"THE DEVIL COMES!"

NZ Truth, Issue 604, 13 January 1917, Page 12

"THE DEVIL COMES!"

*__ — . A German Impression of the Tanks Under the title of "The Devil's Chariot," the "Dusseldorfer Generalanzeiger'a" correspondent on the Western front describes the British "tanks" and the effect of their first appearance upon the German soldiers. As the German trench posts came out of their holes m the foggy dawn of September 1&, and raised their heads again after tho heavy iron blows of the night and looked towards the British lines, their blood froze m their veins as two mysterious monsters came creeping over the crater field. This correspondent declares: Stupefied by the earthquake which had raged around them they all rubbed their eyes, which were riveted as UC deprived of sense on the two fabulous creatures. The imagination, flogged by the storm of fire, waa full of excitement, and no wonder it had the mastery over these men, tried by suffering, who were well aware that the enemy would push with all the means of destruction through a wall hard as steel, though made of frail human bodies. They have learnt not to fear men, but there was something approaching which the human brain, with tremendous mechanical powers, had fitted out for a devil's trick, a mystery which oppressed and shackled the powers, because one could not comprehend it with the understanding I—a1 — a fatality against which ono seemed helpless. One stared and slared as if paralysed. The monster approached slowly, hobbling, moving from side to side, rockIng and pitching, but St came nearer. Nothing obstructed it: a supernatural force seemed to drive it onwards. Someone m tho trenches cried "the devil comes,", and that word ran down the lino like fighting, ouct'denly tongues of flro licked out of the armoured shine of thy lion caterpillar, shells whistled over our heads, und a tcrribli* concert of machine-gun orchestra filled tho air. The mysterious creature had surrendered its aecret, and aenso returned with It, and toughness and defiance, as the English waves of Infantry surged up bbhind the devil's chariot.