WHEN AMERICANS GO INTO BATTLE.

Matamata Record, Volume II, Issue 109, 5 December 1918, Page 3

WHEN AMERICANS GO INTO BATTLE.

Checking the Boche Advance. George Pattillio, an American war correspondent, supplies the following description of the part taken by the Americans in smashing the German push : —■ They were in a rest area back of a certain American division that was holding a portion of the Montdidier Front. It was certainly a he-sector; I was up there with them, and I know. What the communiques described as fairly active artillery fire took its toll of dead and wounded by day and by night. Now, holding, the line under constant shelling is the toughest work soldiers have to do. The sum total of losses over a period of a month will usually exceed those suffered in a heavy attack, and the strain on the nerves is tenfold greater. This ' staunch old division which has been the keystone of this man's army naturally expected to be relieved. Th§y had taken Cantigny by an assault that was a gem of precision, and had stubbornly held it against bombardment and counter-at-tacks. Therefore it cheered them mightily when it was whispered that the Division was behind, and would shortly take over. Officers from the— — even came up to make a reconnaissance,,- a step preliminary to a relief. Then the situation to the southeast became critical. The boche offensive was sweeping forward. His original intention had been to advance his front only as far as Fismes on the Bheims-Soissons line,, but success in the center so greatly exceeded expectations that the German command decided to develop it into a push for Paris, and swiftly threw an enormous mass of men into the breach. Already they were in Chateau-Thierry. Unless the enemy was speedily stopped the capital would be brought under his guns. And then what ?

In this emergency it became a question of what reserves to employ. The French generalissimo decided to send an American division. Choice fell on the Division.

It was a long, hard trip. Just before reaching Meaux they encountered the first of the refugees. Beyond that, from Meaux northward, the roads were crawling with them —an unbroken stream of heaped carts and plodding peasants, of bleating sheep and swaying, rumbling cattle, weary unto death'.

They saw toothless doddering octogenarians in that line, and also babes at the breast. They saw there bedraggled tear-stain-ed mothers and strapping broadbacked girls, sullen from fatigue and hate. Men long past the prime of life urged the tired horses ' forward. Their women and children either perched amid the mass of mattresses and bedding and chairs and mirrors, of bird oages and rabbit hutches, of crucifixes and plaster figures of Our Lady with which the carts were piled, or trudged along in the dust with the family dog and the cow. Some of the children wailed; some took it as an adventure. The very old just rocked in the carts, silently rumpling and rumpling their aprons. Up to this time the resistance offered to the German thrust had not been sufficiently determined to stop them. The plan ot the French was to delay the enemy as long as possible by rear-guard actions until the arrival of reserves in sufficient strength to stabilize the situation. Therefore the Americans were to take up support positions on which the French would fall back, and then these positions would become a new front line. Such was the plan. " Why not stop them where they are ?" inquired the American commander. Which was all very,, well, but how was it to be done ? The French were plainly dubious about entrusting an enterprise of such importance to what they regarded as untried troops. To be sure, a regiment of the Americans had captured Cantigny; they had shown dash and courage and tenacity; that and other divisions had some fine performances to their credit. But the Battle of Cantigny belonged to the established trench order of warfare. It had been elaborately prepared, and French staff work had contributed to its preparation. It was rehearsed under the eyes of a French general, and French tanks and flame projectors and much French artillery had contributed to the success of the attack. But this was different. Here was open warfare, whose aspect changed from hour to hour —a style of warfare demanding the highest form of military skill and initiative. They never doubted

the pluck and willingness of our men, which had been proved on numberless occasions since last November, but they did entertain serious doubts of the ability of the American and unit commanders to swing it solely because no ] American staff had so far been permitted to undertake an operation on its own. Consequently they demurred. Their proposal was to brigade the Americans among seasoned French troops. Then the Allies could exact what toll they might while falling back. " Let us fight this in our own way, and we'll stop'em," declared the American commander. The situation was growing hazardous ; a few more gains and 1 the boche could train his heavy guns on Paris. The French general consented. The Division could go in as a division, fight it out in their own way — and heaven have them in its keeping! That is another reason why the battles for Bois de Belleau and Bouresches have such tremendous significance. They were fought in American fashion, under American leadership, with American artillery and machine guns, with American staff work to direct. It was the first time strictly American methods were employed against the Hun. And you know who won, don't you ? Thus the leathernecks and the engineers and two regiments of infantry, together with the machine guns and all the artillery of the Division, found themselves on the edge of battle. They moved into support position back of the French on June second —■ one battalion of the leathernecks on a line from Hill 142 to-Les Mares Farm and Bois de Veuilly ; two other battalions from Bois de Veuilly to Triangle Farm. There one of the infantry regiments joined on. That made a front about seven kilometers wide. Almost immediately the hoches made another strong push and the French opposing them were forced slowly back. Thev began to filter through the Americans, whose support positions soon became the Front. About five o'clock in the evening of June fourth the enemy attacked anew toward the American left, where it joined on with the French. They advanced through a wheat field in platoon columns, in perfect order, flushed with many successes, confident of victory. Arid then the Americans opened up. They showered the oncoming waves with shrapnel until the fields seemed to be sprouting thousands of magnificent white daisies. Machine guns and rifle fire raked the German ranks. The leathernecks took careful aim before every shot. Unhurried, unflustered, they worked their weapons as though on the target range. French observers were amazed; they had never seen such rifle shooting. That soldiers should sight fcarefully in the heat of battle was something new in European warfare, where the rifle has grown to be something on which to stick a bayonet. No troops could stand against that fire. The boches wavered — come on again. Why lie about the enemy ? In mass formation they fight like brave men —none bettor. Twice they hesitated, stopped; twice they resumed the advance.

Then they broke. They broke and started to crawl off through the standing grain. The Americans could see the wheat sway as though stirred by a stiff breeze, and they whipped those areas with bullets.

A French airman came swooping down from the blue. Wildly exultant, he signalled to our troops " Bravo !" and darted back to give a new range to the artillery. The latter caught a German battery moving into position and annihilated it.

What the leathernecks have they hold. That night their positions were intact, so they decided-to improve them. They pushed out small posts. Followed several days and nights of heavy bombardment. Sleep was out of the question, and they had nothing to eat but " monkey meat," as they call the tinned, stringy Argentine beef, and bread and water. Not once, during all the punishing work that followed, did this battalion have a hot meal. The situation was still precarious. The necessary withdrawal of the French had led to the abandonment of strong points whose possession by the boches threatened our entire line. Heinie held Bouresches and the Bois de Belleau; he also had several mounts, which he used for machine-gnn strongholds, Among them was Hill 165. On June fifth the Americans charged the position.. They put the guns out of action, and the boohes counter-attacked. They were beaten off. The. American line now ran through the Bussiares Wood and along the edge of the Bois de Belleau.