The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-25
Local Boys Advance IS Miles
in Six Days in the Face Of
|. Witherlng Machine Guns Of
BoChes.
LINE STRONGLY r HELD
BY FIVE DIVISIONS
q Am Proud to Have You in
My Command" Said Mar
shall Haig, After EpochaI
Drive.

Details of the epochal drive Of the
S0th division, including Memphis troops,
as well as other Tennessee units and
North and South Carolina infantry, as
announced Christmas day by the AS
sociated Press, reveal the marvellous
work of the Southern boys and the huge
obstacles surmounted in breaking
through the Hindenburg line on Oct B.
10, 1918.
The drive was participated IN by the
Second army corps, comprising the ztth
division and the 30th. The former were
the New York national guard troops, IA
military known as the Fighting sixty
ninth" The drive was opened at Bel
licourt, described as perhaps the
strongest point in the line
Among the Memphis units tnthe drlVe
were the old Tennessee national guard,
the volunteer Infantry known as the
11Sth company, the 18th machine gun
battalion and several other companies
Of troops. In compiimentlng the work
OF these boys, Marshal Haig said; "A
am proud to have you in my command.
The deeds of the 97th and 3oth American
divisions will rank with the highest
achievements OF the wal"
The two divisions were called upon
on Oct 5 TO take part in u three DAY
advance against the line extending from
Valenciennes through Solesmes and LIE
Cateau to Guise. The line ran along IN
sions was given the task OF pushing out
salient south Of lie Cateau. q strongly
armed position, and holding the line un-
til the thanking division moved up.
On the night OF Oct. 5. the 3oth diyt-
sion took over from two Australian
units a front Of about three miles, inc
operation began on Oct IN conlunc-
| tion with the British and French on
either side OF the Americans The
| Yankee attack was made behind roll Z
| ing barrage laid down by British, ana
iAtsstrallan artillery and using tanks:
I IN SPITE OF, the enemy counter bar
ana by noon the S0th division had ad-
vanced three miles and the villages OF
Brancourt and Fremont captured.
| ''Consistently, II seems, In these OPP
Grafton the American division was again
at the apex Of the advance" said the
official statement.
The attack was resumed on the fol-
lowing morning (Oct 81 and met with
only rear guard resistance, the Mem
phians entering Busigny and Becquigny
almost without opposition, The. day 8
advance represented a gain or four
miles. The movement was again re-
yards was attained and the villages OF
Escaufort st. Souplet and Naux-An-
dlgny were taken.
In the three days the Americans and
their allies had advanced nine miles,
with the delivery of nine villages and
the capture of 1900 prisoners and nu-
merous machine guns. The Fourth
army. of which the Second corps was a
part, then stood In front of the Selle
river.
on the crest OF this river the Ger
mans seemed to have prepared to make
a stand. A pause was necessary to
bring UP supplies and ammunition and
to strengthen the divisions. The front
was shortened to 1000 yards,
The enemy line west OF the Selie
river was strongly held by five SIvi-
siotrs and by elements Of six others
The attack was resumed on Oct IL
Rain had turned the chalky ground into
az slippery footing and a thick mist
made all sense Of location impossible
Eleven tanks were sent across the river
and the infantry started over the tor
behind a rolling barrage, the first wave
wading the river while the engineers
placed pontoons for the use of the sec
ond wave.
Despite an enemy counter -barrage
and machine gunners hid in shell holes
under cover Of the fog, the Memphians
and their comrades drove over thl
crest east of the river and advanced
two miles.
BY Oct. 10 the American and British
forces occupied the last ridge before
the canal OF Sambre and a period Of
preparation ensued, The advance haC
resulted in the capture of St. Martin
Rivere, Nolan, Arbre, De Guise, Ri
beauville and Escaillon.
The total advance for the six days
operations was 13 miles, resulting II
the capture Of S,400 prisoners.