Show 3 A ABY BY GENERAL 1 ARED WHITE A D j I w u U. U RL i w TilE STOUT STORY SO FAR FAH Intelligence Officer Hennings Henning's s 's war warning nine that troops were poised In Mexico for or an attack on the states Statu caused crave grave concern In army head bud headquarters quarters but the people branded the statement as war mongering He De had bad Just returned from Mexico City where w re 7 7 W WC CHAPTER I C X Continued X As the commanders scattered to to- toward toward toward ward their station wagons and mill mili military tary sedans the bright sky festered into a hideous hiss of ot sound It came crashing In out of ot the dis dis- tance The car could trace Its course as it settled toward the earth An instants instant's silence and the ground trembled under the impact of ot high explosive A geyser of ot muddy brown earth shot skyward the air filled r with the mighty detonation The departing commanders gave i an anxious look at the spout of ot dirt i i. i but changed neither gait nor pos pos- ture General Mole calmly touched a match to the stub of his cigar yF and gave several vindictive puffs Well Wen theres there's the first shot he muttered Sounded to me like a i range long long ranga baby bah y probably from t. t twenty or thirty miles mUes r An observation plane radioed In Inthe inthe the information Van Hassek's heavy artillery had set up north of ot the Nueces Mole offered no com com- ment There was nothing he could do about it until the enemy came e within range of ot his howitzers His own millimeter cannons good for fifteen miles had yet to be mold mold- molded ed mounted tested and delivered to the Army As for his airplanes there was no taking further risks over Van Hassek's moving columns It didn't I matter that the air service had sent I in the crack combat groups from all three of ot its It powerful wings Nor that American pilots pilot and gunners had proved themselves this morning much more than a match for theVan the theVan theVan Van Hassek airmen The American squadrons had paid a heavy price for their swoops against Van Hassek's invaders Into one anti-aircraft anti trap after another the Americans had fallen tallen The first big shell fell In an n empty field well back from the Seconds Second's front lines A second shot followed quickly and the business of long long- range cannonading settled down Into glum racking routine From a range of approximately two twenty-two miles mUes observation reported The Van Varl Hassek columns were still rolling t forward in a great tortuous martial serpent whose tail taU reached far back l f across the Rio Grande Into Mexico Y The ten thousand men of the divi divI- division divIsion division sion worked feverishly through the hot afternoon deepening and extend extend- extending extending extending ing their trenches adjusting gun po po- po- po They pretended indifference to the roar of ot Van Hassek's artillery artil artil- artillery artillery lery to the frequent spurting foun foun- fountains fountaIns fountains of earth that rose hideously about them In mid afternoon one r shell caught a full squad of men who In a flash were shreds of ot flesh A stark reminder of ot what was to tor r come But the men who saw this tragedy went stubbornly on with their work Out of the distance came the rum rum- rumble rumble rumble ble of light American artillery The firing came from the Frio Frid Riv Riv- River River River er which meant that Major Randt commanding was potting at the head of the main attack force The sound of Van Hassek's counter-battery counter as- as assault assault asSault sault wafted in fifteen minutes lat lat- i. i t. t er It rose r rose se in volume The artillery artil- artil N lery duel went on growing In via lence which told the whole Second Division that the intrepid Randt was forcing the Van Hassek advance w guard to extend Itself Firing broke out to the north and south on the extreme flanks At the division command post Mole and his I staff stall waited on these actions with 1 tense nerves Three o'clock was wasl wast near If Van Hassek's Invaders rs l t could be delayed much longer they ti would not be able to deliver their attack in force against the Second before daybreak General Mole and his staff made madean f an estimate of the situation Moles Mole's jaded face tace brightened in a moments moment's J exultation as his staff unanimously t agreed with his own deduction TheVan The Thc Thet t Van Hassel commanders Hasselt-commanders commanders would not be able to attack now until morn morn- a. k ing Their advanced divisions had r not even started into assembly areas r fur for battle deployment Il t That means weve we've delayed them one day without a fight Mole cx- cx exi iv L i claimed It gives us a real chance m i f t of ot getting through tomorrow with with- without without out getting blown out of ot our shoes After that that we we will see what we will see But what a hell of a pounding fr i. r were we're in for tonight without any f anti aircraft and range long artil artillery z lery When the hot Texas sun supped slipped down to the horizon through the haze hazen in n the west a furious roar of ot mo mo- motors motors motors tors swept the Second Division The Ther Ther r r ot enemy attack