South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-06-03
By ROBERT y. DOMAIN.
International News Service stat
Correspondent

International News Service staff
Correspondent
PARIS, (by maiD May c-'We
stopped them, hut il was a close
cali" An American officer in charge
OF a group OF American pioneers
which took part i'm the battle OF
Cambria and the recent Amiens Of
fensiye related, upon his return 70
Paris how "Carey's Army and the
Americans in il saved Amiens in the
critical days Of March %, so and 81
We Americans found ourselves in
the middle Of the melee which fol-
lowed the crushing OF the British
fifth army back" said the officer
We worked like Trojans wherever
We were needed. The railroads i'm
the zone Of retreat were under con-
slant fire, and We sweat blood lay
Ing rails and repairing them. so that
the vast stores Of the army could be
hauled back in time.
For FIVE days We mad about three
hours sleep in the twenty -four. We
plugged away as If we were i'm a
dream. Rifles and machine guns
we're issued 10 us. and we hung on 70
Even when we jumped in here and
there TO lend a hand We never left
our guns far away
During the night Of March "a we
we're forced out OF Sally Saillisel
and Combles. We learned that
about 5000 Fritz cavalrymen had
gotten into Guillemont The first
British army was pretty we'll fag-
get out. The idea could scarcely
stagger on. And we wer a bleary-
eyed bunch ourselves.
Expected Early Relief.
we expected 20 be relieved any
minute: but late on March IS We
learned that the lsst available di-
visions were i'm line on the Rozieres-
Proyart -Somme front and that we
could not expect reserves for at least
four days. When the news got
about we felt that 1t was all over
and that Amiens would go under. We
were ready 20 make last stand and
to take ouS medicine before it did
however.
Back in 1916 the French had
constructed a line of defense in an
arc stretching from Demuin 10 An
sercourt. east Of Marcelcave and
west Warfusee. Bouzecourt and sail
lyle Sec. But when the Germans
retreated in March. 1917. everyone
was so sure they would never come
back again that the farmers were
permitted 10 plow up the ground
I'll up the trenches. dugouts and
other points Of support.
shortly before midnight or
March - I was tipped off that Gen
Cough. in command Of the British
NTH army. who put up such a gal
liant fight before his army was pull
verified. was holding a conference a.
his headquarters. Then came the
order 20 defend Amiens at all costs
We all knew what that meant
Well. sir. II VS. some stunt tha'
Mai. Cen. @ s. Carey pulled off
take my hat of 20 him. AS a pinch
hitter Carey sure die show that n,
vas there IL takes an Irishman q
pat up a finish night with his back 4
( the wall Here's what he did
In the first place he had M
army. But that didn't feaze him II,
created one He got every one OF u,
dog-tired sons OF guns 10 our fee
and sent us out IN the highways an,
by-ways looking for gslers-ir
fact the order was 10 nab ever,
available male in uniform. no mat
Ter where We found him.
STRAY companies. a battalion o
engineers. attachments OF the Fifth
army school sniping instructors. pu
pills OF the second army. a detach
ment OF the schoo. Of the nineteenth
corps. all the cooks Of the armie
OF the rear. our own American pho
neer division French soldiers hom
on permission believe me. -
were some army,
Get s.2OO Men.
Finally We got together 80
men Think OF it-o.-OV men 10 de
fend a front OF thirteen kilometers
Well At $50 on the morning Of IN
26th We had general assembly a
. ViIers- Bretonneux. Company cap
tains were named. At a. m. thre
sectors we're created. and all tn
available guns and small arms wer
distributed We scraped togethe
about 100 machine guns. most q
them from the army park. Befor
noon We had seyenty-siX guns IN iin'
WIKI = GOOD stock of ammunition.
We could hear the bOche con-
ing closer and closer. Some OF q
American engineers who had neve
handled a machine gun were show
how TO turn the trick with feveris
haste Imagine us learning how {
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