East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1919-09-20

the batteries Of all four divisions an,
its artillery fire power was quadrupi
cd
Dawn of the 2eth crept down th'
hlllsides OF the Ourcd, and over then
began the vibrant song OF the machine
gun bullets. Left TO right. the 166th
f65th, 167th and 168th Regiments OF
Infantry thin wave following thir
wave. moved down the banks of the
Ourcq, which swollen by the rains to
depth Of three meters and a width
of 8, was a formidable obstacle.
The two bridges near Sergy has been
blown up by the enemy and the
troops had TO struggle through the
water as best they could, In face OF
the intense front and flank fire from
sergy and Meurcy Farm. At first a
Judgement on the other bank was i'm
possible. But at length elements of
Col. Frank McCoy's New Yorkers con-
trived to retain toehold. and by 1890
IN. parts of all four regiments were
over.
The shelling, which the Allied artil-
lery could not suppress, was very
severe, and lcw-flylng German planes
at frequent intervals machine gunned
the front lines though some of them
came to grief at the hands of such
men AT SGT. Frank Gardello. Jr., of
the f65th Machine Gun Company
with his machine gun riddled the up
per one of two approaching planes
which fell upon the lower one. and
both crashed to earth.
Acting upon the theory that MOTH
Ing was to be gained either by lying
still or by gcing back, the Alabama
and Iowa men of the saith Brigade
shortly made rush and took Sergy.
But that was just what the Germans
wanter. From the dominating wood
lands of Jomblets. Planchette and
Pelger they ioosed down the draw
leading to Sergy a hail of machine
gun fire that blasted the Americans
from the place and swept them back
to the river bank.
Opposing Germany's Best
Here they REALIZED. returned to the
charge and again drove the Germans
from the village. learning when they
did so that the WITH Guard Division
Prussian Guards). one of the best in
the German army. had just been put
against them. Time after time thru
the afternoon the battle lines thus
swept back and forth in desperate
conflict while further to the right at
the southeastern base of Hill 220. on
which stand the three woodlands the
2sth Division was vainly struggling to
raaoh a.,d "a nfura the latter
The sun was near to setting when
at s O'Clock Iowa and Alabama troops
rolled into Sergy for the last time that
evening. holding 1t under artillery and
night bombing. To the left, the Ohio
gade had been striving as hard for the
distant objective of Meurcy Farm, but
had been unable TO reach 1t.
Even Sergy itself was not'yet finally
taken for early on the 29th the Ger
mans rushed it again and drove their
back to the Ourcq. The
answer this time was a general attack |
Of the division including an advance |
against the plateau between Sergy and
Farm.
Everything blazed up once more
with the addition of numerous ma
chine. guns hidden In the wheat fields |
Of the plateau. The most substantial |
at first was on the right, |
where by noon Colonel Bennetts
Iowans retook Sergy and got some |
guns to the nearest crest |
Of Hill 220. from which they could /
partly suppress the fire from Jomblets
md Planchette woods
1t was while struggling for this
crest, to give only one instance of the
hot work. that Sgt. y. w. Hamilton
60. NJ. ahead of his line and so badly |
wounded that he could not stand, was
attacked by ten Prussian Guards, of
whom he shot five, whereupon the
rest fled.
Mcurcy Farm Falls TO Bayonct
Further to the northwest. the 167th