New-York tribune., 1919-02-12
Heroic 27th's
Vanguard Is
On Way Home
Col. kincaid and I8 Other
Officers Sail, and Rest Are
Slated to Embark Soon
By Wilbur Forrest
NelO York l,fbnne
SpccinI Cnhle Ser1.ic1


(Copyrlsh 1919 New York Tribune Inc)
LIE MANS, France, Feb. 11--Thc ed
vance guard of the 9th Division, in
Guiding Lieutenant Colonel j. L. Kin
caid and eighteen other officers, has
already sailed, homeward bound. The
rest of this New York National Guard
fighting unit expects to sail within q
fortnight
According to the present schedule,
nincty-nine officers and many men.
mainly from the 1o2d Engineers, will
sail from Brcst February Is, and the
rest Of the division will follow shortly
thereafter.
Eve will believe that We arc on our
way when we lose sight of land is the
typical comment heard in the streets
and bllets Of this and other Flvnch
villages, whore the officers and men
have been quartered for the last two
months since their arrival from the
British 'front.' and where they made
such an admirable fighting record.
Report Seems Authentic
The New York National Cuardsmcn
have heard many rumors and false sail
ing dates and have experienced many
rostponcmcnts and disappointmcnts
This time, however, the report seems
authentic and Now York probably will
see the first main body Of its fighters
soon
From accurate, final and official fig
urcs obtained for the hrst>timc to day
from the division adjutant confirming
all known losses, tho 27th suffered
$50 casualties, of which, PSI were Of
fcers.
Our aggregate is sixty-sx officers
and 1,634 men either killed in action or
died of wounds, two officers and 129
men missing in action, while eight mon
we're killed accidentally, and two Off
GERS and 129 men were listed as pris
oners in Germany.
6,173 Wounded or Gasscd
Demonstrating the hard fighting rec
ord of the division, the figures show
also III officers and 1896 men either
wounded in action or gasscd
In the bate raging from September
2s to so, in which the division was
fighting alongside the American goth
Division and the Australians, il
crashed through tho supposedly i'm
rregnable Hindcnburg line IN Flanders
on September 27, with loss OF 1916 Of
fcers and 6,506 men put out Of action,
Of which fiftyfour officers and / ,098
men were killed and ninety ight of
fcers and 3,464 men were wounded the
rest being either gassed or missing.
Six officers and 80 men subsequently,
died of wounds suffered in this action,
which, however, justified the terrible
casualties by the results obtained.
AS the officers expressed it here to-
day, it was "Srnash the Hindenburg
line at all COSTS" and every man
knew it before he entered the battle.
perfectly willing and determined to up
tional Guard or die
Many Medals Of Honor
The world knows how at the cx-
pcnse Of these American casualties and
possibly similar sacrifices by the Goth
Division, the Hindcnburg line crum-
blcd and the German army was thrown
back into a retreat which eventually
brought Germany's national disaster.
From the records compiled for The
Tribune here to- day ! learned that the
9th will return TO New York with u
record number Of five Congressional
medals Of honor, one distinguished pcr-
vice medal and l34 distinguished ger
vice crosses in the ranks
The foreign medals include also
three distinguished service orders.
thirteen distinguished conduct mcdals.
twelve military crosses and ffty-th rec
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