A Night of Activity. Just as we were about to move out on the evening of the 25th to get to our "jumping off" place, I received orders to report to the Supply Co., where I had most of my service before, and take charge of a battalion Supply Train. My first[Page]job was to move the first battalion from their position north of Neuvilly ^{east of the Aire} to their new position with the regiment west of the river. I started out at dusk with my wagons and proceeded toward Neuvilly and thence to the battalion's position. It was fully dark before we got to Neuvilly. All the supply work at the front had to be done at night because we would make an easy target for the enemy in the day time. Before we got to the town, a shell dropped in front of us. We proceeded and soon came to a large smoking crater in the middle of a crossroad. This again attested to the accuracy in range which the Germans had on all intersections. We had to thread our way around barriers of fallen trees and wire to battalion headquarters, which was located on a high hill side just behind the front lines. Quietly and quickly we loaded ammunition and other supplies as well as officers' baggage, and started back toward Neuvilly and then across the river. Here we turned right and followed a road toward a large farm. Here dozens of whippet tanks were assembling. They made a terrific racket as they clattered and lumbered along. We felt uneasy because the Germans must surely hear them[Page]and bring send a barrage on us, but nothing happened. Either the enemy suspected nothing or was withholding everything for the onslaught. At the farm we saw long columns of infantry on their way to the lines, our own regiment among them. We rode on between the tanks toward the forest. In the forest we came to a corduroy road (made of logs and planks). We followed this to a fork in the road where we were stopped and told we could go no further; the front line trenches were just ahead. In the dense ^woods along the road could be seen numerous dugouts and log huts. Here I found some of our officers and reported our delivery of supplies for 1st Battalion. The infantry was rapidly taking its place in the line where all of a suddenly flashes like lightening occured, the earth shook and terrific explosions took place ^{almost at once}. For a moment I did not know whether we were on the receiving end of a barrage or the other. It seemed {a} though every tree spouted forth fire all ⁱⁿ the direction of the enemy. I knew now our barrage had begun and the big show was on. It was dreadful din. The horses and drivers were bewildered. We quickly unloaded and made our way back to where we had started from.