, without any
anti-aircraft and long-range artil-
leryl"
When the hot Texas sun slipped
down to the horizon through the haze
in the west, q furious roar of mo-
| tors swept the Second Division The
flight of enemy attack planes, flying
an altitude of less than FIVE hun
| drad foot ofr,tcL ta,ifl, Tho cLorr, liz
of forked lightning.
Over the 9th Infantrys sector the
attack planes appeared close enough
to be hit with a hand-grenade. Men
gaped after the apparition, or
ducked into their holes in the ground
against the menace of fragmenta-
tion bombs. But there came no ex-
plosion. The enemy had not opened
up with their machine guns.
| "Casl"