The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-05-09
AMERICANS
FIGHT WELL
IN FRANCE
Officer of Lost Legion
Tells of Yankees
At Why Ridge
BY J. " PEGLER.

Sf1T CORES ponGfAt ( Tfted PTess
LONDON. Nav e.-The lost le-
sion OF Americans With the can.
adams With the Canadian army go,
IT'S chance at vmy Ridge and made
good a Tor Of fellows wiz never
cell about II because the German
guns held ont 70 the laAt and pep
persd the advancing troops But
Lieut. A. n Pannill. OF Chatham
Va descendant OF President Zach
sry Taylor and o. Confederate Gen.
James e r. Stewart. tod It With
enthusiasm today
Panuiu "a convalescinE from a
shrapnel wound in his left arm.
Here ia his story told With occa-
s!onai reference 10 a map OF vimy
Ridge that Nas smeared with rain
and mud The same map he carried
ops~- with him
"Onr battalion the Ssth, contained
about 10 per cent Americans. The
legion has gone 70 reinforce other
battalions. SO that there, Is no all
American force remaining We were
in the reserve trenches slightly back
from The first line when the time
came I didn't notice the time slip
ping by was busy issuing rum
10 the men for x was cold and
everyone Nss taking a last look al
his tools
There was lust one DANCER about
waiting for the zero hour OF $50
Fritz bad been throwing over quite
a heavy load ~ STUFF every morning
and Ne waited IN the shallow re
serve trenches FOR the iugouts. We
kept as FAR away as we could when
the vhizzing bangs came overhead
-whizz. boom whizz boom Some
plunked into the mud harmless.
Others gave US few casualties
while we crouched
Down 10 my left was Lieut. Frank
r Kinds. OF Minneapolis former
telegrapher. he was hit and died
~ his wounds Re used 70 ba in
The f9th company. Volunteer Signal
Corps In the Philippines Ahead OF
us we're some or the 18th battalion
in he arst line. They were 20 take
/ the second and the company behind
Us ne third
The artillery strate was the most
Z dazzling thing I ever witnessed I
I looked back and saw rows OF guns 20
ri. each In its turn. yet so fast that
I -he flashes seemed like tooth-edged
ribbon % flame
The signal 10 advance was the
explosion Of mine down on our
left
Il stood up and waved my hand
and said Come on. fellows. Over
we went. We just walked ahead. II
vas no use hurrying The guns
rlaved 6n the German frst line for
about three minutes giving our FIRST
wave chance 10 get UP there and
t-op in The minute the Smelling
lifted 70 prevent the Germans from
4 bringing up their machine guns
from their dugouts
The arst wave took their trench
md we passed through them, FOL
lowing the bsrrage. 20 take the sec
ond line We we're losing some mer
through our own shells, but only Z
small percentage
We took the second line without
much OF fight The Boches came
/ running I'D out Of the dusouts II
swarms. holding their hands shout
/ der high. shaking with nerves anC
I calling Mercy. ksmerad Mercy
I ksmerad' They emptied theii
pockets trying 70 give US presents
pipes. knives buttons, watches On'
. American corporal came runnln,
Iup 10 me in traverse and asked
seen any Fritzes yet,' He held hli
layonet ready. but hadn't found AM
az the enemy where his bunch
vent In
"Our prisoners were mostly mem
bers Of the Eleventh Bavarian reg
iment Their officers had duckec
back along the communication
trench
with or a. men ! went or
ahead 70 establish strong point
anxious 70 get n done soon ia cas'
orr third wave should have troubls
I'm taking The third line Just IA ~
got started digging runner cam'
up with word that Major Harrison'i
high had been smashed ~ chunl
~ high explosive shell They bar
puf him in a shell hole where h
was comparatively safe When th'
lob was finished went back 70 r.
port. being now In command. o.
fhe nav got bit with a piece o
qhrapncl
THAT was about 5 a. m, Monday
81 3 Tuesday afternoon I vas re
lieved 90 60 to the hospital
HVO WAR FIND