Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-10
RAILROAD FORCE
NOW DOWN FOE IN
PICARDY BATTLE
U. S. Engineers, With Can
adams, in Desperate En-
counter for Several Days
Helped Hold Germans All the
BUT SMALL GUNS USED
Way From st. Quentin
to Noyon

with the american Army in France.
April 10.
Casualties by the thousand were in
filcted by American railway engineers.
lighting shoulder to shoulder with Cana
dams, during the opening days Of the
battle now In progress in Picardy, They
helped stem the tide Of the on-rushtng
foe, advancing in closed formation. In
one place as many as seven waves, each
wave ten-men deep and 100 yards apart.
The Americans. with the Canadians.
hal all the ammunition they needed.
and although they were unsupported
by the artillery and armed only with
they poured scythelike streams Of
bullets into the enemy at several diff
terent times until the weapons we're
80 hot as To- be useless.
This handful of American soldiers
who were not hardened to such ter
rifle slaughter was siCkcned by the
shambles It created but fought tu.
riously for several days. helping to
hold the enemy all the way from -.
Quentin to the vicinity Of Noyon.
These were the Americans mentioned
at the time i'm the official communicates,
but these details of their exploits II
has only now been possible TO secure.
Transformed Into Fighters
When the German attack began the
Americans We're working in the rear
lines with the Canadians, under
Canadian command. They quickly
threw down their tools and seized the
weapons with which they had been
armed for some months, and formed
themselves into fighting unit The
Germans came on aud finally reached
the position where the Americans were
waiting.
The exact numbers of the engineers
cannot be given, but they were COM
paratively small. They had no In
tentiou of retreatlng, however, and
were bent upon killing all the Germans
possible
AS the first gray enemy advanced.
the American forces let them come
until they were within certain range:
then opened fire, pouring in storm of
bullets. Gaps appeared In the ad-
vancing lines at many places, some
of them large, where the machine
guns and chewed through. still the
German waves came or, without
firing a single shut--just advancing.
The Americans were unable to un-
derstand these tactics, but. neverthe-
less. were certain that IL was a ques-
ton of slaughtering the enemy or
being themselves smothered under the
advance. BY this time their weapons
were so hot that they could not be
used effectively and the enemy was
close, so that the engineers retired,
hehting, took up another position. then
turned and began operations again. n
British officer who witnessed the en-
gagement is reported to have said
"They held on by their teetN until
the last moment, inticting terrific
casualties on the enemy. Then they
moved back and waited for the Ger
mans. and repeated the performance"
BY the time the engineers had
reached place somewhere near
Noyon they were nearly exhausted
and almost without equipment. There
they were given chance TO rest and
re-equip. According TO all reports
they were entitled to il, for certainly
they gave the Germans a generous
sample of what the euemy is To eNa
pect from the American army.
During a battle unusual stories al
ways crop up. but the following is one
which the correspondent heard from
an unquestionable source and il is
said to have been verified:
TN one of the periods when the
American engineers and their Cana
dian comrades in arms were holding
a position what appeared TO be a Brit
ish staff motor drove up. The driver
was in the uniform OF a British sol
dier and a man in the tonneau was
In the uniform of British staff Of
fcer.
THE officer stepped out and asked
for the commanding officer. He was
taken 10 a Canadian officer nearby.
The staff officer ordered the COM
mander 10 retire four kilometers, say
ing that the Germans were pressing
on both fianks and he might be cut
OF.
For some reason the Canadian com.
mander became suspicious. He had
the staff officer searched when the lat.
ter failed 10 produce his authority
and papers were found on him prov
ing he was a German officer. He and
his chauffeur were Immediately shot"
American engineer officers are said
to have been present when this Incl
dent occurred.