The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-11

ular army, going overseas last March.
They are now doing guard duty near
Luxembourg.
The citation is, in part, as follows:
1T is with pride and pleasure that
the division commander calls the at
tention of the division to G. o. No. Al,
3rd corps, of November 8, 1918.
wherein the corps commander cites
the Fifth division for forcing against
the enemy in position a crossing of the
River Meuse near Dun and near
Brieulles, building bridges and swim
ming the river in the face of machine
gun and artillery fire and in advance
ing some nine kilometers in the enc
my's territory to the vicinity of Bran
denville. This action not only uncov-
cred the left flank of the XVII French
corps and enabled that corps to adj
vance, but broke the line of resistance
of the German army. and by turning
it's position on the east bank of the
Meuse. compelled its withdrawal and
a letter of November IL, 1918, from
the chief of staff, first army, A. Z. F.,
to the commanding general 3rd corps,
A E. F., wherein he states: The army
commander has noticed with great
pleasure and appreciation the excel
lent work of your corps in crossing
the Mouse river and clearing the
heights to the east of the town of
Dun-sur-Meuse. He appreciates full
ly the difficulties involved in this
problem ana therefore realizes tnaC
the results attained reflect great credit
on your corps and the divisions in
cluded therein
1.-The Fifth division alone forced the
crossing and established the bridge
head. For two days and nights the
division held a front of twenty kilo-
meters against the enemy on its front
and both flanks. Not content with
this, it went out of it's sector on the
north and took the town of Mouzay
and turned it over to the Goth division.
On the south it went out of it's sector
and took Vilosnes. enabling the
French division on it's right to cross
the river.
Under Fire % Days.
SIN the 80 days preceding the ar
mistice, this division was seriously en-
gagged under shell fire, rifle and ma
chine gun fire 27 days. In two weeks
not a day passed that some town, wood
or hill has not been wrested from the
enemy. In succession the following
were captured: Bots de Rappes, Ain
creVille, BEDSIDE -Babiemont Cleyr-le-
Grand. Clery-le-Petit, Brieulles, Doul-
con, Dun-sur-Meuse. Vimy, range of
hills east of the Mouse forming the
bridgehead, Vilosnes, Milly, Lion, Muir
veux, Fontaines, Chateau Charmois,
Mouzai, Grande Vile, Foret-de-
Voevre, Jametz, Remoiville, Louppy.
A penetration of 81 kilometers into the
enemy's lines was made, wrestling from
him 100 square kilometers of territory.
and on announcement of the armis-
tice, the division had a front of IS
kilometers, being five kilometers in
advance of troops on its right.
Thirty cannon, 461 machine
guns. and over 900 prisoners were
captured. However. what the COM
mander wishes most to congratulate
the division upon is its untiring, I'M
complaining tenacity of purpose in its
constant driving at the enemy in spite
of fatigue and shortage of rations, be-
ing wet from swimming the river and
canal or wadinG the swamp. This is
an example of what the American
soldier can do in an emergency when
he must go on to the utmost extent
of his power. The division command
er is proud of the work of the divi-
sion, and every member should be
proud to belong to a division which
has SO brilliantly ended its record In
the greatest war the world has known
III. E. ELY.
Major General. U.S.A., Commanding.