The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-07-26
HEROISM OF AMERICANS
IN BELLEAU WOOD FIGHT
LIKE LEGENDS OF YORE

IN BELLEAU WOOD FIGHT
LIKE LEGENDS OF YORE
Continued from page one
offered an opportunity for machine
gun play.
| The Yankee Toe Hold
When they got their toe hold in
the wood the Americans began to
move forward tree at time. This
was a time of desperate hand-to-
hand fighting. Here the Germans
displayed the first Of the bag of tricks
with which the marines eventually
became familiar.
They played dead" in the open
spaces, SO that the Americans passed
by. Then they were fired on from
behind. The invaders of the wood
learned that not even a wounded
German was safe if he held arms
handy.
Eventually line of trenches was
built by the contending forces thru
the center Of the wood. A passerby
could harly have detected them.
They wiggled about trees and patches
of shrubbery and rock and were hid
den like snakes. At intervals were
tiny dugouts in which the men slept
sometimes. Not often. The colonel
went without sleep or food for five
days and nights. Most of the officers
reported the same-if they can re-
member. To most of them the
events of the fourteen days fight
own fo1aconnoa ny,1u oxr, and k1,n,,
striking incident is borne in the
memory.
Memory Plays Tricks
These are only few of the deeds
of heroism performed by the men un-
der my command" officer after Of
ficer reported. But in the confusion
and excitement, and as the fighting
was altogether in the woods, / can
only report upon what l can remem-
Der. Most has escaped me-"
The fighting now became continu-
Gus and altho the two weeks in the
woods wre starred by two days of
heavier fighting than was ordinary,
when the Americans attacked in
what passed for force, one day really
differed slightly from any other.
There were two days during which
the Americans were unable, to bury
their dead and the Germans dead
still lie uncovered by earth in that
fostering sink. There were many
days when the men went without
sufficient food and water. At no
time did they have any hot food or
coffee, but lived on canned rations
and water
Monkey meat" the colonel calls
the timed beef.
Fighters Were Carriers
1t had not proved feasible to dig
a communication trench from the
trench. There were not
enough men to spare. At this time |
there were very few men behind the |
Amrican lines, and if it had broken |
the Germans might have resumed |
that rush on Paris which the Ameri-
cans had held up. There was not
even a force behind to furnish car
riers, so that from 10 to Is per cent
Of the total force was continually on
4 carrying detail. They went back
10 Lucy, kilometer distant, to ring
up canteens of water and tins of beef
md loaves of French bread. Every
nch of that path was under a con-
inuous shell fire. Lucy itself was
shaken by shells explod-
ng in it.
This was the stage upon which an
moving drama was
,layed. Yet it is drama which re-
mains as vague and unreal to me as
does to the actors. No one has yet
old connected story.
II have no story" the colonel said.
I can only tell you of what l saw.
lie is an old regular soldier, who has
cen service on many sea and in [
nany lands. But his lips tremble t
yhen he talks of the way his men {
ought. {
Your held the line, colonel" his
riends say. "You stopped the drive
n Paris &
1--WE paid a heavy price," is his I
variable reply. II used to have
he best force. There are not many {
,ft." r
On either side of the Bots are 7
heat fields. The Germans crawled t
p thru the standing wheat, drag t
ing machine guns with them, and I
lrned them into the wood at the
rst movement. Then the Ameri- a
ans nearest dashed out and killed t
he gunners. 1t is impossible for u
re civilian to understand how it is
ossible for single man to capture O
machine gun. Yet read a few of v
le citations: c
The Roll of Honor Il
Sergt, James A. Ducey and Pvt. Il
aymond B. Van Sickle advanced s
n every machine gun firing on the h
dvancing wave June 10. Killed e
erman officers and men in hand-to-
and battle and captured guns, per- &
lifting our lines to advance. v
Pvts, David P. Colvin and John
/. Ashland killed four German gum a
ers and captured the gun.
The following men advanced on a