Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-11-06
SHRAPNEL.
sidelights on the War
= -. .y--eY- i.
OLIVER OWEN KUHN.

There now is no doubt in the minds
of French and British military authori-
ties as to the way aroused Americans
can fight
Once there was.
How Marshal Foch, commander-in-
chief of the allied forces on the west
ern front, became convinced of Anerf-
can courage is one of the most i'm
pressive stories that has filtered back
from the fighting lines in France. y
Gen. .Pershing had asked that units
Of his men be brigaded with the French
and British; that they be given strips
of terrain to defend and to carry for
ward such attacks as were at the time
contemplated by the allied general
staff. Field Marshal Rech was stin un-
convinced that the Americans could
stand against the: war trained and
hafdened Hun. But. finally he con-
sented and the Americans were,assign-
ed to a small sector in the Cantigny
region.
The field marshal, several members
of his staff, Gen. Pershirig and group
of American officers stood on q little
knoll watching the. oncoming American
units as they moved for the first line
trenches.
Bands were playing, flags flying. de-
termination of the doughbOys being
graphically emphasized by the firm,
steady stamp of thousands of feet As
the column swung by the allied lead
ers the voices of thousands of men
were. lifted in thrilling. exuberant
song: - 49,
A strange silence fell upon the group
upon the knoll.
Then in low, impressive voice.: Mar
shall Foch murmured: MY God, they
WANT to fight"
Some. realization of the great value
of the tank in attacking the fortified
German position is given by graphic
description of one of the iron mon
ster's maneuvers AGAINST the HI ms:
Away somewhere on the right, not
| very far of, there barked a German
battery, trying vainly to stem the
steady. merciless advance of the in
fantry that followed the line of tanks.
The tank section commander, out in
front of his three machines, could not
see it, but he could form a fairly good
guess as to its position. He made a
signal and the tank edged in to the
right. 49,,
ground as thickly as smoke screen.
You could not see hundred yards IN
front of you The tank found strong
point in small chalk pit and scnp-
pered it indolently. as one might kick
a piece of orange peel out of ones
path.
| THE section commander could still
he knew he was getting nearer Then,
quite suddenly. itseemed to him that
I the pounding had shifted to his rear.
! In a few moments he knew for certain
what had happened. The; tank had
outhanked the. battery and was Work
| ing behind it.
I "He gave another signal and the
uncouth Hardship swung round.
AUST then the smoke lifted q little
and he saw the gunners. Also they
saw the tank: but a moment too late.
the machine guns were suffering
away: those of the German gunners
who were not killed ran wildly away
| from the terrible thing In the smoke,
and another enemy battery was out
Of action-out Of action and in our
! hands, the guns uninjured and the
ammunition ready stacked. And our
fadyancing infantry met a dozen Ger
mans who shouted madly OF a new
English attack from their own head
| quarters.
| Autograph albums play = large
| mart in the fife of the average hos
/ nital ward behind the lighting lines.
One soldier. Hho had lost an eye and
| both hands, but who was happy with
II Ali. dictated this for: one of the
tnurses' books:
L Cupid is a naughty boy;
|. ri hit him with a -hatchet.
+ He struck an arrow in my heart,
L And + can't get there to scratch II
When the ocean-koing traveller goes
| ON board ship nowadays for a trip
either to Europe OF back home again,
| he is straightway presented with the
number Of his lifeboat and detailed
L e. hnW II AT
the earliest possible moment
|, Field Marshal Haig Is az sparing
of words as he is Of men -
|. Nessels IN courvy through the, dam.
tfer zones, whether they can do twelve
ixsse-or stx,! all have - 10: AZ slog
kNa2 the sIowest vessel under guard.
Eta never MonlA do to leave .tbe slew
oct craft 6ehin6 % tempt the German
fsubmarfnes who sKuIk about ocean
lanes.