Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-09-04
FIRST UNITS OF
FAMOUS FIRST
DIVISION REACH
NEW YORK CITY
Force of Regulars Which Bore
Brunt of Hardest Fighting
in Europe Begins to Get
Back Home,
TERRIFIC LOSSES IN
KILLED AND WOUNDED
Every Man of One Regiment
Decoratedi Made Notable
Record and Paid Terrible
Price For Its Success.
tsv MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wrNul


New York, Sept. 3.-Four thousand
officers and men of the famous First
Division of the regular army, veterans
of some of the bloodiest victories
which ever crowned American arms,
returned home today on the transports
Amphion, Suwanee and Mobile. The
little strips of vari-colored ribbons that
decorated the tunics of hundreds of
the returning soldiers bore silent testi-
mony to the deeds which have made
the division historic
As far as individual decorations
We're concerned the palm was borne
by the Eighteenth infantry, every man
Of which wore the fourragere of the
Legion of Honor conferred by the
French government just before the
unit boarded the Mobile at Brest But
the Eighteenth had little to boast OF
over their comrades, noticeably the
Second machine gun battalion, 40 per
cent of whom had been decorated,
This battalion suffered 20 per cent
casualties.
On the Mobile was Brigadier Cen
eral Frank Parker, commander of the
First infantry brigade. General Par
ker whose home is in Charleston, S.
c., went to Paris in 1914 as military
attache and was In temporary COM
mand of the First division in october,
1918, until relieved by Major General
McGlachn.
Has wonderful Record.
The First division, first units of
which returned home today from Ger
many, Is justly proud Of its claim as
being "the first division in France;
first in a fighting sector; first to fire
shot at the Germans; first to attack;
first to conduct raid; first to be raid
ed; first to capture prisoners; first to
inflict casualties; first TO suffer cas-
| ualties; first to be cited singly in gem
| eral orders; first in the number OF
| division, corps and army commanders
and general staff officers produced
| from it's personnel"
| The official history of the division
shows it was organized in France,
the last units to arrive reaching that
country July 2, 1917. 1t was COM
posed of troops of the regular army.
the Sixteenth. Eighteenth, Twenty
sixth and Twenty eighth infantry
regiments; the Fifth, Sixth and
Seventh artillery regiments; the First
engineer regiment and train; the Sec-
ond field signal battalion and the
|
companies and field hospital.
Was Active Always.
| 1t occupied successfully the Som
mervlle sector, near Nancy; the An
sauville sector, near Toul; the Can
tigny sector, near Montdidier; par
ticipated In the scissors operation
southwest of scissors. occupied the
SaiZerais sector; participated In the
! st. Mihiel operation; the Meause- Ar
gonne operation In the Sheppy sector,
west of Varennes; the operation
against Mouzon, and the operation
south and southwest of Sedan, attack
| ing the heights on the morning of
November Z, 1918.
on November II it began the mem
orable march through Lorraine and
Luxembourg reaching the Coblenz
bridgehead on the Rhine, December
IA, 1918, which position it held until
relieved by other American troops.
requirements in the division UP to
| the time of the armistice totalled 30,-
| 200, and the losses in. killed and died
of wounds were 4,4l1: wounded and
gassed 17201, and prisoners lost 152.
1t captured 6.46T Germans; 1l9 pieces
of artillery, 62 trench mortars and
! 413 machine guns. The total of Dis
tlngulSneu services CTOSSes dWdrueu
the men of the division was 1885,
| Major General William L. Sibert
commanded the division from June
Is, 1917, to December IL, 1917; Major
General Robert l.. Billiard from De-
cember 13, 1917, until he became
corps commander; Major General
Charles p. Summerall from July 20,
1918, to October IL, 1918; Brigadier
General Frank f.. Bamford from Oc-
tober IL, 1918 to october "a, 1918;
Brigadier General Frank Parker took
command on October 25, 1918, and
from May 81, 1919, Major General p.
f. McGlachlin, Jr., was in command
of the division.
The division insignia is a crimson
"1" on a khaki background, chosen
because the numeral ~ represents
the number of the division and many
. mic tinnE