Over The Top
The bombs keep raining over the entire sector for hours. There is nothing for any of you to do except wait for it to end and pray that none of the shells land on your dugout. Death by machine gun fire is one thing; being buried alive is quite another.
Suddenly, the shelling stops.
All the men in the dugout look at each other intensely. But before anyone can say anything, the familiar face of Lieutenant Jarvis peers through the entrance.
– “All right. Grab your rifles and stand-to. Let’s move!” he orders.
Everyone in the dugout scurries for helmets and rifles and files out into the trench. The bombardment may be over, but it may now be just a matter of minutes before the Germans launch an attack against your position.
You take your place atop the firesteps amidst the rush of hundreds of men taking aim with their rifles and guns. You peer over No Man’s Land and see only a devastated field full of pock-marked craters and twisted trees.
The wait is excruciating and all is silent. Then, out of nowhere, you notice a large, green cloud hovering over No Man’s Land, slowly drifting towards you.
At that moment, the order is given for everyone to put on their gas mask. You fumble for your gas pouch and pull out the jumble of rubber and glass. To your horror, however, you realize that the lenses of your mask are cracked, which will make it virtually impossible for you to see.