The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-11-18
YANKEES HAILED
en. Joseph pickman Moves
Army In Three Mighty Col.
unnns Toward Rhine.
|EART-TovcHINc OVATION
poughboys Surprised at Many
American Flags in Villages
Evacuated by Germans.
(By Bert Ford.)

Enroute with the American Army
Il Occupation. Nov. 17.-Q. N. So
Hailed as heroes and liberators of
- people, the American army OF
cupation, led by Gen. Joseph Dick
m, Is moving toward the Rhine
bday in three mighty columns.
The Yankees made nine miles to-
ay and then halted. = The march
Gill be resumed tomorrow.
Gen. ,Dickman's host Is known as
he Third American army, and Is
dvancing in battle formation. sup
ported by airmen and artillery, and
teady for any emergency. 1t Is the
nost historic hike" that the Stars
Ind Stripes have ever seen.
III Everywhere the Yanks were re-
{feived by the civilian population and
In towns that the Germans had left
|bnly twenty-four hours before, the
United States nag blossomed forth
On the buildings.
III It was q heart touching ovation
6hat the doughboys received from
(nen, women and children, as they
Entered evacuated villages. Lagging
German soldiers who trailed behind
Their own forces, saluted the Ameri-
IAN nag and American army officers
with profound respect and tried to
traternize with the doughboys.
The olive-drab Of Uncle Sans
marines was novelty everywhere.
Men politely doffed their hats. Wom-
en- and little girls smiled and bowed
IN their prettiest manner. Grand
mothers at windows nodded their
|bonneted heads. .l
Children Amazed.
M Children looked on in amazement
|ht the victorious brown army that
Followed so closely upon the heels
|of the German soldiers. the only type
|sf troops they had known since the
YHun invasion over four years ago.
The Americans are ready for the
|slightest violation Of the armistice.
Signal corps men are stringing tele-
phone wires along the poles set up
by the Germans. The artillerymen,
at every halt, plant their cannon In
the fields along the roadside and at
the crossroads with neat piles of
deadly shells piled behind the guns,
ready to protect the infantrymen
with q barrage on seconds notice.
The weather was bitter cold and
cloudy when the doughboys set out
this morning. The landscape. thick
with she'll holes, was covered with
an tnch-thick frost. sse5
n pont Mind Weather. ';-'..
But the doughboys did not mind
the weather nor their heavy packs.
All were eager to invade the enemy
zone and to see the village peoples.
Thousands OF Italian, Russian and
Polish prisoners released from Ger
man prison cages, focked in the op-
posite direction in quest of rest,
warmth and food, in the American
lines. The influx of prisoners Is !
raising one Of the biggest problems
confronting our army Of occupation. |
They must be fed. The hungry,
ragged soldiers are given every con- |
and are invited to q seat
up the landscape. When "chow"
was dished up, the refugees were
invited to participate.
The march is being marked by
some Of the most striking scenes Of |
the war. and they are being stamped
indelibly upon the minds Of the |
Some Of the Yanks complained that
their jaws were getting sore trying
to pronounce the names of some of
the places they were passing, but
t'he soreness passed away at "chow"
time.
The Americans are great souvenir
hunters and at rest periods they
we're busy picking up all sorts Of
discarded German equipment.
Z Some Of them carried signboards
and others posters that they had
pried from the sides of buildings.
v What surprised the doughboys
most, was the number of American
Iiags futtering in villages the Ger
mans had left just the day before.
Along late in the day, when the
hen began to tire, after the strepu-
bus movement Of the day. the SOL
4iers began throwing away their
IDuvenirs, promising themselves to
|et more at the end Of the march.
" During halts the bands gathered
y crossroads and in the fields and
Mayed strenuously, but there was no
pusic while the troops were on the
march. ytr
3 Liberated prisoners gathered around
he musicians and in pauses Of music
hey surrounded the bonfires and the
kitchen Chow guns. All the liber-
~ fod nriQOnoro n ro hoo dod for Uor1,,v |