The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-02-20
Saws the Kansas Governor Had
the Wrong Dope.
TOOK GROUND-THEN HELD IT
Captured in Three Hours What
French Had Tried Four Years.
Commander Is Heard by the
House Committee Today.

Peter E. Traub, who commanded the
35th division in the battle of the Ar
gonne,$ denied before the house rules
committee today the charge of Gov
ernor Allen of Kansas that the men OF
the division, Missouri and Kansas,
were sacrificed by failure of artillery
support
I'VE were up against three crack
Boche divisions said the general,
but we advanced twelve and half
kiloneters on a two or three kilometer
frol.t, and held it. In the first three
hours of the battle We had taken what
the French had been up against for
four years
Traub said the divisions casualties
in six days and nights of fighting were
500 killed and 4,o0O wounded.
Huns We're Ready.
..The Germans had been preparing
for the defense for four years and they
had everything conceivable in the art
of defense he said. There was
ridge filled with craters some fifty rect
deep and the high ground at each
side and IN the rear was filled with
great defensive system
Reports of lack of equipment ana
supplies were declared unfounded. The
general said the artillery support new
er failed when called for and that not
half dozen shells from the American
artillery fell into its own lines. He
added that sometimes there were
plenty of American airplanes in this
sector along the twenty mile battle
front and at other times there were
not: that artillery horses were not un-
fit for their work, but there was a
shortage of 1900 in the full compile
ment and that wounded could be re-
moved only at night because OF the
German fire.
Recalling General Grants attack on
Cold Harbor, in the Civil war, Gen
eral Traub compared the casualties
there with those of the 35th division,
saying, General Grant lost 10000
men and accomplished nothing.
Told a Dramatic Story.
The general told a dramatic story
of the battle. He described how the
Germans wasted 500 shells in a vain
effort to hit him when he was NOV
ing along the front lines.
What the American public ought
TO be doing" he declared, 'is singing
paens to the American soldiers who
brought the boche power to the dust
and there is no question but that the
American soldier did it. 1t was won
derful work. marvelously well done by
the wonderful men our country sent
over there.
1T was a most stupendous task and
one that our country was not prepared
for. The way it was handled by Cen
eral Pershing and his staff will be a
marvel of all future time. Surely, it
was marvellous piece of work mar
NeIousIy well done by all concerned
Did All Possible.
Everything possible was done for
the wounded" Traub said. But there
weren't enough stretchers in the A E,
F. to take care of 1000 at one point -
Traub denied flatly that the Ger
mans dominated the air
There was a shortage of horses he
said. but he denied the shortage was
as great as 55 per cent.
Turning to artillery. Traub said
about half dozen shells from the all
lied artillery had fallen inside the
American lines.
The division was never outside its
army and corps artillery, he said, but
told how on the day the battle began,
his division artillery was stuck near a
ravine and could not be brought
across until the next day.
American infantry had attacked
German artillery. Traub said and add
ed, 'and they always took it"
He Sent Martin Out.
General Martin, a National Guard
officer and General Mcclure, a reg
ular army officer, had been removed
on his recommendation. Traub said.
"One thing prompted me and that
was the success of our arms" said
1iduo. duulHS tndI ne mad been
friendly with Mcclure for 35 years.
Three regular army colonies were re-
moved at the same time.
Traub maintained the soldiers al
ways had something TO eat altho
there was probably shortage of food
at some points. ''I lived on bread |.
Jam, and cigarets for five DAYS my
SELF. he said. There never was a big
battle in which men had all they
wanted to eat
Supplies of winter under clothing
had not caught up with the division at
the time of the Argonne fighting,
Traub explained. Il never heard of
any one suffering" he added ''I had
on summer underclothing myself"
Engineers Good Fighters.
Engineer troops had been pressed
into the fighting to relieve an infantry
division, Traub admitted. And YOU
can bet your sweet life they fought
Discussing the difficulties encoun-
tered in the Argonne, Traub said:
The boche had the Frenchmen's goat.
He would not go up there and try
that job. The Germans had every-
thing known to the art of defense and
we had to throw flesh and blood
against that to drive out those devils. .
To state bankers: See Kansas Re-
serve State Bank. Topeka, S24 Kansas
avenue, and save on float" ONLY
state bank in Topeka member of Fed
eral Reserve system and only bank
whose deposits at same time are pro-
tected by the Kansas Bank Depos-
n