The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-03-21
BAKER VISITS THE TRENCHES
EXPOSED TO FIRE.
CHEERS WOUNDED SOLDIERS
Was In Direct Line Of Enemy's Shells.
Goes to Hospitals. New War Deco
rations Placed. Portuguese
Stop Enemy Raid.
(By Fred S. Ferguson.)

With the American Armies in
France, March TO- Secretary Baker
was in the first line trenches. under
the shell fire of the enemy yesterday
scanning No Mans Land.
Il am now on the frontier of free
DOM he declared
In running from the trenches one
hundred and five calibre German shell
burst only about forty yards from
Baker
Mr.. Baker saw many men and Of
ficers from Ohio whom he knew and
with whom he visited
The Secretary called on Archie
Roosevelt at the hospital and chatted
with him for some time, praising him
for his bravery and valor in acuon.
Sees Wounded Soldiers.
He also visited other wounded sol
diers and talked to them.
His visit to the hospital was follow
ing his inspection to the Toul front.
Baker and his party motored
through shattered villages to the di-
yisional headquarters A battalion of
troops who had been drawn up on the
road side were reviewed
One of the villages which was trav-
ersed housed American regimental Of
ficers. The houses in this sector were
the most demolished OF any place he
visited
In Exposed Places.
The officers here live in stone skel-
etons, which onse used to be houses.
The enemy's shells fall on this village
with great frequency. Every one of
the inhabitants is tin hated and gas
masked. The road that leads to this
village winds through the open coun-
try and is exposed to the enemy fire.
First v. S. Decorations.
With the Aemrican Armies in the
Field, March 20.-The first men to re.
ceive new American war decorations
for their extraordinary heroism were
Lieutenant U. N. Greee of the Field
Artillery and Sergeants William Nor.
ton and Pat Walsh All received the
distinguished service cross.
Greene was wounded by a grenade
shell during the recent repulsing of a
German raid on the Toul front He
was in dug out and refued to sur
render
After being wounded he killed one
Boche with pistol and forced others
out of his trench
Portuguese Fighters.
London, March 90 Portuguese
troops repulsed an enemy raid in the
neighborhood of Fauquissart last
night" Field Marshal Haig announced
in his official war Office statement from
the British front today.
Great Success at Verdun.
On the French Front in France,
March 20.-The center of military in
terest during the last few days has
passed from the Champagne to the
vicinity of Verdun. where both the
French and the Germans have broken
into marked activity.
In the Verdun region the cores
pendent watched the execution of two
trench raids on large scale carried
out by the French on Saturday even
ing and at dawn on Sunday, the re-
suits of which exceeded all expecta-
tons. Within twelve hours the French
had penetrated the remarkably strong
systems of German trenches in both
Cheppy wood and Malancourt wood
to depth at some points of more
than quarter of a mile. They de-
stroyed all the enemy works, his
blockhouses and shelters, which had
taken the Germans three years to
construct, and brought back two
groups Of prisoners. each comprising
eighty men, while the French them
SELVES suffered only slight losses.