THE CURTAIN OF FIRE
Before the morning sun had lighted up the scene, they could hear the
buzzing of airplanes overhead. That was a sound so familiar to them
that they could, at times, distinguish even the motors that were used
on most of them.
"I'll bet that's a Morane," said Ralph, as they rolled around over the
blankets, preparatory to getting up.
"They are out pretty early in the morning," said Alfred.
"Got to be out promptly before any of the Boches are able to come over
and take observations," said the sergeant, in the adjoining van.
"Oh, yes; I had forgotten about that," replied Alfred. "What time will
the fireworks begin?"
"As soon as the observations are completed," replied the sergeant.
"Any particular set of fellows on the other side you are going to wipe
out?" asked Ralph.
"You bet! We're going to make Devil's Cut a promenade for a health
resort," replied the sergeant.
"Then I'm with you," said Alfred, springing out of his bunk.
The ten machines in the air inspired the boys as they glanced aloft.
"I rather have a longing to return to that business," said Alfred,
pointing upwardly.
Ralph walked away without replying.
Shovels and picks were again brought into use. Some of the men made an
observation of the bank alongside of the guns, while others began to
dig into the hills. Others brought up short sections of young trees,
which were planted upright side by side and placed across the top to
form a sort of roof or ceiling. The earth, as it was taken out, was
pitched up on top of the roof thus formed. The holes were dug into the
banks from six to eight feet deep, and usually six feet wide. Each of
the shelters thus made room for four men. Really, each was intended for
eight men, but as half of the men would be on duty, while the other
half would be at rest, it will be seen that much space was economized.
The mess shelters were somewhat larger or rather, longer, but not any
deeper, and heavy posts were set at intervals, to hold the roof and
the earth. As these places were on the rear side of the steep bank
they were protected from shot or shell, however vigorous might be
the bombardment, but, of course, the guns were subject to be hit by
well-aimed shots.
The boys took keen delight in digging their shelter and in carpeting
the floor with the stray leaves, which were found all about the gun
emplacements after the protecting boughs had been put overhead. True,
the easy chairs were not the most comfortable, as they had to improvise
the furniture from the odd sticks and branches which were obtainable.
But this didn't matter. They were going to have a taste of the work
with a 75-millimeter battery.
"That Nieuporte machine is making observations now," said Alfred, "and
the puff indicates that they have located two of the batteries."
"Well done," said the captain. "Glad you can read the signals so well.
Take your station at No. 2; and you, Ralph, go to No. 4. Report to the
lieutenant there, and give him the benefit of your observation."
It was a proud moment for the boys. They saluted and stationed
themselves as ordered.
There had not been one moment of silence during the entire morning. The
guns were constantly booming, and sometimes there would be a rattle, as
though salvos of machine guns were brought into action. Anti-airship
guns were always flashing, and high in the air white and gray puff
balls would announce the explosion of shells, trying to feel out the
positions of the airships.
"That was a German shrapnel," said Ralph, "and the one this side a
French high explosive."
"How do you know?" asked one of the men.
"By the color of the smoke," replied Ralph. "There, did you see the two
that came together, one with very white smoke on the right; the other
with a sort of gray, off to the left? That last one was from a French
gun."
"What's the matter with that Farman machine?" said one of the gunners.
"He acts queerly."
"The wing must be shot off, or he wouldn't spiral in that way," replied
Ralph.
"He's coming down, but he has the machine in control, I think,"
remarked one of the men.
[Illustration: _Method of Signaling from Airplanes_]
"Yes; if he can keep it in that way, but he must straighten out or he
will never reach our lines," said Ralph.
"See if you can make out the trouble," said the lieutenant, as he
handed Ralph the glasses.
"The pilot is dead," said Ralph, after a quick observation.
"Do you think so?" asked the lieutenant.
"Yes; he is lying over the side of the pit; see, he is motionless; take
a look for yourself," said Ralph, as he handed the glasses back to the
lieutenant.
"I am very sorry, as we were dependent on Dupuy for the day's work.
Report to the captain."
Ralph quickly made his way to the station occupied by the captain. "I
am requested to report to you that Dupuy has been injured or killed,
and that is his machine now coming down beyond the lines," said Ralph.
The gun crew glanced in the direction indicated. As the machine neared
the earth two of the French machines more venturesome than the rest
flew low, hoping, no doubt, that the wind would be sufficiently strong
to carry poor Dupuy into friendly territory, but in this they were
disappointed.
Almost immediately another Farman sailed across the battery and
signaled. As it did so the order came from the captain, to the
lieutenant in charge of the three guns on the right. "Line up with
Farman D 63, range 4700 meters."
The men stood at attention, all eyes riveted on the disappearing
machine. Every second a voice would call out: "27, 27 and a half, 28,
28 and a half," and so on, and at each call the gun pointer would turn
a small wheel, and the gun muzzle of the gun would move up a trifle.
Soon a puff was plainly visible below the airplane.
"Tirez!" shouted the officer, and instantly there was a sharp, crashing
roar. The aeroplane had, in the meantime, made a turn, and a puff
appeared above the machine.
