South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-10-04
YANKEES SHOW
REAL METTLE
IN BIC BATTLE
Great Exploits Of American
Soldiers Experienced in
st. Quentin-Cambrai
Struggle.
BY BERT FORD.
international News Service:

international News Service:
WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN
FRANCE. oct A. - American
youngsters who helped the Brit
ish smash the HindenDurg line in
the terrific struggle on the s. QUEEN
tin-Cambrai front fought with the
courage and resourcefulness of vet
Grams.
The first details of the fighting OF
New York troops tell Of II sacri-
flee. personal bravery and presence
Of mind.
1t was a gruelling ordeal and the
enemy licenses under assault were
among most difficult on the
western battle front. but the Yam
kee lads showed nerve and pluck
I that won the admiration Of the sea-
soned British veterans alongside
whom they were fighting There was
never any thought of surrender. The
I dominant aim of every American
unit was TO avenge fallen comrades.
Have Drastic Adventures.
The Yankees had many adver-
/ lures but that Of four privates, was
I the most drastic Of all. Let Arthur
/ Giles of Brooklyn tell the story:
THE four of us were stranded in
( No Mans land for 40 hours without
/ food and with nothing 10 drink ex-
/ cept the rain water in shell holes.
/ With me were Ernest Minder Of the
/ Bronx. Walter Drury, % years old,
a Cornell student Of Staten Island,
I Gideon Anderson, 20 years old, a
/ Brooklyn carpenter. and Leon David
son, 90 years old. also of Brooklyn.
I'VE were in the first wave that
attacked and advanced so fast that
we got ahead Of the others in the
company. The first thing we enew
we were alone. within 20 yards of
the Germans. They opened fire upon
US with machine guns from every
point Of the compass.
Tumble into shell Hole.
/ well, we all tumbled into a shell
/ hole as fast as we could. But it was
\ kind of lonesome, not seeing any of
our fellows around The machine
\ gun bullets from both sides were
] singing over our heads and the
bursting shells were making so
much racket that we could not hear
each other talk.
Finally we noticed a little shall
low trench not more than a foot
deep, leading toward a dugOut with
two doors We wrigeled out on our
stomachs like snakes and started
for the dugout. The Germans sure
did try to pot us. While some were
shooting at us, machine guns in
nests on the side of a hill put down
a screen of bullets across both en-
frances to the dugout.
COoped up all Day.
I'VE got in somehow and were
cooped up there all day Friday The
sounds Of the battle had ceased. but
we knew that machine guns were
trained on the doors OF the dugout
and we expected an attack at any
minute. Why the Germans did not
\ rush us is more than / can tell. /
never expected to get out alive and
the others felt the same way. We
n planned to escape Friday night, but
the Germans kept sending up flares
which made No Mans land as bright
as day.
I'VE did not have anything to eat
except some dirty black bread that
we found in the dugout and water
from our canteens Finally the wa
ter gave out. The night was cold and
we were tired but not one Of us
dared to go to sleep.
Day broke cold and rainy. We
tried to console each other but felt
helpless and foolish. It was our first
big battle and we had wanted to
accomplish something. We wished
we hadn't been so speedy in the
rush.
Decides to Take' Chance.
con Saturday night we all de
cided 10 take a chance together and
try TO crawl back TO our own lines.
We made the small trench. creeping
like caterpillars and reached a deep
er trench.
I'VE heard a faint moaning At
first we were suspicious but one Of
the fellows thought il sounded like
an American so we all decided to
stick together and investigate. We
crept nearer cautiously and were
amazed to find a fellow from our
own regiment. but another company,
wounded in the legs and unable to
walk. He was lying in a shell hole
half covered with water. He had
lain there all day Friday, Friday
night and Saturday.
Back in the Cave Again.
I'VE pulled him back TO the dug
out as we realized that we could
J not leave him behind and nobody
wanted 10 leave the rest OF the
bunch. And there we were, back in
the same old cave again.
lone OF the fellows began to COM