| Show WAR TAr TA P Y K EXPERT TO ADVISE U U. U S. S T apt Capt Charles Sweeney Who Commanded French Battery Is in Washington Will WILL HELP ORDNANCE STAFF French rench Tank Likened to Giant Hog Creeping Forward Forward Straddles J. J Trenches Crushes Through Barbed Wire and Rakes t. t Foe With Guns Washington The The The French Infantry that has been winning so much ground In uIn the Champagne region of late Is Isad ad advancing anc ng as a supporting force to In rous batteries of caterpillar tractors tractors trac trae- tors tors- tors or tanks n like hog-like in appear- appear n c that cree creep forward with a persistency per per- y which the German troops re- re mining m shell-battered shell trenches t check and which assure the i of protection as they dig In I upon their advanced lines So that an American army can know about these tanks If sent abroad Capt r cs Sweeney a native Oe of Spokane r Wash Vasho and a member of the Foreign fit r rr rt r I r t 5 i a vV Capt Charles Sweeney Legion of the French army array Is now in Washington D. D C. C where he will assist ordnance exp experts in preparing similar land cruisers for service He returned recently from France where his assignment of late h had been with witha i a n battery of tanks r J.- J. Captain Sweeney Is a Ve West t Pointer but when the fighting began he was h found la in the French h arm army army He lie started f as as a's S a private In the Infantry He wanted wantI wanted want want- I ed d to V be e In the thick of It It so chose that branch of the service and during ill Is campaigning was In many battles He Ee was awarded the cross of the I Le- Le e- e gion glon of f Honor for valor and promoted to lieutenant t when single handed he capt captured a machine gun and six Ger- Ger 1 mans V Very ry little has been written In this or 11 any country regarding the French tanks The first few used by the lie French I rench army went Into action about the same time the British put theirs An In the the field 1 It w was s not until the great grent f- f w- w offensive began this spring that the 0 trotted forward In support of great greut numbers of their tanks tanks zan zan f ans as they called them The best way to describe a Fr French tank tunk Is to compare It with a giant hog kneeling so tl that at Its short legs cannot be seen and ana creeping forward as ns It roots In the ground Bullets Do Not Harm Them f. f A rain of lead pours from Its sides V ns als It proceeds and heavier shot and r F shell hell are arc showered upon upun any position v where machine guns of ot the Germans flay remain In action actton as it stra straddles II the enemy nem trench Only by landing a n shell directly upon a n tank can It be put pul out of commission Bullets from German rapid and th the Infantry Infantry In In- fantry rifles are powerless Hand grenades do It It no damage Exactly how the French get the tanks to their first line Une trenches In preparation for tor attack is a n secret and for the present nothing on that phase of the use of them can be published The well trained and riflemen are arc ready when It Is time t to start and upon the signal the tank gets Into action Artillery pr preparations precede the advance ad of tanks As the time approaches approaches approaches ap ap- ap- ap for the start the barbed wire entanglement directly in front front of the line first trench Is cut That Is done under cover of ot darkness Then over the trench goes the tank and all is ready teady for the Invasion of No Mans Man's Land Shelling by the French artillery has silenced the th enem enemy's s cannon and when the commanding officer decides that the remaining Germans in m n the first line Une and supporting trenches are sufficiently demoralized the signal to advance is given One can fancy the picture pIcture pIcture-a a line Une of monster steel contraptions contraptions contraptions con con- creeping forward The of the tanks tank's machine machine ma ma- chine guns begins when outposts of the German defenders empty the chambers of their magazine rifles by byway byway byway way of alarm and try to retreat from their observation points Just In front of ot the barbed wire Then the tanks i arrive at the barbed wire and by sheer weight crush It and roll 1011 onward to the first line trench The caterpillar wheels allow v the tank to straddle the German trench It is IR halted and a n cross fire poured into the line Une The emplacements of German machine guns are arc literally blasted away b by p the field pieces that are mounted In the tanks and the enemy reserve Infantry mowed down by jy machine gun fire as they crawl from their communication trenches trench s. s At a signal from the commander of ot each tank the French supporting Infantry Infantry infantry In In- fantry rushes forward If all goes I well the ground is Is' cleared of the enemy enemy ene ene- my and the reach the trench wIth a minimum loss Then the second second sec sec- ond ontI line is taken The advance continues continues continues con con- until t the enemy line Une Is all captured captured captured cap cap- going forward a greater or less distance according to the nature of the he ground Tanks ranks cannot attack batteries batteries batteries bat bat- teries of artillery and therefore their work is accomplished when the trenches are cleared With the adva advance ce of ot the French Infantry Infantry infantry In In- fantry positions there Is a relative advance of supporting artillery In the rear and a consequent retreat by the German artillery e Manned by Picked Soldiers Tanks are considered considered as ns the property property prop prop- erty of the Infantry and the are proud of them To be assigned to toa toa toa a a a banging bang-banging war chariot mal makes makes the Frenchman hap happy py If the American army adopts such fighting machines the first-class first privates will be given the hon honor r of becoming and fighters within them Exactly In what proportion the tho French Trench use ue u e tanks as compared with Infantry regiments Is a secret but the constant cry is for more They are of different sizes according to the ground over which they operate but the tendency tendency tendency ten ten- dency of late has been to construct them along bigger lines JInes The armored sides top and und bottom protect the fighters fight fight- ers and the knowledge that hat their work saves the tha lives of ot so many of f their fellow countrymen and und allies prompts them t to do 10 their utmost When the tank tunk starts over No Mans Man's Land those within have as much am arn- ammunition ammunition as can be stored in the compartments compartments com com- 1 and also water wate-r rations first aid packages and gus gas masks masks masks' There Is no telling how long they will be out out hours hours or days days and and the soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers have learned that preparedness for any emergency Is the best thing Captain Sweeney had bad such success with the tan tank h he hn commanded that he was put In charge of a a battery of oi four tour of ot them Later he had 10 i I 1 |
