Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-07-03
DYING GERMAN
MAJOR WANTED
0SEEN new Is
American Boys Stood Their
Ground and Never Gave an
Inch, Says Tostevin.
By r. II. Tosteyin,
10y 70 H.
Somewhere in France,
lima TX 1919

s.#- -pLN 70 0s
Somewhere in France,
June Is, 1918.
II ask but one thing before I
die" said a German major captured
in a dying condition following the
fight at Bouresches.
What is it?" he was asked.
Let me see that new automatic
Is which you Americans used against
U.S." he replied.
But it wac not an automatic can
non which the American artillery
and invincible nerve Of Uncle Sans
troops that made it seem to this Ger
man officer that the Americans were
possessed of new weapons which
dropped shells in their ranks with
such terrible effect and frequency.
Battered and happy. the wounded
from the Chateau-Thierry battle
pitfalls. I have talked with a number
who are here.
Perhaps by the time you receive
this letter. the cables shall have
brought detailed news of the fight
which shall go down into history az
one of the most, thrilling sensational
and daring Of all times.
Censorship rules prevent naming
the American regiments engaged, but
4AS W0AO 41401ly 4NO1Ill DdhOLd OOyS
mixed in it.
You have read the general story in
the papers Of how tho Americans
fought five German divisions Of
troops to a standstill at Chateau
Thierry, .Bouresches and Belleau
Wood.
They got a bunch Of US alright.
but we know 10Y what it means
when you say moved 'em down like
| r}ro uyhoof hofNro n hir1orS
It was open fighting and we had
no shelter, yet the boys stood their
ground and gave never an inch. 1t
was great stuff and believe me we
showed those Dutchmen what the
Americans are made of.
Did they? L feel almost as though
I had been in it myself. Remember
er. ''Spartacus to the Gladiators.''
able sires speak Of brave deeds and
savage war. my checks burned. I
knew not why -"
This whole hospital is surcharged
with an enthusiasm or its smily
Americanism that is contagious and
has infected everyone.
One chap, a marine. r. A. Judd,
DeKalb, Illinois in the same ward
with me, told his story.
1.-The French on the right were
hard pressed. We had to get help to
them. 1 had to take a message from
battalion headquarters back to regi-
mental headquarters. Say, listen,
shells were dropping all owe the
world, but I didn't seem to notice
them. We were fighting the Dutch
and we weren't going to give them a
foot of ground: I knew, or seemed
to know n thing, that was that
.had t0 got an I'M nOrtS nj OnaSS2 pc
through.
my route lay across fields and
down a road. Another chap was
with me. 1 forgot all about him,
AS I was picking up the dust two
big shells came along and dropped on
each side of the road right by me
That's where I had this ear busted.
1T knocked me down. but l re-
member getting UP with the thought
Of the message. The next thing ]
knew I was handing it to the lieuten-
ant-colonel. Then my head began to
hurt and they bundled ME into the
hospital and operated on my ear" ~
Lying propped up in bed, a band.
age about his head, cigarette in his
fingers burning freely and with eyes
flashing, this soldier presented a pic
ture of the indomitable courage and
unquenchable spirit of he U. S. A
No 'bravado about his talk, merely re-
lation of fact, his share in the battle
as distinguished from the other fell
lows experiences.
Think the American soldiers DOM
amount to, much as fighters did
they!' calculated another chap who
had nearly all the flesh ripped off his
left forearm.
They know better now Say ]
saw the platoon next to mine rush
right up to a German machine gun
yelling and shooting and hog wild
Right up to the barrel Of the gun