Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1919-01-09
CLOSE FIGHTING
Suited YANKEES
Showed Their Individual SUPERB.
GRITTY in Hand-to-Hand
Battling.
WOUNDED tell OF VICTORIES
Give Graphic Descriptions of Persona!
Encounters With Enemy-BattaI-
ion of Marines Brings Down
German Airplane.

Par1S.-Nhen the change came
from trench warfare to the more or
less warfare Of movement, the hmeri.
cans got their lon@-desired Opportu.
nifty to display their physical prowess
and their individual superiority in
hand-to-hand fighting. And they liked
it-thiS close fghting-as evidenced
by the smiles and laughs of the boys
In the American army hospitals when
they recount tales Of hayonet charg
ing, hand grenading at close quarters,
and even the good, old American style
Of using the fists.
Andrew Dumas OF Burke, ". y, was
suffering bit of pain from II wound
in his hip, caused by shrapnel, but
he forgot hia suirerinCs when he told
Of doing away with three opponents
of PruSsinnism with his bayonet. nu-
mas was injured while lighting in the
sector north Of Eer,lun where the
Americans, straddlng the Meuse
river, met resistance of the most stub
born kind.
"We crent out one night on a scout
Ing proposition and met up with quite
a gang Of Huns" Dumas said. eve
couldn't resist the temptation to have
Il go at them at ctOS" quarters.
know of three Of them that went down
with my bayonet. I wasn't Injured
until two days later"
Calls It "Iiot Stuff"
Another Yank, who says "close up"
fighting is shot stuff" is Sergeant
Adolph Stein of $40 st. Clair street,
Lawrencehurg, Ind.
It's STEMS second time in the hos
ptal since the middle OF August
His first wound was from Ger
man high explosive, but his second
trip to the hospital was caused by
machine gun ets--in each leg.
He said he was Just in reach Of the
machine gun nest when he fell. But,
he added. his comrades carried on"
ana got the gun.
Just tn show you the difference be
tween Americans and Germans. I've
seen one American hold off five and
six Germans with rifle, and | had n
man in my platoon, who, after being
wounded himself, brought in thirteen
prisoners single-handed.'
RuN II. Daley of st. ClairSvillo,
o., who was wounded by n machine
run bullet in the hip, in fighting arc nd
Thiaucourt, also told of close fight
Ing. He said his platoon took
lauy prisoners, the Germans prefer,
ring to surrender rather than try
to stand up to the Americans in hand
to-nand combat.
Surrounded by Germans because
the American advance in the Cham
pagnc had been too rapid, regiment
to which William Robert Smoker, 90
May street, Philadelphia, was at
tachcd, fought its way through the
rnrmy Gordon and took prisoners.
Smoker, injured later by Shrapnel in
the right leg, told how his regiment
shortly returned to the attack and
advanced three miles. For their
bravery Smoker said the entire regi-
mcnt was awarded The French foura-
rcre.
Down German Flyer.
An interesting Stury of how an en-
tire battalion of marines, including
machine gun company had Il hand in
bringing down German airplane is
told by \. w. Atli"rbaugh of Wood
River, NCh.
"Our battalion was in reserve in a
small forest" explained Alllerhaugh,
who was later wounded in both legs
by Shrapnrl. "AIl of sudden we saw
an American plane making for home.
The plane seemed to be crippled. I'm
mediately back of the American was
IL German plane, trying its best to
finish the American. Both machines
were flying low, just few hundred
frcr above the earth.
TlMery fellow there was just ach-
lnc' to get a crack ut the Hun plane,
and we waited until the American
had passed on and the German was
lust above us. We all turned loose
with our rifles and the machine
gun company let fly with its rat-a-tat
tat.
"The BOche Immediately turned
and tried to make for home, but he
was forced to land about two city
blocks from us. When we reached
the spot where he came down we
found that his plane had been rid
died with bullets and that he had any
number of bullet wounds in his legs,
arms and body. However, guess he
will get over it, for he was imme-
dateIy hustled off TO hospital"