The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-11-29
HIS UNIFORM WAS
SHOT CLEAN OFF

PARIS, Nov. 29.-Machine Gunner
Philip Rosen, Of 12s Irvington street.
New York City, a member OF the
Ninth Infantry. who was captured
while defending the Marine bridge
head at Chateau Thierry. on June Z.
during the marines attack at Bel
Iead wood, was the first Of the lber-
ated American prisoners to arrive in
Paris HIS own uniform had been
shot away before he was captured
and he was attifed in q French uni
form when he reached this city.
Rosan was wounded four times In
this bitter struggle, bullets penetrat-
ing his legs and stomach, and he re-
gained consciousness in a German
hospital in Loan, where he was at
tended by a captured British colonel
surgeon.
In five weeks Rosen's wounds had
not yet healed, but he was evacuated
from the hospital because the Ger
mans were emptying all their hos
pitfalls preparatory to the July 10 Of
fensive.
The American. who could not then
speak a word of French. was sent to
a prison camp at Bruyeres along with
500 French, and it did not take him
long to pick up the French language
and learn to talk it like a native.
Rosen was. put to work and from
dawn to darkness he handled am
munition and supplies. When the
German drive failed and the Allies
began their great counter attack on
July Is the prisoners were put to
work digging reserve trenches,
In September the American was
sent back to Montcornet, where he
was kept at work continuously dig
ging reserve lines.
No Time for. RatiOns.
The day before .the 'armistice was
signed Nov. 1o) a British airman
who had been bombing Marienburg.
killing many Germans, was shot
down and he informed Rosen that
the truce was to be signed the fol-
lowing day.
At 6 o'clock on Nov. IL the Ger
man commander announced that hos
tilities would cease and that prison.
ers would be released. The French
captives waited for the serving of
rations, but not Rosen. He started
for freedom on the jump and imme-
diately began passing the German
troops retreating in disorder. The
Boches, thinking that Rosen was a
Frenchman, gave him food.
At Baillen Rosen saw German
troops behead a Prussian major and
on every hand artillerymen and
transport drivers were cutting traces
| and abandoning their cannon and
vehicles.
Soldiers drove OF all the live stock
toward the Rhine and gathered up
all the poultry.
other liberated captives Joined
Rosen and soon there was quite a
party. Most of them were in their
bare feet. but the former machine
gunner was able TO secure a pair of
boots from a dead German soldier.
Rosen crossed the front in the
Chimay-La-Capelle sector, where the
German armistice ENJOYS had traVers-
ed the lines. On the journey he saw
German shoot down a starving
Frenchman for pulling up beet roots.
II was a hike of 125 miles, but the
American finally finished II at st.
Quentin. There he was fortunate
enough to get a lift on an American
\ army motor truck as far as
Compiegne. Thence to Paris he trav-
eled by train
British Got Worst Of II.
| Inc Germdns olo not lIedI me any
worse than they did the others, but
then they thought that 1 was French,
owing to my uniform" said Rosen.
The British got the worst treatment
OF all The Italians and Russians
were ignored. They had neither food
nor clothing and fought like camp
dogs for bits OF grub. 1 never saw
4 another American prisoner during
my captivity. They made US handle
shells and dig trenches so near to
| the front that frequently we were
under fire. But as the others stood
for IL so did /.
THE Germans lost their nerve
rapidly after July. The under officers
and enlisted men seemed to be
awaiting the end.
AT night it was terrible with the
British bombing airplanes just rails
ing hell everywhere. Food was
scarce and bad, but we got used to
1t and / suppose we got about the
same as the German soldiers them
selves"