The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-01-31
MANKATO MEN WHO FOUGHT
FOR A JUST CAUSE
HOxORED BY COURAUD
Corporal Roos Says Stories Of
Hun Atrocities Are
All True

Four MankatO boys, veterans OF
the fields of France, who were in
The service nearly two years and in
active service in France for the
greater part of eighteen months, re-
turned home yesterday after having
been discharged from Camp Dodge.
The men were: Corporal Herbert L.
Roos, son of Mr.. and Mrs. Albert
Roos: Claude. Masters, son of Mr..
and Mrs. G.. NJ. Masters; Dan Lloyd,
son of Mr.. and Mrs. Peter Lloyd,
and Merle Kimble, all of this city.
The men were all members of the
Fifty second artillery and were to-
gether throughout the war, having
enlisted here May 2, 1917, shortly
after the United States entered the
struggle. In August "a, 1918, the men
left Fort Adams, R. l., for New York
and arriving in New York on August
% they were Immediately placed on
board a transport and sent to Hall
fax In Halifax they remained for
ten days waiting for the remainder
of the British ships to arrive for the
convoy and on September 5, on one
of thirteen ships, all British trans
ports, they set sail for Liverpool,
England.
Arrival in Liverpool.
The boys arrived at Liverpool on
September Is and were sent to South
ampton and from there to La Havre,
France reaching the and of the po-
Illus or September %. Immediately
upon their arrival they were sent to
training camp and under French
instruction began training to handle
the big SO centimeter guns for the
railway artillery.
On February 10 the men made their
first trip to the front and TOOK part
in the battle of Beaut Mornell. On
May 3, they were in another engage
ment on the Champagne front and
on July Is they were present to take
part in the great battle which prov !
ed the turning point of the war, the
battle near Rheims which stopped
the fifth and last great German Of
fensive and practically ended the
war. At one time the battery in
which the American boys were serv-
ing was under shell fire for seventeen
hours.
Corporal Herbert l.. Roos was
covered with dirt from an exploding
shell in this engagement and the
men were repeatedly under heavy
Smelling. The fighting lasted from
July Is to July rs and the local men
were in action ON JrIy IS, 17,s IS
and %.
Praised BY Gouraud.
General Gouraud, the one armed
French commander of the Fourth
army, of which these men were
unit, gave his warmest praise to their
efforts. His official citation of their
bravery, which Corporal Roos has as
a valuable souvenir of the fight, fol-
lows:
ITO the Soldiers of the Fourth Army:
On the fifteenth day of July you have
broken the efforts of fifteen German d.
visions supported by ten others.
''Tsay were, according to their orders.
to reach the Marine in the evening. but
you stopped them there where we intend
ed to deliver battle.
You have a right to be proud, heroic
infantrymen and machine gunnerS or the
outposts who signa1ied the attack ana
hampered it. aviators who flew over them,
battaions ard batteries who have broken
il, StaffG who so carefully prepared the
field of battle.
1T is a hard day for the enemy. 1t Is
a splendid day for France.
deDPnd on you IL VIII NC
the same every time the enemy Will dare
to attack us and from my soldiers heart,
thank you. Gouraud.
Would Have Taken Metz.
CORPORAL Roos stated that the Amer1-
cans were all ready to take Metz when
the armistice was signed He said that
thousands of pieces of artillery had been
massed on this front and the Americans
estimated that it would take but twenty
four hours 10 reduce the mighty fortress
to a crumbling mass of wreckage. Fol-
lowing the big fight in July the Nlankato
men were also in action on September 20.
% and 30 and on October / and 3.
why do people ask if it is true mat
the Germans committed the atrocities
they hear OFF, asked Corporal Herbert
Roos "Al the men who were over there
saw it and the stories they tell are true.
When in training the Mankato boys
were on the field where the Germans
fought the first battle of the Marine, the
ground marking their nearest approach to
Paris. Roos stated that the way the
Huns treated the women, children anu
old men in that vicinity was terrible. He
personally saw and talked to a small
child whose hand had been cut OIL at the
wrist. others were mutilated and abused
in many ways.
a