The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1919-01-10
CLOSE FIGHTING,
| SUITED YANKEES
Showed Their individual Superb
ority In Hand-to-Hand
Battling.
WOUNDED TELL OF VICTORIES
Give Graphic Descriptions Of Personal
Encounters With Enemy Ratta-
lon OF Marines Brings Down
German Airplane.

from trench warfare to the more or
less warfare Of movement, the Ameri-
cans got their IoIlg-desired opportn-
nifty TO display their physical pro~ess
and their individual superiority In
hand-to-hand fighting. And they liked
it--thIs close fighting as evidenced
by the smiles and laughs of the boys
In the American army hospitals when
they recount tales Of bayonet charg-
Ing. hand grenading at close quarters,
and even the good. old American style
of using the fists.
Andrew Dumns Of Burke, N. X. was
suffering bit OF pain from Il wound
sn his hip, caused by shrapnel, but
he forgot his snfferlngs when ne told
OF doing away with three eyponents
of prussianism with his hayonet. Dti-
mas was injured while fighting In the
sector north of verdln where the
Americans, straddling the Meuse
river. met resistance Of the most stub
born kind.
"We crept out one night on a scout
Ing proposition and met up with quite
a gang of Huns,o Dumns said. I'VE
couldn't resist The temptation 60 have
d 10 at them at close quarters.
know of three of them that went down
with my bayonet. | wasn't injured
until two days later
Calls II aAot Stuff"
Another Yank, who says "close un'
aighting Ii shot stuff" Is Sergeant
Adolph Stein of 5s5 st. Clair street,
Lawreneeburg, Ind
It's STEMS second time In the hos
pital since the middle Of August
Ills first wound was from a Ger
man high explosive, but his second
trip 70 the hospital was caused by
machine gun huliets-in each leg
HE said he WIS jltsi In reaeh Of the
machine gun nest when he fell. But
ne added, his comrades carried on
and got the gun.
'sJust to show YOU tile difference be-
tween Americans and Germans. I've
seen one American hold off i've and
sir Germans with rifle, and | had a
man In my nlatoon who, after being
prisoners slngle.hnnded..
BurS H. Daley nf st. Clairsville,
O., who was wounded hs machine
gun bullet III the hip, In fighting around
Thiaucourt, also told OF close fight
Ing. He said his platoon took
many prisoners, the Germans prefer
ring 10 surrender rather than try
TO stand up to the Americans in hand,
to-hand combat.
Surrounded by Germans because
the American advance In the Cham
pagne had been too rapid ii regiment
TO which William Robert Smoker. 910
May street, Philadelphia. was at-
tached. fought It's way through the
enemy Gordon and took prisoners
Smoker, injured later by slirannel 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-
ment was awarded the French fonra-
gese.
Down German Flyer.
An interesting story OF how nh en-
tire battalion of marines, including
machine gun company, had hand in
bringing down a German airplane Is
told by N. w. Aflierhaugh Of Wood
River. Neh.
"Our battalion was In reserve IN a
small forest" explained Afierhaugh,
who was later wounded Iii both legs
by shrapnel. sAl OF sudden we saw
an American plane making for home.
The plane seemed TO be crippled. I'm
snediately back OF the American was
q German plume. trying its best TO
finish the American. Both machines
were flying low. just 4 few hundred
feer above the earth.
SEvefy fellow there was Just nch-
Ing to get crack at the HUI plane,
and we waited until the American
had passed on and the German was
just above us. We all turdad loose
with our rifles and the machine
gun company let fly with Its rat-a-tat-
tat
1.-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 1T, for he was imme-
diately hustled OF to hospital.