CHAPTER VII
IN A "BABY TANK"
So the American advance continued.
With the supporting columns of infantry that now came forward wereseveral score of small armored tractors, commonly called "tanks."Because of the fact that these small machines, unlike their largercounterparts, were capable of holding only two men--a gunner and apilot--they were called "two-men tanks," or more commonly, "baby tanks."
As an engine of warfare, the "tank," an American invention primarily,had made itself famous when General "Bingo" Byng led his British troopsforward in the Cambrai battlefield, long before the United Statesentered the war. There were few tanks in the field in those days, butsince their effectiveness was proven at Cambrai, thousands had beenadded to the Allied forces.
The "baby tanks" came later but proved quite as effective. They wereable to penetrate places that were proof against their largercounter-parts, and now there was scarcely a division of British, Frenchor American troops in the field that did not have its tank corps.
As the foremost American troops, among which was Hal, now pursued theenemy, the American "baby tanks" came waddling forward, their gunsbelching fire as they advanced.
A short distance beyond Dun the German general staff, realizing that theAmericans could not be stopped in the village, had hastily thrown up awandering system of trenches, and to these the enemy now retired.
Immediately General Lawrence ordered a halt, that he might better bringhis own lines into cohesion.
The American and German artillery, hastily rushed up, continued thestruggle at long distance.
An hour later, Hal, returning toward his own place in the line,accompanied by the marine who had killed the German machine gunner, cameabreast of a "baby tank." The tank appeared perfectly intact, but thelad knew at a glance that there was no crew within.
"I wonder why?" he muttered, and stopped to investigate.
The small door that served as an entrance was open. Hal peered in. Themarine who was with him also stopped.
"Where's the crew, sir?" he asked.
"You know as much about them as I do," was Hal's reply.
"Maybe they've gone after 'gas,'" said the marine.
Hal climbed in and examined the petrol reservoir.
"Plenty of gas," he said.
He examined the other mechanism carefully.
"Nothing wrong so far as I can see," he declared. "However, it's none ofour business. We'll be moving on."
But at that moment came from General Lawrence's portion of the field thecall for a general advance. Hal glanced around quickly. He was stillsome distance from his own post, and he saw his men start forward undercommand of Lieutenant Edgerton. It was unlikely that he would be able toovertake them. He turned to the marine.
"What's your name?" he demanded.
"Bowers, sir."
"All right. Bowers. Do you know anything about these tanks?"
"Not much, sir. I can drive an automobile or an airplane, and I'vewatched these things work. Guess I could run one if I had to."
"Well, you can work the gun, can't you?" Hal wanted to know.
"You bet I can, sir, and I'll guarantee not to miss very often. Are youthinking of boarding this craft, sir?"
"I am," said Hal. "We seem to be out of the fight right now. It's up tous to get into it again. Climb in, man."
Bowers boarded the tank with alacrity and deposited himself beside thesingle machine gun. Hal perched himself in the pilot's seat and openedthe throttle. The tank moved forward.
In the distance, both to right and left, Hal saw other tanks waddlingforward. They were all still too far from the enemy to do any greatdamage, but they were ambling forward as swiftly as their peculiarconstruction would permit, all anxious to approach within strikingdistance.
In front, the American infantry, with absolute disregard for the Germanartillery bombardment, dashed for the enemy trenches. They climbed in,and even from where Hal was the lad could see the signs of terriblecombat within.
But the American charge had not been made in sufficient force. True, theGermans were driven from their improvised trenches, but the Yankeeforces at the extreme front were numerically too small to pursue theiradvantage. They waited quietly for the arrival of reinforcements.
Straight into the erstwhile trenches the tank driven by Hal now nosedits way. Its appearance was received with cheers by the men. Then itwaddled crazily forward in pursuit of the foe.
Hal was not given to unnecessary recklessness, and the fact that headvanced now while the bulk of the American troops remained beyond wasnot due to any spirit of foolishness. In passing, Hal was not aware ofthe fact that the most advanced troops were awaiting reinforcements. Hethought that they would continue the pursuit at once. Therefore, inspite of the cries to stop that were raised behind, the tank ambled on.
Then, so suddenly that it seemed that a curtain of blackness had beenthrown about them, a fog descended over the field.
