BOWERS IN ACTION
It was the fate of the American marines to be at the front at a moment
when the destiny of the modern world hung in the balance; and they
played a part that will be gratefully remembered in America, as well as
in western Europe, through generations to come.
During the day of fierce fighting, Hal and Chester had been in the
foremost of the fight. They had hugged down in ravines together and
together they had charged the German machine guns at the head of their
men.
Many officers fell in the early hours of the battle and long before
darkness cast its shadow over the battlefield captains and lieutenants
were occupying the posts of colonels and majors.
Nowhere in the field were there more competent officers than Hal and
Chester had long since proven themselves to be; and the company of
marines whose lot it fell to the lads to lead, soon placed the utmost
confidence in them.
This company, in whose ranks was Sergeant Bowers, had been one of the
first to get into the fight, and although the tired men would have
welcomed a moment's breathing space from time to time, they had no
breathing space.
It was this company which was the first to attack the enemy in Chateau
Thierry itself.
It was after one o'clock in the afternoon when the order came for the
men to leave the comparative shelter of the woods and move to the
attack. The men cheered wildly as the word was passed. They had been
lying down and plugging away at the enemy with their rifles. Now they
welcomed the chance that would bring them to hand grips. It was Chester
who gave the word:
"Forward!" he cried.
Instantly the men were on their feet and streaming from the woods into
the open place beyond. Their advance was greeted with a hail of
machine-gun fire, and high explosive shells burst to the right and to
the left of them, and in their midst. But the men were not dismayed;
they showed only a greater eagerness to get in close.
Chester waved his sword aloft as he urged his troops to greater efforts.
Hal, close beside his chum, also brandished his sword and flourished a
revolver in his left hand.
In this manner, in spite of the havoc wreaked in their lines by the
enemy fire, the marines charged upon the German lines before Chateau
Thierry.
The opposing lines met with a shock. Men stumbled forward; others reeled
back and dropped to the ground to rise no more. It was a terrible
spectacle, and Hal and Chester were right in the middle of it.
At this sort of fighting the Germans did not have a chance with the men
from America. Flower of the German army they were, but never before had
they encountered such determination, such recklessness and such an
unquenchable spirit as the marines displayed.
"Give it to 'em, boys!" shouted Hal, as he parried a thrust from a
German officer and fired his revolver in the man's face.
And give it to 'em the marines did!
The men had advanced, cheering; now they became strangely quiet, bending
all their energies toward subduing the foe. Slowly the Germans gave
ground.
Into the streets of the village the marines advanced on the very heels
of the enemy. Chester and Hal posted them in little groups at
advantageous points while, they awaited the arrival of reinforcements,
which even now could be seen advancing in the distance.
From a house to the left a machine gun crackled suddenly. Half a dozen
men near Hal tumbled over. Hal acted quickly.
"Sergeant Bowers!" he called sharply. "Take a dozen men and capture that
house! Stay," he added as Bowers hurried away, "I'll go with you."
With a word to Chester, Hal dashed after Sergeant Bowers and the dozen
men.
To reach the house it was necessary to brave the fire of the machine
gun, which covered the approach to the building. But this Hal did not
hesitate to order his men to do, for by no other means, he saw, could
the place be captured, and he realized, too, that it must be captured at
all hazards.
The machine gun spat viciously at the Americans, but they advanced
unflinchingly. Two men fell and two others cursed, by which Hal knew
they had been hit. So there were only ten men besides Hal and Sergeant
Bowers who reached the house, and two of these were wounded.
At the door of the building the Americans were out of range of the
machine gun, which still poured bullets over their heads. The door was
locked. Bowers and a private named Timothy put their shoulders to it and
it flew open with a crash.
"Upstairs, men!" cried Hal.
Bowers reached the steps first and sprang up three at a time. Hal and
the others were close behind him. At the top, Bowers led the way along
the narrow hall toward the room where the German machine gun was posted.
The door to this room also was locked. Again Bowers and Timothy brought
their sturdy shoulders into use and the door gave way beneath their
weight. At the moment of the crash, Hal shouted:
"Down on the floor, men!"
