Page:Jack Heaton, Wireless Operator (Collins, 1919).djvu/261

 The registering of the batteries was guessed at so that the enemy would be taken by surprise and he was. The command to fire was given and we let go a howling hurricane of shells that deluged the enemy. The German guns rallied to meet our attack and from that time on a royal artillery duel was on. Once under cover of a heavy barrage their shock troops came on only to be mowed down by us at point blank range.

Talk about fire and brimstone of the infernal regions, it is a feeble place of punishment as against the hades let loose in our sector that morning. Shells were screaming through the air and bursting all around us but for every one the boches sent we put over two or three. Our men were dropping but we kept the guns going as if they were fed and fired by machinery.

A shell had put our wireless equipment out of action, killed a couple of our men, wounded a couple more and stunned me for a few minutes. When I came to I went over to the battery and was giving the gunners a hand. Planes were darting back and forth over us and every little while terrific battles took place