Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-17

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full of dead Germans. Every bush
had it's quota behind it. The yellow
wheat field was trampled in paths
and these paths were strewn with
dead. Surely no single company has
ever accounted for more of the en-
emy in any one battle. Fifty four
German machine guns that they
failed to carry away with them were
found and are to go to the rear as n
momento to Company G.. Think of
ii, tifty-four machine guns on one
company front-and surely they
took some away with them.
Somebody told me that General
Ludendorff admits that his offensive
was stopped by the bravery and
mistaken nerve of the American
troops" 1t is the truth. Behind
the 200 yards of front held by the
brave company lies Il broad valley,
an easy path to the heart of France.
Not many reserves were held to de-
fend this valley and this Ludendorff
apparently knew. He made an Of
fenSive on q wide front-SoiSsons 10
Rheims-but he placed the flower
of his army, the Seventeenth Bat
TALON of the Prussian Guard, with
unlimited reserves behind, to thrust
through the defenses of this valley
and had planned to take Paris by
midnight of the seventeenth. He
began at midnight of the 14th-15th,
but before night of the 18th had
failed. His Prussian Guards were
piled up in the sun to rot and his
plan spread to the world. a grinning
spectre proclaiming his defeat.
Objcctives Taken
70 oil ~
next few days the south bank of the
Marne came again into the complete
possession of the allies and on the
morning of the 22nd, seven days af-
ter the great German offensive, Colo
mel Mac Alexander of the Thirty
eighth, crossed the Marne at the
head of his regiment At the same
time the French attacked on our
right while the Seventh advanced on
our left. The First and Third Bat
talions of the Thirty eighth made
this advance, while the Fourth Bat
TALON marched in support. There
was a surprisingly small amount of
artillery work by either side. At
noon of the 22nd the Thirty eighth
ceased advancing, having taken its
first objective and gotten ahead of
the fanks. That evening Company
G was sent into the front line to
thicken up Company b, which had
lost quite heavily during the ad-
vance. and there | first came upon
the front line. We had a quiet time
there for about thirty hours, when
we were relieved by the Thirtieth
Infantry and returned to Mezy.
AS I write the front has advanced
so rapidly the artillery has had great
difficulty in keeping up, and MeZy,
two weeks ago the storm center, is
now further behind the lines than
this division has been at any time
since it come up. The advance is
still pushing on and I hope we can
keep the Germans on the run in
definitely Well have one more
spell up there in n few days and
then we hope to be relieved for long
enough to reorganize thoroughly and
to forget how it feels - have shells
popping all around and to wonder
if the next one has ones name on
1t. Even back here one is not IN n
haven of safety, for the Huns have
long range guns which drop occa-
sional shells: they bomb us from air.
planes, and our own antiaircraft ar
tillery sends up 'dud' now and
then which inevitably comes to
earth. an extremely dangerous OBJ
ject to one in a light shelter or no
shelter at all.
In High Spirits
1T is a great thing to belong to
an organization such as this. 1t has
a reputation and must keep it now
that it has earned it. So naturally
that little thought adds to everyone's
Ing that whatever the situation Com
pany G men will always be game
and will never give way.
But very little of war goes a
long way. A man who is here ac-
tually fighting and who is not the
most ardent of peace advocates is
simply crazy.
Il went out on that battlefield
and found heaps of stinking humans,
rotted before their time because ma
tions have chosen to declare war.
All were equally brave, and, [ iare
say, equally worthy. They fought
and died because leaders could not
agree because of national allegiance
of variant ideas, beclouded even to
the leaders. 1t is war. 1t is hell. 1t
must not he again.
We'll I must get bit of clearing
done. I'm glad to have had a while
to write. Love to you all
MARC"