And it was well that he did so.
The German machine gunner within had acted just as Hal had surmised he
would. When he heard the intruders at the door, he turned his gun so
that it commanded the entrance; and when the door fell inward, he opened
fire.
But thanks to Hal's prompt action, the Americans escaped unscathed. From
his position on the floor, Hal raised his revolver, took careful aim and
fired. The German gunner inside the room threw up his hands, staggered
to his feet, spun around twice on his heel and rolled over like a log.
"All right, men," said Hal calmly. "Grab that gun."
So the gun was in the possession of the Americans, and it had been
captured with the loss of only two men.
Hal approached the window and looked out. He saw Chester and his men
forming to repel an attack that the enemy was about to launch. The
reinforcements had not arrived yet and Chester's company faced the
alternative of standing firm in the face of superior numbers or
retiring. Hal saw that Chester had determined to fight it out.
"Foolish, perhaps," he told himself, "but I don't blame him. Well, maybe
I can help a bit. Bowers!" The sergeant saluted. "Train the gun on the
enemy advancing there," Hal continued. "They make a good target. We
should be able to break up the attack with this single gun."
Bowers needed no urging. With his own hands he whirled the gun about so
it again pointed through the window. Then, without waiting for further
orders, he opened fire.
The steady stream of machine-gun bullets opened a wide gap in the ranks
of the oncoming enemy. As quickly as these gaps were filled by reserve
troops, the gun manned by Bowers mowed them down again. There was a
slight smile on Bowers' face.
"You will make us come three thousand miles to settle this argument,
will you?" he muttered. "Well, you'll get more than you bargained for,
Fritz; much more!"
Under the hail of bullets from the single machine gun and the rifle fire
from Chester's troops below, the German line wavered along its entire
length. Then the Germans broke and fled.
At the same moment, the first of the marine reinforcements poured into
the streets of the village.
But Chateau Thierry had not yet been entirely cleared of the enemy. From
the windows of many houses German snipers, singly and in groups, picked
off the Americans from these shelters. Hal, glancing from the window,
was able to see better than was Chester below the points where lay the
greatest danger to the marines.
"Bowers!" he called.
The sergeant stepped forward.
"See that house across the street?" asked Hal, pointing.
"Yes sir!"
"Good! You take five men and clean up the Germans there. I'll take the
other five and drive out the enemy stationed in the house next to it."
"Very good, sir."
Bowers turned and called five marines by name. The men gathered around
him and the sergeant led the way from the house. Hal, with his five
marines, sallied forth after the others.
On the street, the force divided, Sergeant Bowers and his men dashed up
the steps of the first house, burst open the door and disappeared
within. Hal led his men next door.
As it developed, Hal had picked out the most difficult task for Sergeant
Bowers and his men. As the door burst in under the blows of the marines,
Sergeant Bowers, in advance, saw that the lower hall was filled with
Germans.
But it was too late to draw back now. Besides, the lives of many
Americans outside lay in the hands of these foes should the little party
of Americans fail to conquer them.
"Down, men!" cried the sergeant, and the first volley from the Germans
passed harmlessly over their heads.
"Fire!" shouted Sergeant Bowers, and from their positions flat on the
floor the five marines swung their rifles into position and blazed away.
The Germans received the bullets standing. Apparently they had no leader
of such quick decision as Sergeant Bowers.
"Up and at them!" shouted the sergeant.
With a cheer the little handful of marines obeyed orders.
Another volley the Germans fired, but their nerves appeared to have been
shattered and the bullets went wild with one exception. A ball pierced
Sergeant Bowers' left shoulder.
With a yell of anger, Sergeant Bowers hurled his empty revolver into the
very faces of the enemy and dashed forward with his naked hands, his big
fingers twisting spasmodically.
"Shoot me, will you?" he howled. "Shoot me, will you? Take that!"
He struck out with his great right fist and one German soldier crumpled
up and slid gently to the floor.
"Shoot me, will you?" yelled the sergeant again.