Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 280, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 December 1917 — Hoosier Sends the First U. S. Shot Into Germany [ARTICLE]

Hoosier Sends the First U. S. Shot Into Germany

South Bend Man Is Hero of Initial Action by the Americans. GEORGIAN GIVES THE ORDER Indiana Sergeant Pulls the Lanyard Which Starts Persjiing’s Attack on the Kaiser’s Armies— Americans All Eager for Action, llf American Field Headquarters In France. —Indiana and Georgia divide the honor of having inaugurated America’s land warfare against the Germans. A sergeant from South tiend., Ind., pulled the lanyard to send the first shell tearing across the valley in the direction of the German positions. A Georgia lieutenant gave the order “fire!” The facts were established during the first visit paid by a correspondent to the first American battle front. The correspondent reached the American position after a long motor ride through shell-battered towns. Leaving the motor in one of the towns, he walked the nest of the way. The first American battery was almost walked upon before it was discovered. It was so well hidden under the trees and with foliage about it on a low-hung wire netting. Gun of .75 Caliber Used.

Through the foliage in every direction the ground was undulating. At that moment there was a flash of flame through the mist. —lt was the crack of a .75 gun, and following it closely came the noise of the shell rushing through the air, becoming fainter and fainter as the projectile went on its way to the German position over the crest of a hill farther away. The muddigging artillerists continued their work without even looking up. A lieutenant from Georgia emerged. He was the officer who directed the first shot. He led the way down the slippery, muddy hill to a dugout covered over with sandbags and logs. There was met a lieutenant from Indiana of the same battery who directed the first 1.8 shots of the war against Germany from an observation point. On the other side of the hill was found the first gun fired. The muddy gunners were hard at w’ork cleaning their gun.

“This was the first gun fired in the war,” the jaunty lieutenant said. “The sergeant inside the pit there fired it.” Looking into the pit, the lieutenant said: “Sergeant, where are you from?” He’s From South Bend. A husky voice replied: “I’m from South Bend, Ind.” “Are you Irish?” asked the lieutenant. “No, sir,” the sergeant laughingly replied. At this time orders came for this gun and others of the battery placed tn nearby hills in sight and sound of each other to commence firing. The gun on the farthest hill went off with a roar and a faint stream of smoke was blown backward from the pit. Inside the pit in which the correspondent stood a voice shouted out the range figures and the lieutenant repeated them. A voice inside the pit a moment later yelled that the gunner was ready to fire. The lieutenant gave the command to the gunners: “Watch your bubble." The lieutenant, who was standing on a pile of mud which had been removed from the pit, cautioned those about him to place their fingers in their ears. This was done and the lieutenant shouted the word “Fire I” 1 The gun barked quickly, the noise being followed by a metallic clank and the shell case was ejected and the gun made ready for the next load. The lieutenant told the correspondent the story of the first shot of the war, punctuating the narrative throughout with the orders “ready to fire,” and “fire,” Which ea<h time was followed by the repont of the gun and the whizz of the shell.

“We came up the night before,” the lieutenant said, “and got into position in a driving rain. No horses had arrived. I was anxious to get oft the first gun and so were my men. I asked them if they were willing to haul the gun by hand to this place so that we could get the first crack at the Germans. They agreed unanimously, so we set out across the fields until we got over there at the base of that hill you can just see in the haze. Hours to Prepare Gun. “We had a hard time getting the gun, which we have not name'd yet, over those shell craters. But we labored for many hours and finally reached the spot. Then I got permission to fire. “Strictly speaking, the first shot, which was in the nature of a tryout for the gun, simply went into Germany. The sergeant put a high explosive shell there at 6:15 o’clock in the morning.” Another officer here took up the narrative. “I was in an observation point,” he said. “There was a fog as the first shot went singing over. Suddenly the fog lifted and I saw a group of Germans. I directed my gun at them. The Shrapfcel bupst overhead and they p dive into the ground like so many rabbits.” The lifeptenant grinned broadly, shook the water oft his shrapnel helmet, and using both clinched fists to

punctuate his remarks, said expressively: “It was great.” From' the artillery line's to the infantyir trenches was a considerable distance over more muddy hills. The correspondent found the Infantry inside the trenches. There also were many wires which ran into switchboards, and American and French operators were sitting side by side directing operations. Bell for Gae Attack. A guide is necessary to reach the first line, especially when some of the trenches resemble Irrigation ditches. The trenches the Americans are occupying begin from a screened position. On the way there shovels and tools were piled high below a hill on which there was a great bell for giving the alarm Jn case of a gas attack. There under cover were the company cooks busy warming up food that had been brought up In wagons. Following the guide, the way winds in and out from left to right for many yards between Interwoven branches that have been placed on the sides of the frenches. The American privates in the front splashed through without hesitating, sometimes getting a footing on stepping stones in the muddy water and sometimes not. The trench turns sharply to the right and a voice warns, “Keep your head down,” and the rest of the way the walking is difficult. Halting near a machine gun, the German positions directly opposite on a hill could be seen across the barbed wire of No Man’s land. Lights appeared in a little town to the left.

There is a sort of a gentleman’s agreement in this sector that towns over the line are not to be shelled. If one side violates the agreement the other side promptly fires shell for shell into a hostile town. General Sibert, who has just completed a tour of the trenches, was asked how the morale of the Americans in the trenches was. He replied: “Morale? How could the morale of Americans be anything but good?”