In the advance of the tank, the German artillery and machine guns hadbeen busy. A mine or two had exploded near the machine. Hal had beenstruck in the left hand by a tiny bit of shrapnel that found its waythrough one of the loopholes, but so slightly that the skin had onlybeen bruised.
Hal put the snout of the tank over the edge of a hill in the fog, butstopped in time to keep from end-over-ending down. Then he felt his waycarefully down hill by a roundabout road.
In the valley beyond there were machine gun nests and one seventy-sevenfield piece and some wandering trenches. In the hillside overhead werescores of burrow-like dugouts in which Germans had fortified themselves.
In this direction Hal still guided his tank, confident that the Americanforces also were advancing under cover of the fog.
Among the thousand shattering noises of battle, the approach of the tankhad not been noticed. Suddenly the fog lifted, and for the first timeHal was conscious of the fact that his baby tank was unsupported byother tanks, or infantry, although the big American guns still soundedfrom behind. Nevertheless, Hal knew that the American advance was likelyto be resumed at any minute.
In spite of the lifting of the fog, the approach of the tank was stillunperceived by the enemy. It is a constant source of wonder to tankcrews that this happens so often. Locked up in their steel chamber andwith a hammering gun they feel their roaring progress must herald themafar. Yet it often happens that they creep upon the enemy as thoughtheir beast had been shod with velvet.
Hal saw the flare of the "77" and headed toward it. Bowers turned astream of fire on it and the gun went out of action.
The tank lurched on toward a long windrow of rusted wire. The wire shonered in the sun that had come out to dispel the fog. In successivealterations of the defense, it had been made into a pile fifty feetlong, by twenty broad, and four feet high.
"Looks like a machine-gun nest to me!" called Bowers.
But Hal still guided the machine toward the spot.
Suddenly a veritable hail of bullets poured upon the tank and rattledharmlessly off the steel sides.
Hal stopped the tank.
"You're right," he called to Bowers. "It's a nest, all right."
For the next ten minutes, as Hal expressed it later, "we just sat thereand took it."
An anti-tank rifle was brought into play by the Germans. This weapon wasa monster indeed, fully seven feet long and forty pounds in weight--not,perhaps, a monster as compared with heavy siege guns and heavyartillery, but a mammoth for an anti-tank gun. But the anti-tank's riflebullets likewise failed to pierce the living-room of the tank, althoughthey did cut through the running gear in one or two spots that were notvital.
Hal and Bowers ducked down so that they would not be struck by sliversshould they come through the eye-slits in the tank.
"We're in a tight place, sir," called Bowers.
"Right," Hal agreed. "We don't want to take too many chances peekingthrough the eye-holes while those bullets are hitt
ing around us likethis. Great Scott! Listen! It sounds like someone was hitting the skinwith a sledge hammer at the rate of fifty blows a second."
A sliver suddenly spun through a porthole and struck Bowers on the hand.The wound was slight but painful. Bowers wrung his numbed hand insilence.
"Hurt much?" asked Hal.
"No, sir. I'll be all right in a second."
But the hand wasn't all right in a second. It was still too numb topermit of handling the gun.
"There isn't any use of our being here unless we can do some good," Halcalled. "I'm afraid you can't work that gun any longer, Bowers."
"I can drive," was Bowers' reply.
So the two changed places, Hal going into the gunners turret.
This to Hal was one of the worst moments of the battle, for tankers fitas closely into tanks as snails in their shells. It was with an effortthat Hal and Bowers crawled past each other, for there were severalpainful moments when two bodies occupied the space that was a tight fitfor one. But they managed it.
Bowers waggled the tank out into the open and headed for the nest ofannoying gunners, and Hal will always have respect for these gunners.
In spite of their failure against the tank, the Prussians died withtheir hands on their guns. Others ran away and the tank was checked inits progress, while Hal poured volley after volley at the fleeing foes.
Suddenly Hal was arrested by a shout from Bowers.
"Hey! What's that?" cried the marine.
Looking a trifle to the left, Hal saw four Germans wearing Red Crossuniforms, carrying something on a litter.
"That's a mighty funny-looking stretcher," said Bowers. "Have a shot atit."
"Not a chance," replied Hal. "They're Red Cross workers."
"That's a funny-looking litter," said Bowers, unconvinced. "Take myadvice and shoot."
Then, suddenly, without further words, Hal turned his gun on the fourmen, in spite of their Red Cross uniforms, and fired.
"And just in time!" muttered Bowers to himself.