Suddenly
one of my comrades shouted, 'Hallo! what is this coming down on
us? Anyone would think it was petroleum.' At that time we could not
believe the truth, but the liquid which began to spray on us was
certainly some kind of petroleum. The Germans were pumping it from
hoses. Our sub-lieutenant made us put out our pipes. But it was a
useless precaution. A few seconds later incendiary bombs began to
rain down on us and the whole trench burst into flame. It was like
being in hell. Some of the men began to scream terribly, tearing off
their clothes, trying to beat out the flames. Others were cursing and
choking in the hot vapour which stifled us. 'Oh, my Christ!' cried a
comrade of mine. 'They've blinded me!' In order to complete their
work those German bandits took advantage of our disturbance by
advancing on the trench and throwing burning torches into it. None of
us escaped that torrent of fire. We had our eyebrows and eyelashes
burnt off, and clothes were burnt in great patches and our flesh was
sizzling like roasting meat. But some of us shot through the greasy
vapour which made a cloud about us and some of those devils had to
pay for their game."
Although some of them had become harmless torches and others lay
charred to death, the trench was not abandoned until the second line
were ready to make a counter-attack, which they did with fixed
bayonets, frenzied by the shrieks which still came from the burning pit
where those comrades lay, and flinging themselves with the ferocity
of wild beasts upon the enemy, who fled after leaving three hundred
dead and wounded on the ground.
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