planes flying an altitude of less than five hun hun- hundred hundred hundred dred feet struck with the sharp bite of ot forked lightning Over the Infantry's sector the attack planes appeared close enough to be hit bit with a hand Men gaped after atter the apparition or orS S ducked Into their holes In the ground S 1 against the tho menace of ot fragmentation I tion bombs But there came no ex ex- I The enemy had not opened up with their machine guts S. Gas Gass t The warning outcry rose In vol vol- volume volume volt ume from two thousand throats Ter Ter- Terror Terror Terror froze Croze on mens men's faces Officers j J J INSTALLMENT TEN he be had acted as AI a spy and aDd gained the confidence of Fin FIncke eke and Bravot two enemy officers Suddenly four large bru southern louthern dUes clues were attacked from UN Wa air Washington was wu bombed and the President killed National forces were ordered mobilized mobilised but they were W iii equipped d for Immediate action General Genera y barked orders noncoms raged at their men Stay put Discipline slowly but surely prevailed over the hot impulse Im Im- Impulse Impulse pulse of self sell Men dove Into their trenches to bury their faces in the earth or ripped off their cotton shirts and wound them doused with water about their faces Gas Gas and and not a gas mask in the entire regiment regiment only only ninety in the whole division and those for demon demon- demonstration demonstration purposes in training tests What type of gas had the Van Hassek barbarians put down Ob Ob- Obviously ObvIously Obviously not a mustard or persistent gas The Van Hassek infantry would not want the sector contaminated In the morning when they launched their attack to blast the Americans out of position A noncom caught the answer as his eyes burned into tears Tear gas he shouted The sector commander cursed again and trotted off to the left im im- imparting imparting im- im imparting parting a show of deliberation to his gait Gas officers were making their calculations of what appeared a new gas Scores of men afflicted with a and burns that might extend over several days would have to be evacuated to the hospital at San Antonio for treat treat- treatment ment Overhead the American aviation was redoubling its efforts The Pursuit Squadron was hawking over the sector The Pursuit Squad Squad- Squadron ron was patrolling to the front That audacious attack flight of Van Has Has- Hassek's Hassek's sek's had used Its heels to get away Y v vy y ks r ra a t s 's j jt t t M y e dF Moles Mole's jaded face brightened Intact The American pilots were sharply alert against a second such surprise Reinforcements flew up from Kelly Field Overhead the American aviation was redoubling its efforts Pursuit and observation squadrons had flown in from Louisiana and Virginia Oth Oth- Other er planes were en route from Cali Calf fornia At the division command post General Mole and his staff grimly watched the fading tading light of ot day There was a tightening of tension throughout the sectors as dusk slow slow- slowly slowly slowly ly engulfed them and deepened into night range Long-range artillery pounded away laconically tearing great cra cra- craters craters in the Seconds Second's artillery area and hitting near the divisions division's main mainline mainline mainline line of resistance and back in the bivouacs of the reserves This told Mole that enemy observation planes had photographed his positions In hi detail detail and and confirmed the hint of what must be expected during the night Evident it was as the enemy pur pur- purpose purpose purpose pose unfolded itself Its ell that Van Has Has- Hassek Hassek Hassek sek did not mean menn to brook delay With the preponderance of ot force held by llis is column he had bad no need to wait For that matter it hardly made sense within the Van Hassek line of ot military reasoning that the Second Division would commit com com- commit commit mit the brash audacity of ot a serious fight in front of ot San Antonio With With- Withdrawal Withdrawal would be only the logical I course for the Americans and Van Hassek had bad no reason to expect I anything more than a a. a few tew holding I battalions at daybreak resistance that would roll up In a n hurry and I scatter before his massed assault waves Bombers flying In altitude be be- between between tween eight thousand and ten thou thou- thousand thousand sand The warning came In from an ob observation o oh- oh plane a few minutes after alter nine It merely confirmed Moles Mole's fears Fast on the heels of ot the warning came the devastating roar of ot a heavy bomb The earth churned under the roar of successive successive sive explosions A squadron of ot nine nine bombers air service reported us us- using usIng using ing an estimated three hundred pound bomb which would have a Drill Brill commander of the army In Texas Tens reported to General Hague at Washing Washing- Washington ton that he be was wu opposed by greatly su a superior perlor forces for 1 but was ordered to resist rubt at all costs General Mole division com eom- commander commander mander prepared to make the best but of a desperate situation Now continue with the story x fragmentation and shock effect A second enemy