The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1918-11-20
-..n,o- American passenger ships after

- American passenger ships after
rshruary / II these ships went " ~.
from Falmouth and follower
a.,nod course going and returhihg' -
ia steamers were painted In spec
a,I sow and carried specified nays
,s ,ao sts,mer n week each way were
sailed. and if the United STATES eo..
ment guaranteed that no coh''""
YVES carried.
,r.,. t,,,,ediota answer OF the United
>,,,,a, ,.,s given February 3-the sew
eruuce of diplomatic relations WIN
nar,o,nv. April the president sighed
q iojn+ resolution of the two HOUSE,"
If congress declaring Il state OF war
g.. oxisl with Germany. In quick sue
cesslon came The sclective service nv
for The raising Of an army W"
concentration Of $3,0O0. OOO,OOO; tne
sending of an expeditionary force ol
reou,ors 10 France under Genera'
pershing: the registration OF nearly
1CVoO,OOO men for military service
the closing Of the first Liberty loan
with large oversubscription; the
drafting of the state militia into the
federal service. October ~ fOrHai ah'
nouncement was made that American
troons in France had fred their nrst
shot in war.
Nevertheless, the spring Of 1918 saw
three huge drives on Paris by the Ger
mans. BY June ] the Germans were
within 46 miles of the French chpita',
In Chateau-Thierry. Unless they were
speedily stopped Paris would be under
their guns. The plan OF the french
was to delay them as long as possiDie
by rear.guard actions until reserves
could be brought up.
Yankees Stop Huns.
And then took place the thing
which all good Americans were prayer
fully expecting: American soldiers
got into action in American fashion.
under American leadership, with
American artillery and machine guns.
The French commander sent to
Chateau-Thierry an American division
made up of marines and Of Infantry
from the middle West. June the
leathernecks and dOughbOys moved
into support positions back Of season
ed French troops. The French were
forced back and filtered through the
Americans; the support positions soon
became the front.
June 4, about five o'clock In the ant
ernoOn, the Germans attacked In force
through a wheat field. in platoon COL
umns, in perfect order, supremely con-
fident. The Americans raked them
with shrapnel and machine guns. Then
they opened with rifle fire. Cool, un-
hurried, they picked their shots as II
at target practice. Military experts
will tell you that the American ma
rines are the most effective fighting
men in all the armies Of the world /; GER
tainly they have no equals with the
rife.
The Germans wavered, then came
on again. Twice more they stopped ;
twice more advanced. Then they broke
Flesh and blood could not stand that
rifle fire. They crawled off through the
standing grain. The Americans sent
bullets wherever the wheat stirred
That was the end.
Days and nights Of heavy lombard
ment followed. Sleep was impossible
The Americans lived on monkey
meat" bread and water. Then they
went on and took the town of Boures
ches, cleaning out the nests Of machine
gunners with rifle fire, bayOnet an(
grenade.
What They Have They Hold.
Next they took the. Bots de Belleau
1t was jungle. 1t was every man To-
himself, Indian fashion, from tree Il
tree, from rock to rock. The battal
ion Of leathernecks which took tn
wood went In with 958 men and 2
officers. They came out with $40 mel
and seven officers. But they tool
the wood. Then they dug themselve
in and fought off cOunter-attacks TO
five days until relieved, CONSTANT,
shelled and gassed, not one hot mea
all that time. What the leatherneck
have they hold.
This one division used up five crac
divisions of the Germans.
There are those among the allie
who say that the Americans at Chi
!. teau-Thierry saved Paris, just as tn
Canadians saved Calais. When tn
military history of the Great War
, written Chateau-Thierry is likely I
be called the turning point Of tn
struggle. For its moral force was b,
r yond estimate. 1t put new heart INF
the war-worn French and British. A
o France famed with joy. The Amer
' cans ha dstopped the Hun. had drive
him back, had beaten him off. Ar
: thousands upon thousands of Just sue
Americans were in plain sight pushir
to the front!
d General Foch in supreme commar
j. of the allies on the western front, SOC
n afterwrrd launched the allied offensi,
y and victory followed victory all alol
n the fighting line of $50 miles from Il
4 North sea to Verdun. 1t was the h
n