Omaha daily bee., 1919-06-15

ly in the mud and wrecking crews
were at work day and night. 1t
began to look as though Marshal
Foeh had known something when
he said it couldn't be done. But the
long boys from the Texas and Kan
sas prairies didn't know it couldn't
be done, so they went ahead and did
it.
The boche thought it couldn't be
done; they didn't dream it was be-
ing done. 1t is likely that after the
reverses in the Marine salient the
German high command decided to
withdraw from the St. Mihiel salient
and take up a position along the
Hindenburg line under the guns of
Metz. But they were in no hurry
about it; here were the fall rains
and who ever heard of fighting after
the fall rains started? Certainly not
Marshal Foch.
Yanks' Attack a Surprise.
And while they thought these
things the First American army
landed on them with both muddy
feet.
The bombardment started at i
o'clock on the morning of Septem-
Der II. 1t was not the greatest pre-
liminary bombardment of the war;
compared to the deafening roars Of
the Champagne battle, it sounded
weak. But it did the work. There
were some French corps and the
army artillery with the American
batteries, land together in four hours
they tore great holes in the trench,
wire and machine-gun defenses the
Germans had perfected in the sail
ent during four years.
At 5 o'clock, in pouring rain and
through a thick mist, the infantry
started. e..-..4-
The Rainbow division, as part of
the Fourth corps under Maj Gen.
Joseph T. Dickman, jumped off
along the southern boundary Of the
salient east of Mont See; its sector
extended from Beaumont northeast
to Flirey, and included Seicheprey,
where the Germans had sprung a
surprise attack on the 10Th division
earlier in the year. inflicting heavy
losses, and capturing nearly 200
prisoners. That was the nearest ap-
proach to defeat the American ex-
peditionary forces sustained
throughout the war. .e
The Fighting Farmers"
The Rainbow was the center divi1
sion of the Fourth corps, with the
89th on its right and the First on.
its left. On the right of the 8oth
was the First corps, under Maj.
Gen. Hunter Liggett. comprising the
Second. Fifth, 10Th and Bed divisions
in that order from left to right. -
On the western boundary of the
salient the Fifth corps, under Maj
Gen. George II. Cameron, jumped
off. In includes the Fourth and 10Th
American divisions and French
division.
At the point of the salient were
more French troops who were
simply to hold fast and mop up as
the Americans. pressing in from the
sides, closed the jaws of the pincers
and squeezed the boche either in or
out.
In the same woodworking bat
tie formation which which it plow-
ed through the Germans in every
battle-Ohio, New York, Alabama,
Nebraska, Iowa, from left to right,
facing the enemy-the four infan-
try regiments of the Rainbow divi-
sion started through the St. Mihiel
salient. In front of every platoon
were the California and South Caro-
lima engineers with wire cutters and
benga1ore torpedoes, to cut or blow
out any wire entanglements that re-
manned in the path of the infantry.
For completeness of equipment in
attacking material the First Amer
lean army went at the job of reduc-
ing the St. Mihiel salient is as per-
feet condition, probably, as any
force of soldiers that ever went over
the top. There were tanks, French
and American; there was railroad
heavy artillery, trench mortars and
gas and flame throwers. For the
first time, and the last, in its brief
hat busy life, the Rainbow division
saw the allies in complete mastery
OF the air. The French Independent
air force and some British bombing