The Irish standard., 1918-11-09
Story Of Rescue
Of 500 Yankees

forces In France was brought to a close
in the Argonne forest Monday night,
October z, when American units of
General Liggett's First army corps,
crushing the terrific opposition of the
Boche and sweeping the invaders be-
fore them, rescued 500 of their COM
rades who had been surrounded by the
Germans since the preceding Friday,
says Jack Remington, war correspon-
dent, in the Minneapolis Tribune.
Beleagured for four days and with
only two days food and scant medical
supplies in their possession, the fight
ing Yanks held their ground, although
the Boche commanded all the surround
ing heights and frequently swept the
American positions with machine guns
and trench mortars.
The great drama of the Argonne for
est began last Friday, when this par
ticular American unit, forming a part
of the American army engaged in the
offensive in this sector, reached it's
days objective in the afternoon, after
advancing through a wilderness of
trees, underground, and barbed wire
entanglements which formed part of
the German trench system.
They Are Isolated.
When this small unit had reached it's
detectives it was discovered that Amer
lean units on either flank had met
with such fierce opposition that they
had not kept pace with the advance.
Darkness found the little group vir-
tually isolated from it's companion
units, only one little gap remaining
on it's left wing. 1t was deemed i'm
possible for these men to find Their
way back and they resolved to wait
until morning to establish Jason with
their TANKS.
Daybreal, however, disclosed the
fact the Germans during the night had
filtered through their lines and had
established new machine gun pits in
the trench system which the unit had
captured the day previous. And on all
the surrounding heights machine guns
and trench mortars commanded the
position held by the Americans. Maj.
Charles w. W. Whittlesley Of New
York, commanding the beleagured de-
tachment, decided not to surrender,
but to prepare whatever defenses he
could and fight it out to the last ditch.
Yanks Hold Their Ground.
And fight they did, as the Boche
discovered whenever he attempted to
close in on the little group of Amer
lean heroes. At the end Of two days
food supplies were exhausted, there
was scarcely enough Of medical sup.
plies to properly care for their wound
ed and ammunition was running low,
but the men in khaki held their
ground.
For three days American airmen fly
ing over the detachment tried to drop
food, medicine and ammunition to the
beleagured men, but in nearly every
instance these supplies feel between
the American and German lines and
neither side could utilize them. The
Americans could see, however, that ef-
forts were being made to relieve them
and this gave them the courage to
hold out. Toward evening of the
fourth day the American general ad-
vance was resumed, and the little
group of men was rescued and sent
back to the rear for food, medical
treatment and rest.
Few Get Supplies.
Knights of Columbus secretaries. on.
Grating with the troops in the Argonne
forest, pooled all their supplies of cho-
colate, cigarettes and other articles
which would have been of value to the
little detachment and turned them over
to American airmen to drop on the
lines, but few of the beleagured men
received these gifts. E. c. Grady of
Whiting, Ind, X. of c. secretary,
made a hurried trip to the nearest
Knights of Columbus warehouse in
the Toule district for additional sup
plies for the American heroes.
When the little group of fighters
finally was brought back to the lines
they found a Knights of Columbus field
kitchen on the job with hot chocolate
for every man. The Germans tried to
interfere with this relief work, for a
high explosive shell dropped by Boche
gunners a few meters from the kitchen
broke all the windows and shattered
the wire netting over the openings.
Dennis Oates of Louisville. XIV. and