 soldiers of the press this week phantom enemy this is Reynolds Packard United Press correspondent in Italy I want to tell you something about what it was like on the Italian front during the days when the communiques read no action of consequence something about the place where doughboys were fighting wasn't a place really not a place where you could put a mark and say here it begins and here it ends not even the boundaries were clear for a mist and fog had smudged the skyline into dim hazy shadows war had made grotesque and weird what the four was a languid valley weather blotted out the rest soaking the land shrouding it in clouds until it seemed as if it were not a place at all it had been raining for four days hard resistant ground had broken given way rain had become as much a part of the battlefield as the gray hills in the distance rain had become the third army on the battlefield jeep slid it off the roads pools of water seeped under the tents the mist was over the battlefield to like a sullen gray panther heavy paws covering everything there was little fighting just small bands of patrols waiting into no man's land hardly able to see each other like this quick sand Johnny stick close okay Dave I'm with you just tell me one thing just one thing yeah where's the war huh where's the war where's the man with a gun that I can shoot at oh I give my eye teeth for something good and solid I could shoot give mine for something good and solid I could eat Hank yeah but you're old man in the last war yeah my old man was in it but he never got further than Virginia my father used to tell me he got over one of the first he used to tell me not much but enough you know Hank yeah I guess in a way I never much believed it but I think it must have been a lot like this those days in France must have looked like this you know blind fighting against a lousy mist sticking up to your knees and mud crawling on your belly getting blown up by some on you can't even see take it easy Bob take it easy will you you know Hank I bet I even look like him now I bet with this mud all over me I could be him fighting the same war the same way it's a damn funny feeling yeah yeah I know what you mean he used to laugh when he told me what a lousy way it was to see the France everyone raised about you know how the travel folders call it sunny France yeah yeah I guess the travel folders fooled us too well I guess they have different weather during wars skies been the same color for four days I can't even tell whether it's day or night anymore it's day lunchtime I got my own way of telling yeah well I'd rather be in a feeling bright sunlight where the Germans could see me then I could see them too listen Johnny I was at Casper that was a sunny day and that was hell yeah I know but it wasn't blind man's bluff that's what this is I want something to put my hands on maybe you'll get it maybe you won't funny thing about a war keep low that came from over there to the right it might have been a blind shot they can't see us either look over there yeah just about make them out white shadows looks like a looks like a bunch of them shut up and keep down now if we start running they'll see us they come in this way if we keep low we can surprise them when they get close enough ambush and boss yeah bugs on our side this time get your grenades ready okay they look like a ghost patrol well they aren't you all ready yeah we're all kept don't worry okay here they come you can tell them now two three five six enough to shut up huh count to four then Hank shut up I tell you shut up yeah but Hank cut it Johnny they're coming close I know but it's our own man it's an American patrol that's right we say you're right we were about to take your prisoners we had the same thing in mind nice weather we're having oh boy is it glad to see you fellas so long fellas so long what do you know it's like meeting a long lost friend during rush hour in a New York subway you can hardly see them anymore like they'd been swallowed up yeah strange place there's no man's life well come on fellas keep on going this way okay it's now three patrols yesterday didn't yeah none of them came back to me no no none of them came back I was just thinking I wonder if any one of them even saw the Jerry's that got him maybe just got kicked from nowhere doesn't seem fair you know not knowing what you're up I don't let it get your kid you know it's getting so I just like to see a rock a tree than the tall real we're standing on a piece of ground that stayed there we're getting closer to enemy lines from here on we keep our heads down and our tails lower doesn't exactly smell like lilacs down here yes lovely shut up you guys don't forget we're moving into German territory come on holy smoke get back quick German outpost what we practically walk right into it how many do you think but eight at least I didn't count but they've got enough there to blow us up now we can beat it if you want we can report the outpost to headquarters or we can stay and grab them I mean we can make a good try what do you say I say we make a good try meet your wife well it's not easy they're eight of them maybe a couple of more four of us but if we work it right I think we can do it say if we can come on if we split up now one thing we've got to remember the less shooting the better we want these guys alive a question how we're gonna get them without fireworks there'll be fireworks all right you just have to think we're a squad instead of a patrol that's all now I'll see how this sounds I had shoot two of us several northwest of the post one goes over northeast one advances from here opening fire shooting wild and making a lot of noise see that'll give them a scare and they'll open up on them and split second later the others charge them from behind they'll think they're surrounded maybe anyway it's worth a try huh sure it was a try right I guess you guys know whoever stays behind open fire there's an even chance of being knocked off I'd like to do it nothing doing listen Hank I know you're in command of this patrol but when it comes to taking a chance like that we all are to have a say in about who doesn't Dave's right Hank I think we ought to draw for it okay okay yeah let's draw we'll draw here's a piece of paper kind of dad that's all right okay long straw gets it one two three four get them ready okay there they are ready draw Dave okay take my Johnny Bob yeah thanks and I get this one well I've got it okay Johnny now fixie watches to exactly 245 at 246 Bob and Dave take the northwest position I'll go northeast Johnny stays here by 255 we all should be where we belong at 257 Johnny starts shooting got it that's okay then a second later we're rushing from two directions now if we've got a shoot we shoot see and Johnny yeah we won't give them a chance to get their rain thanks you're ready yeah we're all ready we're all set it's 246 let's go good luck Johnny here's the war you've been waiting for so long so long the little skirmish in the mud and rain went off according to plan Hank and Dave and Bob charged in two directions the German outpost was completely surprised the Germans had more ammunition and more men than the little patrol but they surrendered four men had gone out four came back but only three of them alive at 257 Johnny opened fire at 257 in the quarter the Germans returned fire his buddies carried Johnny's body back through the rain and they led their prisoners back to their job was over that night the communiques reported only minor patrol activity on the Italian front today it might have been a quarter of a century ago the men who were over there in 1917 knew the same kind of war the same misery of rain and fog sudden burst of shells the sudden bitter skirmish is on ground that's slid under foot only the place was different and the songs were different then they were heading for Berlin this time Rome not a war of front-page action and big battles no just a few men waiting into a bleak dismal no man's land fighting an unseen enemy getting hurt dying while the word went back to the people at home no action of consequence on the front today United Press correspondent Reynolds Packard has just brought you the story of a small American patrol fighting in Italy not only in Italy but on every fighting front in this global war United Press correspondents are with our armed forces sending home reports on the stories of courage and endurance that the official communiques must leave untold sending you up to the minute dispatches on the action that will ultimately spell victory so look for United Press dispatches in your favorite newspaper listen to United Press news on the air it is your guarantee of the world's best coverage of the world's biggest news