The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-12-20
PRIMER ON WORLD
WAR IS COMPILED
OFFICIAL BOOKLET THAT TELLS
OF FIGHTING RECORD or
AMERICANS ABROAD.
TWO IN THREE SAW ACTION
Twenty-Five of Our ~ Divisions Took
Part in Active Combat Service
Yanks In Thirteen Major Opera
tons.
BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY.

y
the world war. Il summary that may be
used in public schools. has been com
| piled by the war department. 1t shows
| that two out of every three American
| soldiers who reached France took part
! in battle. The number who reached
| France was 2OS4,0O0, and of these
| 100000 saw active service i'm the
| front line. American combat forces
| were organized into divisions which
! consisted of some $4,000 officers and
\ men. These were the largest ON the
western front. since the British divi-
sion numbered about 150GO and those
of the French and Germans about H.
| coo each. There were sent overseas -
American divisions and several hun
| dred thousand supplementary artillery
| and service of supply troops. OF the
II divisions that reached France %
! took part in active combat service,
while the others were used for re-
placements or were just arriving dur
ing the last month of hOstilitieS.
The battle record of the United States
army in this war is largely the his
tory of these % combat divisions. Sew
en- of them were regular army divi-
sionS. il were organized from the ma
tiOnal guard and IL were made up of
national army troops.
American combat divisions were in
battle for POO days, from the both of
| Aprik 1918. when the first regular divi
sion, after long training in quiet sec
tors, entered an active sector on the
Picardy front, until the signing of the
armistice. During these 200 days they
were engaged in Is major operations,
of which II were joint enterprises
with the French, British and Italians,
and two were distinctively American.
In Thirteen Major Operations.
American troops saw service on
practically every stretch Of the west
ern front from British lines in Bel
GUM TO inactive sectors in the Nos-
ges. On October 81, 1917, Americans
entered the line in the quiet Toni Sec
tor. From that date to the armistice
American units were somewhere in
line almost continuously. 1t is difficult
to cut up the year and % days which
interviewed into well-defined battles,
for in sense the entire war on the
western front was single battle. II
is possible, however, to distinguish GER
tain major operations or phases OF
the greater struggle.
Thirteen such operations have been
recognized in which American units
were engaged, of which l. took place
in the western front and one in Italy
Battle clasps will he awarded to the
officers and men who participated in
these enga gements. These battles and
the number Of Americans engaged are
as follows: SOmme. March p to Apri
6, 1900 men engaged; Lys, April
, to 81, 800 men engaged; AiSne, May
, ~ to June ,, 2I,5O0 men engaged
, NOyon-Montdidier, June 0 to 10. 2700(
men engaged; Champagne-Marne, July
10 to Is. $500 men engaged; AiSne
Marine, July IS to August 6. 210.00(
men engaged: Somme. August s e
November II, $1,000 men engaged
r Ypres-Lys. August 10 to November II
, 10000 men engaged; st. Mihiel, Sep
tember l. to 16, 100000 men engaged
, Meuse-Argonne September 20 to Nov
ember II, 100000 men engaged, ant
r Vittoria-Veneto, October "a to Nov9m
:. Der !. 200 men engaged.
Census Machinery Ready.
r The 10000 men and women VIII
: are to begin taking the decennia
census Thursday, January l. ar
, now receiving final instructions from
: the district supervisors Throughout
: the country. The government hi
5 been hard pressed to obtain the serv
4 ices of well-equipped enumeratOrs il
n some sections of the country, but tn
h force is now practically complete. Tn
p enumeratOrs who will enter on the
/ duties January / will have only thei
: weeks to complete the work laid on
for them where their field is in cit,
i or large town, and so days where thei
: field Of operations is in the country
@ The country enumeratOrs will hav
n more time in which to do their work
q because in addition to counting tn
t people they gather agricultural stats
: tics. One of the reasons for changin
4 the date for beginning the census fror
a April to January l is that the farm
: ers are usually busy in the earl
Il spring. The government assumes tina
\ during the month of January its enI
= meratorS will find the. average farme
at leisure and in position TO suppl
the information the government wi
desire of him without interfering wit
Y his duties
e The department of agriculture is &C
: ing in an advisory capacity and al
sisting the bureau of the census in a.
e duainting farmers with what will /
& expected of them when the enumer;
q tors call. Attention has been calle
r to the fact that considerable figurin
IS and counting will have to be done
IS order to answer accurately and full
z the questions which will be submitte
IS by the enumeratOrs. 1t will be Il
s policy of the government to have j
II enumerators who work in the cOu
n BOOKS AND SHIPS.
If the invention of the ship WI
-houpht so noble which carrie