wasted no time in "digging in." Esperance Farm is a name that will never be forgotten by any man in the Battery who was there. It marked the climax of the whole drive. Beyond it lay the deep valley of the Ourcq with the plateaus on both sides sloping down very gradually into it. Nesles, and its famous old chateau cuddled against the woods on the further crest. The city of Fere-en-Tardenois stood out boldly, more to the left. Sergy, Seringes, and Ville-Sur-Fere nestled among the trees along the river bank.

                The Boches were assembled in great strength along the northern bank of the river, and on the heights above. Their artillery was most aggressive, pounding our advanced lines continually, and forever harassing every bit of woods where they suspected a battery might be concealed.

                Around us the area was alive with troops. Guns, in many places, were almost hub to hub. The artillery of the 26th and 42nd divisions were packed in side by side. It was indeed lucky for us that we had our positions in an open field. Boche 150's were bursting all around us day and night, but not once did they find us. Their aeroplanes darted over the lines close to the ground at all hours of the day, ma­ chine gunning everything in sight. Once, an aeroplane spotted one of our caissons unloading ammunition. Seven planes in a row dove at it, Bring in short bursts, but luckily no damage was done. How we prayed for our planes to do something! But the enemy was master of the air! No Allied plane dared to show itself. Frequently seventy-five or eighty Boche planes would come over at once, in great squad-

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ONE OF THE GUNS IN THE BELLEAU WOODS CAMOUFLAGED TO PREVENT DETECTION BY THE BOCHE

THIRD PIECE IN POSITION NEAR THE PARIS METZ ROAD IN THE AISNE-MARNE OFFENSIVE

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