PHANTOM YANKEE ARMY OF

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3461, 15 April 1920, Page 7

PHANTOM YANKEE ARMY OF

THE VERDUN FRONT. Among the stories now coming to. light of feats lie)-i‘m'ln(-(l in the late‘ mix-up in Europe, one of the most interesting is the account: of a. handful of American intelligence oflieers, who kept five crack German divisions on their toes for several days, nlonlentm‘ily expecting an a,tt.-aek from an army that never inatefialised for the excellent reason that it. (‘lid not exist.‘ The “X Army,” as it was called, “functioned” "during the MouseArgonne battle last. fall in the Etain region just east of Verdun, The details of its operations are set. out. in the New York Tribune, has ‘r‘ollo\vs:——Five fresh divisions had been placed. by the Grermans on the Etnin line. These constituted theii‘ last. and finest reservoir of availalale divisions. The Americans realised that the minute the“ Germzins decided that this ‘was not :1, danger point, any or an of the five ‘-divisions could be witlidrawn. replaced by exhausted and ‘fi'-iignieiitzii-y divisions coming fl'o’m ‘the Ibattl(\fl'oll:iq, and that the -aippe:lra.nce of the fresh troops on the line west of the Mouse would have :1 tl'<~lne:.u_lous eltect on the Amerieaii offensive.

The X Army was :I.~;.~'igncG To :1 front. from Bezonwunx to Fl'C.\‘llo.\'. Captain Charles H. ;\I_:1t';:, of Hubbard Woods, 111., Wals (tomlmul(l_er—in-chief. Captain William H. D(-ardon_. of Springfielfi, l\l':zs.<h, and \V:.lsllington, D.C., was chief of staff. .l'.ieuten:mt -.Tohn Grztllam, of l'.oxillgtollJ ‘VI,, was chief of “troop movemenls;"\‘~ Capmin 0. W. Ncidert was in‘ charge of G——l, or adnlinistl‘ation_. and Lieutenallt.H_ T. Griswold, of Old Lyme, Conn., was chief of artillery. The lstaif or the'X army were all monlbcl*s ‘of the intelligence section ‘of the First Army, and of c,ours(=,,bcfol'o beginning operations had secured the consent of their, chief, Colonel Willey Howell.

The wireless and the teleplxoncwere freely used to convince the Gol'm:lils ‘mat-, the Americans were pl'cp:l.ring for an attack iu'tho Etaiu sector. To make sure that the Gernmns would be able to “Meal: into” the code used, the Americans fLll'lliS}l(.‘d them wiith a satisfactory key.

One wireless station of the X army was established in u clump of woods near Verdui and was (ahfistoned “hcal'quarfers of the X al'.nly;” This s't-ation functioned until the end of the game, all “orders” to the army going out from this place by wireless. Soon after the station ‘began working the Gc-rxnans located its whereabouts and frequently shelled the woods and vicinity, apparently in hopes of bfeaking up the radio of this latest of annoyances.

The X varmy also had :1 portable radio station, which moved about and represonfed itself as 3. (lifTe'rent' stution eVe'ry day or two. The sector in which the X army was at work was directly under command of the 33rd Fréxféll Corps, and the roving wireless station caused considerable exc-.it.cnlent among fhe

French soldiers, as it sent message:

to make the enemy believe that several 1':-vslz American divisions had movual into the area. The French, uilawun- :11’ the plans 01:‘ the X army stafi. :11" ‘flIll(,‘.‘«" thought, the Aincric-ans imd lost. all sense of reason and on several occasions so reported the wireless plants. In addition "to the wireless, the X army also had in operation, on the front betweeil Bezonvaux and Fresnes, a telegram squad~-a careless squad, which set -up telephone stations hero and ishere and sent messages and talked shop and gossip at night; about the arfival of some old friend from America and such and such. an. outfit. .

The X army telephone s-qllad took '; no cl)-a11ces that the Gel'lllalls might not hear the conversations the Americ:llls (lesired them to record. They tlelibemtely gl'oullded their wires so the ellel'lly could “listen in," and (:I’u\Vl€(l out into No M:nl’s l.an(l in the Ih-11‘k11ess and hooked one of the Anlerie:lll wires over to :1 Gerlllall Wire in front? of an üball(loned trench .'<_\f.<‘. to 111 . ’l‘\\'e dztys after the X :11'111y began t'ulle.tiollill‘9,' the I'esLllts l)(‘g:111 to be 11o’r'1ce:1l:1le, the 11er\'o11s11ess on the part of the (‘:01-111:111s being exllib'lte(l ing :1 l:ll'g'e'unmbel' of :lil'pl:lnes to in 11111113‘ ways, the enemy first sen(l—--§nl:ll<e rem1_1111:liss:11w<?s. '.1.‘110 (;§e1‘111:111;~t 3:11so begaill a series of trench 1-aids Eta oht:1i11 pl'i.sollel's for the purpose lot’ idelltit'yillg units of the fol-vvs Op-I lposite them. Ge1'111:'111 ‘pl‘i.\'(mel's cup-i lttlrt-(l ll_\' the Fl'ollcll told bf \\=il(ll la.l:11'111s in the 11igl1t. on the part of‘ HllO (’.‘rel'nl:lll forces, lllll'l'iml I'eillt’ol'ce-M ‘nwnts of’ the main line of I'esistzlllcel lam] v:11"1011s other movelllellts wllicll =illdic:lte<.l that the enemy was exertiillg_ext.l'ellle \\':‘ltCllfl'lllles.< on :‘1c(:01mt ‘of the -.luti\'ity of the little :11'111_v lbeing operated by :1 llalult’lll of Ame~ l I'i(*-z111.~:. . ' I Wll-ell the :11‘111ist:ice beezlllle effective November I]‘, the little A.lnerie:lll |n1yt:l1ie:1l X :11‘n1_v s-fill held its ‘gl'olllld'ill the field 110211“ Vel'dllll. and opposite, five cl'ae.k Ge1'111:.1n divisions stood. their gu:ll°cl,'llot even su.~:peetill_r_;' that t'lle_V llr_ld been t.l'ieke(l by V2l‘ hm1(lt'11l of illgellious yollng>; Yankees. who were «_leligllte(l at the results obtained by their n'li.sellievolls sCllellles, wlli.ell ‘haul wol"ked so sucee.<sflllly in (loeeiving the wise old Ge1‘m:111 vetel'ml.'< of‘ :I_'five-_\;e:ll' war.