"Too high!" shouted the officer. Two more puffs appeared. "Two degrees
lower!" was the next order.
The guns were reloaded before the foregoing orders were completed.
Bang! bang! bang! Again another signal; still too far overhead. Another
adjustment, and another round. The flying machine sent up a succession
of puffs, and the lieutenant's face glowed with pleasurable excitement,
as he shouted: "You have it. Give them forty shots; then depress."
While this was going on the three other guns were just as busy. The
guns were pointed diagonally across the river, where the hills in the
distance seemed to be constantly covered with a smoke.
"I notice that they have lots of smoke over there, so it is hard to
tell where to fire," said Alfred, as he stood alongside the captain.
"That is true," he answered. "Our guns use smokeless powder, and that
will aid us in concealing our position. If we used the same powder they
use in shelling Devil's Cut, we wouldn't last a day."
Alfred understood why so much care had been taken to cover up the guns,
for the Germans had guns which would reach as far as the 75's, but the
question was how to locate the batteries. In this particular the French
were superior, as well as in the ability to handle the guns rapidly and
accurately, for it must be admitted that the French had easily taken
the lead in the use of heavy ordnance.
It did not take long to fire forty shots. There was only a short
cessation after the prescribed number had been let loose. The Farman
machine came up close. It signaled.
"That battery has been put out of commission," said Alfred. The
lieutenant nodded approvingly and with a great show of pleasure.
"Two degrees to the left," shouted the lieutenant.
[Illustration: _Peculiarities of Trajectories_]
Crack! crack! bang! spoke out the pieces as before. And now it seemed
as though the whole hillside shook with the resounding roar. Alfred
and Ralph, as well as the officers, were on a slight elevation, which
enabled them to look across the valleys, but the gunners who were
firing could not see, because they were too far down behind the crest.
The boys had been too busily engaged to notice that all along that low
range, of which they occupied but a small part, the artillery had taken
up positions during the night, and that more than two hundred guns were
now commencing and with frightful execution carrying out that most
terrible of all forms of modern artillery warfare, the barrage fire.
"We heard about that before we left Verdun," said Ralph. "Is that what
is going on now?" he asked.
The captain nodded. "You will notice that the guns are now pointed at
an angle which will carry the shell the farthest," he said.
"Is that the forty-five degree angle?" asked Alfred.
[Illustration: _Peculiarities of Trajectories_]
"Yes; if we elevate the guns the trajectory will be higher, but the
shot will fall short of the maximum; if the gun is depressed the shell
will fall nearer to the gun. After we have demolished everything at
long range, the forward end of the gun is lowered and a certain number
of shots fired, each gun swinging around a little to the right and to
the left, so as to reach all the spaces between the guns. Then the gun
is depressed still more, and at regular intervals this is repeated
until every foot of space from the longest range to the shortest in
front of us is searched out."
"But while the shots are coming closer and closer to our front lines
won't the Germans come up and occupy the spaces, just as before?"
asked Ralph.
"That is just what we want them to do," replied the lieutenant.
"Why so?" asked Alfred.
"Because, at a given signal, the guns are again raised at the highest
angle, and the result is that all who have ventured to come forward,
are trapped, and will be caught by the next sweep of shots as they are
brought forward," answered the lieutenant.
For more than five hours this incessant stream of shells continued
without interruption. The men at the guns were perspiring. The relief
crews were lying on the ground, some of them actually sleeping.
Occasionally the boys would see a squad arise, spring forward and take
their places, while those who had been serving the guns would drop back
exhausted in the shelters.
An orderly rode up and handed the captain a paper. He signaled the
lieutenant. "They are preparing for the charge," he said. "Come, come,
my men!"
They rushed down the hill, and stopped before the telephone booth,
which had been installed while the first assault was being carried out
in the forenoon. The operator was dictating information to an assistant.
"The batteries will commence close action at two o'clock. Commanders
will observe the strictest care as the columns move forward. The
curtain of fire will be in advance of the first line at least two
hundred meters. Scouts report heavy columns of enemy on the road to
Albert. All batteries east of hill 60 must concentrate on the ridge
behind hill 307, until the skirmishers are near."
"Low depression!" ordered the captain, as he glanced at his watch. The
boys noticed that it was now within ten minutes of two.
The excitement was intense. There were no men in the shelters now.
Those not on duty were near the crest of the ridge, shading their
eyes and glancing across the smoking fields. Two minutes passed. The
captain then marched out, followed by the officer and the boys. As they
reached the top of the hill the captain, watch in one hand, raised a
handkerchief with the other.
It did not seem possible that the din could increase, but it now
seemed to be intensified. Every gun was so low that the shells barely
missed the crest of the hill as they passed over. Five minutes,—ten
minutes,—it seemed an age.
"Look at the men along the river," shouted Ralph. "They are going
forward,—they have crossed the narrow field, and are running up the
hill. There is the second column. Why, they act as though they were
only having a practice drill."
No sooner had the first and second lines passed from view, than the
third columns were noticed, and behind them the reserves.
"Where did they all come from?" asked Alfred.