The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-04-12
OFFICER W|IR F|VE
Continued from page ons.)

net and went out and fought hand to
hand with the Boches as his regular
tcb-he comes home and maybe Q
friend sees him and buys HIM cigar,
or maybe goes SO far as to ask him out
to his house for dinner. But most
in,>ortan, OF all, no one looks upon
him and says here John, is a Job for
you
II have only been in this country
l have been trying TO drive this thing
home. 1t was the men In the trenches
the non commissioned ranks, that won
the war and they deserve their share
of the credit. OF course they needed
good officers but that was the officers
Job. He was trained specially for It
and got good pay while he worked
Lieutenant Colonel Watson was with
the American Army Of Occupation IN
Germany and has some interesting
things 20 tell of what the Yanks are
doing In the enemy's country.
"A New York reporter made mo
very mad by asking IL there was fra
termination between the American Ar
my Of Occupation and the Germans"
said the Colonel. 1T was fool queS-
ton to ashk concerning men who have
lQSuolq eoRsImIs en- 20 lsAeueI poes
been through the experiences the
Americans have undergone. Also mat
reporter did not know the quality OF
discipline maintained by General Dyck
man. The American Army OF occupa-
ton put the fear Of God into the hearts
Of the Germans. When we entered
Cobleuz, we took the best. II WIS
coming to US
1.-THE Germans could not put over
any second rate things on US. We or
dered the lest bAlets. We took over
the theatres and telegraph and tele-
phone wires and issued stern orders.
which vert obeyed. Everything was
censored. There was no nonsense
about the administration Of the city
by the American army.
1.-THE Germans are shrewd people.
They tried friendly propaganda. We
confiscated post cards which they had
printed with German and American
flags interviewed. We fined heavily
any publisher Of propaganda pamphlets
and confiscated them. II we American
officers were heard to remark that,
after all these German people seem
ed to be kind Of friendly lot, such
officers were sent back to France.
1.-THE Germans were scared to death.
They clicked their heels in our pres
once. But II conditions had been re-
versed the position of the American
officers would have been terrible. AS:
| stricter terms, and took away all the.
military power OF Germany, the people
Of Germany realized more and more
keenly that they were utterly defeated.
| The Germans are glad to have the
Americans at Coblenz as protection
against Bolsheviki."
The stories that German machine
gunners were found chained to their
guns was branded as absolutely false
by Colonel Watson:
"That story about German gunners
being found chained to their guns was
absurd. 1t grew out Of jumping at
false concluso ms. 1t takes two men to
carry light machine gun while the
crew Of q heavier machine gun num-
bers four men. Leather straps fastan-
ed to the guns and to the mems Shout
ders helped the men TO carry these
gins. While leather grew scarce. the
chains were substituted for these
straps. Their purpose was not to bind
the men but to enable them to move:
the guns more easily by singing the
weight from the shoulders. The ma
chine gunners were the brayest men
In the German army"
to action IN France year ago In
February with the Thirtieth Engineers
gas troops. They were army troops,
which means they were not members
of any division. but got orders direct
from army headquarters and were sent
TO any part Of the front where hheyJ
were most needed. Gas was. sent from
Icyhnders, from Stoke mortars and sent
in projectiles. The last named was the
most usad. A four inch projectdle was
used containing 16 ponds OF gas With.
an 1900 meter range. The Americas
troops employed lethal gases, which
affect the heart. II the victim Of such
gas Is to get well he must be kept ab.
solutely quiet. After sending gas ov.
e -. tt tsa a aerd aas. "ou,a wa. aWa.s
sno enea sen9 oseF . =. neavy aIuiiety
20! ~, 'ls s,, snoc6 q one loise ol nieA
, 1,osis .s klins 1eIMans VINO naa m
lla.su .as sas pIeYsousiy. me otllcer
e4paaaeo .nat .ne Ameilcan army g
an amy Gio NOT GET mo ACTON Until
June although army corps were on the