True Stories of the Great War, Volume 1 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
History
True Stories of the Great War, Volume 1 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
One cheeky chap said he didn't think it was fair to fight with such
things. We said that was our affair, and we could stand the racket
Germany cared to make over it. Asked one chap if the thought we should
have got permission from the Kaiser before using them. Didn't see the
joke. Took about two hundred prisoners. Killed and wounded as many
more. Tired out when through.
Saturday.--On the move before breakfast. Terrible crash on first go
off. Thought we had collided with a wandering world. Weathered the
storm. Got busy on enemy trenches. Rare good sport. Enemy tried a
surprise for infantry--Yorkshiremen--advancing to attack. We tried a
surprise, too, and ours came off first. Huns weren't pleased. Didn't
think it was playing the game according to Potsdam rules.
We waddled into their ambush for the attacking troops. Never saw men
so frightened. Fled panic-stricken in all directions. Only a few chaps
stayed behind and tried to stop us by machine gun fire. Smashed them to
bits and left their machine guns to be picked up by the Yorkshiremen
they hoped to surprise.
Went snorting after the enemy wherever we could find them. Their losses
were terrible. Later strong detachments tried to make their way back,
supported by big guns. Lined up across the road and gave them hot time.
Every time they tried to rush through we ripped their ranks to bits. At
last they gave it up. Very wise.
Sunday.--Good work of frightening Huns continued. Better day, better
deed. Fritz didn't think that. Blighters opened rifle fire on us at two
hundred yards. It went like water off a duck's back. Fritz couldn't
make it out. Kept up the fire, but got a bit nervy as the blessed old
thing kept waddling up to him. Ladled out death as you might vamp out
indifferent music from a hurdy-gurdy.
Fritz got fits. No fight left in him. Prisoners scared to death. Some
of them acted as though they believed that we used our tanks for making
sausages out of prisoners. We had a lot of trouble explaining that
once they surrendered they were safe.
Finished an exciting week. Got plenty of fun, but one wants a good rest
after a spell with a tank.
II--STORY OF THE TANKS THAT STORMED A CASTLE
_Told by Philip Gibbs, War Correspondent, in France_
After the battle of Flanders the tank pilots have been able to tell the
tale of their adventures after a spell of rest, badly needed by the
young men, who crawled out of their steel boxes speechless, bruised and
dazed.
For seventeen hours one of the tank pilots and his crew stayed out,
fighting all the time, and for twenty-four hours another crew went
through, not with incessant fighting, but bogged and unbogged, and
struggling on and getting into action and slouching back after a good
record of achievement.
The tanks have justified themselves again and won their spurs--spurs as
big as gridirons.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account