The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-12-26
cANTIGNY TESTED YANKEE GRIT
CONTINUED from Page u

g1On OF TOul about the middle OF Jan
uary, where, through three months OF
almost constant service, they had
learned the complicated lessons of de
~fensive warfare, which had been
brought to such a high state of per
lection during three and a half years
of war. 1t was from this sector that
they were transferred to Cantigny
where, from their arrival on April 25
they experienced an intensity of de
fensive warfare vastly greater than
that which had prevailed in their
former positions.
The Germans, constantly threaten.
ing to resume their push toward
Amiens and the coast, harassed' the
American lines night and day with ar.
tillery fire of all calibers, while trench
raiding was frequent and formidable.
The American raiding, however, was
quite as spirited as the German, and
patrols had soon secured information
showing that the enemy's lines oppo-
site the LIST Division were held by the
271st and 272nd regiments of German
Infantry, whose companies had an av-
erage strength of 160 men; better
troops and larger companies than the
average in the German army at the
time.
Difficult though the American posi-
ton was to hold, it soon became evil
dent that merely holding it would not
suffice. The village of Cantigny,
strongly organized and defended by
the enemy, was on rising ground, af-
fording admirable observation points
overlooking the American lines and
rear areas toward Amiens and Bre-
teuil, and. moreover, presenting an eX-
cellent jumping-off place for a further
great assault if the Germans should
determine to resume their advance
toward the coast. To safeguard the
position and to place the line favor
ably for an Allied COMPREHENSIVE, If
the chance for one should come, it
was necessary that Cantig1v should
be taken and held. Preparations for
the operation were begun at once.
The troops detailed to make the at.
tack were the 28th Infantry, Colonel
Ely; one battalion of the 26th Infan-
try, Major Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.,
for support, and detachments Of
French tanks and flame throwers. A
section of terrain behind the Ameri-
can lines very similar in natural fea-
lures to that occupied by Cantigny
o.1 "a lofonano nyoc ee1nofnI Cow !. n
euvering and trenches in replica Of
the German ones were dug upon it.
Sand tables showing the topography,
woods, lines of change of the barrage,
detectives, strong points, and all
houses in Cantigny which might be
expected to be organized as machine
gun nests were prepared and minutely
studied. Exact and detailed orders
were prepared by the staff and the
artillery arranged accurate time Ia
bles for the preliminary bombardment
and the rolling barrage.
For three successive days the troops
which were to participate in the as
sault rehearsed it in detail upon the
SeleCleu ItlldlH, uIIll CNCly OliNOl oiih
man knew perfectly the part which
he was to perform, the route by which
he was to advance, and the objective
which he was to reach. This prelim-
mary training being completed, every
company commander, together with
one other company officer and two
non-commissioned officers, made a day
light reconnaissance to study the sec
tor and select objects upon which to
march when the assault should go Off.
At length, after every conceivable
preparation had been made and every
%precaution taken to insure success,
came the momentous night of May
27-28. Probably the troops did not yet
know it, but on that very morning had
occurred an event which was to give
to their own comparatively small un
dertaking even greater moral signifi-
canoe than it would otherwise have
possessed.
That morning thu Germans had gone
over the top along the Chemin des
Danes in the last of their successful
great offensives; an offensive so sue
ceseful at the beginning that it was
perhaps more disquieting than any Of
those which had preceded it, carry
ing the enemy's lines down to the
Marine at Chateau-Thierry and SEEM
ing for a time to threaten Paris with
imminent attack. In the next days
news to a dismayed world, telling Of
the armies Of the German crown
prince striding southwark across the
Vesle, the electrifying success of the
1st American Division at Cantigny
was the only bright spot; but it was
a spot of exceeding brightness.
Zero hour was set for $50 a. m,
May %. The designated Infantry
units entrucked for the from. lines at
1890 a. m. and at 8 a. m. they were
in position in their jumping-off
trenches. Twelve French tanks and
the French flame throwers were in po-
sition, the squadron of French air,
planes detailed to make observations
was ready to perform its part Of the
complicated task, and a detachment ot
United States Engineers was on hand
for pioneer work. About $50 pieces
= -rx., k,oar;cop ond ErQnch