squadron was report report- reported ed flying in The warning buzzed out over the field wire to the sectors Men were to take cover as best they could More range long-range artillery opened up Night became another volcanic bed bed- bedlam bedlam bedlam lam the Seconds Second's position a raging inferno that drove men huddling into their holes to claw frantically under undera a maddening impulse to dig their way down down out of ot It all aU At At- Attack Attack Attack tack flights roared over released fragmentation bombs attached to parachutes small parachutes small bombs that cx- cx exploded on coming to earth It confirmed Moles Mole's theory that Van Hassek expected an American withdrawal This enemy blow fell at exactly the hour the Second would be pulling out If such had been its Intention In the Infantry sector a bomb estimated a six hundred fell fel In rear of ot a company position with a devastating force that re re- reduced reduced re- re reduced seventeen men to speechless trembling impotence though no man was wounded Later they were re re- reported reported re- re reported ported slowly recovering their wits from the shock and were not Van Hassek's planes were operating operatIng operating ing without lights American pur pur- pursuit pursuit suit hawks buzzed about but were Ineffective In the darkness Van Has Has- Hassek's Hassek's Hassek's sek's fury rose and fell intermit intermit- intermittently intermittently intermittently then slowly dwindled away Into a mere barking of some long- long range artillery that was pounding the roads Into San Antonio The clash of musketry far out In front brought an anticlimax to the crimson hurricane Van Hassek pa pa- patrols patrols patrols were pressing the American outposts seeking Information of an American withdrawal that had not occurred Half Hall a dozen Van Hassek riflemen rI emen were gobbled up by the Infantry outpost and shunted back for question Over the field wire Moles Mole's staff stall checked casualties at eleven The bombardment had killed only 71 men wounded Another 80 were numbed by shock Three had been stripped of their wits and sent back in driveling madness for evacuation Mole nodded his head approvingly at this small toll It did not sur sur- surprise surprise surprise prise him that tha t he had lost so few men to the Van Hassek strafing This was not Moles Mole's first battle ba tle In France he had learned arned l how frugal can be the nights night's harvest of artil artil- artillery artillery artillery lery and bombardment Ive been talking to Brill at San Antonio Mole told his assembled staff when he bad had completed his newest estimate Fort Sam Hou Hou- Houston Houston Houston ston took another air beating to tonight night Our air ah- service has been forced to abandon Kelly and Ran Ran- Randolph Randolph dolph Fields Galveston got a dose of mustard gas tonight after our Anti Aircraft Regiment there shot down an enemy bomber Its It's all unspeakably horrible horrible but but my mind has had so many jolts I just cant can't feel things any longer General Mole staggered but caught himself The light in his un un- unquenchable unquenchable unquenchable quenchable eyes burned steady i through the toxins of fatigue There had been a lapse in his memory now n vi I he picked d up the gap Put the Guard infantry in reserve just south of San Antonio Also keep the mechanized cavalry out to look after our flanks I am going to turn In for some sleep but dont don't hesitate to call me if 11 anything important de de- de- de Otherwise call me ipe when the enemy preparation fire puts down on onus onus onus us In the morning Good night gen gen- CHAPTER XI First Lieutenant Boynton In In- Infantry Infantry fantry lay sprawled on the ground his eyes strained Into the first gray gray- graying grayIng ing light of approaching dawn Above the thunder of the enemy ar ar- artillery artillery ar- ar artillery tillery preparation he could feel the pounding of his heart against the drums of ot his car ear Behind that curtain of ot fire and thunder Boynton knew the Van Hassek Has Has- Hassek sek infantry was moving forward to the assault From his bis position out in front of the American outpost line it was Boynton's job to discover the attack and fall back to the out out- outpost outpost outpost post with twenty riflemen of his who lay Immediately behind him Boynton's eyes caught an instants instant's glimpse of ot Infantry men silhouetted against the sheet-lightning sheet of ot artil artillery lery flashes Not more than a hun hun- hundred hundred hundred dred yards away he estimated the enemy Infantrymen He slipped sUpped the safety lock of ot his service automatic and lifted the weapon in front of ot othIs his face His men long tense and ready fitted the butts of ot their new semiautomatic automatic rifles against their shoulders and waited Like a ship looming suddenly out of f a thick fog there came into view the weaving shadows that were the flesh and blood of ot moving infantry A spurt of flame name leaped from the th I muzzle of Boynton's pistol It re re- released leased the up pent-up rage of ot twenty Garand Carand rifles which sent a stream of lead pouring into those shadow o a 0 athe the night TO BE DE CONTINUED 0 1 |