The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1918-12-26

ready have been published by the
marine corps headquarters here.
crumbles at the 18th blow, it can not
be said it was the 18th blow which
brought it down. And it can be said
that if it had not been for certain
minor, little chronicled operations
which preceded the final thrust of
November If it had not been, say,
for the wedges driven into the Kriem-
hide line by the bloody fighting
which cleared Bantheville forest and
gave us the hills of Chatillion and
Dame Marie, the drive which began
last Friday morning would not have
been made so easily and might not
have been made at all.
What followed for few days,
when the break did come, was not a
battle at all. It was wild and ex-
uberant chase. It's gait was breath
taking. 1t was impossible to keep
up with the doughboys; it was hard
enough in all conscience to keep
tabs on where they were in any given
hour. y
They were soon beyond reach of
the finest lenses set in the high
watchtower of Montfaucon. Tele-
wires could scarcely be strung fast
enough to keep check on them, and,
after all, runners have only legs. 1t
fell to the swift couriers of the air
lanes to keep posted the generals
toiling, beaming but breathless, in
the doughboys' wake.
For the guns, they set madden
ing pace. All the first day there was
but one law of the highway: Make
way for the guns-make way for
the guns" It was at once war cry,
traffic regulation and a gospel. BY
o'clock of the first morning some
the guns called it day, packed
up and started forward.
They moved eight kilometers be-
fore opening fire and then next
morning they had to take to the road
again. The artillery that started up
past Champigneulles, having left
half their guns behind and doubled
their horses for greater speed, hoped
at each cross roads to stop and re-
sumo business. They never unhitch-
ed for 48 hours.
Lost i'm the Pursuit.
A few wildcat guns kept apace
with the infantry, boasting that they
would make good with point blank
fire when their chance came. They
did make good, but some of these
loose pieces fell behind and were lost
in the chase.
we'll just keep going," one cap
tain confided to the surrounding
traffic, "and when we catch up to
some doughboys, any doughboys,
we'll stop and help them out. How
ever" he went on with some feeling,
cts a little hard, now that they
seem to have issued each doughboy a
Ford car for his personal use.'
The commander of the brigade
which took Buzancy and Authe-a
colonel who with his blankets on his
| own back, clawed his way for %
days through the forest of Argonne
at the snail's pace enforced on the
troops which cleared that jungle of
Germans and who now carries in his
pocket cigarette case engraved, 'In
memory of St. Juvin, October Is,
191S"-must have felt, when his bat
talions raced ahead of him through
Ardennes, that he had gone back to
his old cavalry days. From behind
there came from time to time the
plaintive cry of the commander of
another brigade:
81 have orders to leap frog you.
But, my God, how can 1 when I CAM
catch up!'
For Buzancy, by the way, there
was a great race Every unit knew
of it's spacious chateau and aspired
to occupy it as headquarters. One
regimental P. C. did spend a night
there, but they were hustled out next
morning with biting inquiries as to
what they meant by staying 80 far