Our Despatches from the Front (No. 157).
Page 18
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A Night Run in the Vosges Under Enemy Machine-gun Fire.
WITH A FRENCH ANBULANC.E UNIT.
9th April, 1917.
Up in these mountains we are still getting frozen to death, but oceasion.ally we are " warmed up" to some extent. One of Mir most frequent rung is over the mountains to W—, some 30 odd kilometres .away. We set out just before sunset and almost immediately the road begins to rise on the long pull up the S . The road is wonderfully engineered and is kept in good condition; for all transport depends on the roads in these mountainous districts. Nevertheless, it is a good car which can make Hie. climb on third gear, and should there be much snow at the fop of the pass it will be a case of first gear—and possibly a mule or two to give a little extra power.
Waiting to Run the Gauntlet.
Two nights ago I found a foot of loose snow there, and only by charging it all. out on first guar could we get through. The horse transport had cut deep ruts, and steering was impessible despite a chain on the near front wheel. However, we managed to get. over the summit, and as we dropped down-the other side into the valley we left the snow behind. The road winds through thick pine forests until about half-way down, so this is as far as we can go in daylight, and at the barrier here we join a -weird collection of vehicles waiting for nightfall. Horse transport, -mule transport, cannons, all are waiting .to run the gauntlet, for the road is absolutely open for halt a mile, and the Boches are rather less than the same distance away. At last the sentry decides it is dark enough and we get away
first, taking that half-mile "
• out," rather. risky as shell-holes abound,and although -We know their position pretty well, yet we do not know if there are any new ones. Once at the bottom we are comparatively safe, although a noisy car is apt to draw a few rou.nds of machine-gun fire. Star shells are flickering up continuously, but although one feels that it is asdight as day and the ear must look as big as .a battleship, it must take a good pair of eyes to spot us.
Now we turn to the left and another long zig-zag climb begins. No lights can be used, of course, and even a cigarette-end draws unwelcome attention from anodd -sniper. The range of the hairpin turns is known to a nicety to the
Niche gunners, and even should it be a quiet night this part of the run is no joke on account of the shell-holes and the danger of 'getting stuck in them and becoming a target for every unoccupied sniper.
Sniper's Corner.
We ;feel our way up on second gear, the second driver sitting on
the off-wing. A low whistle coining out of the blackness .warns us that something is descending, and we slow to a crawl to pass. Then up goes a star shell, seeming to come out of the ground at our very feet, and. we See that another hundred 'yards brings us to Sniper's Corner. This is one of the hairpins on the outside of the mountain,the side nearest to brother Boche, and its name is self-explanatory. We hang back until the star shell is giving its last fli'ater, and then charge madly at the hairpin. " Now," 41IS the man on the wing, ;and we lock over and Skid round ; the worst bit is safely over.
Soon we reach ,the pine forest again, but it is very different here. -A forest of battered stumps, with here and there a whole tree, it ..Adoes not seek. possible. that man's handiwak could work such havoc; rather ninSt soine Mysterious plague haYe passed this way. sentrylooms up out of the gloom and ...challenges in a low voice; _then we turn' off the roadarid creep cautiouslyover a rough . track --through the battered tree stumps. Outside large dugout we stop :and turn cautiously round, making. as little" noise as possible. The wounded are hurried in and we creep off on the return journey.