Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-06-21


.roads in the center~of Flirey were
axe masses of from two to four lanes
of traffic for distances of from three
Ito five miles. Nothing could move
in any direction. Staff automobiles
.Fere there from different divisions;
.heavy artillery, tractors, supply and
-ration wagons, motorcycles and
.tanks-all locked in the most hope
.less, tangle. At some points this
part of the American army was at
complete standstill for "a hours.
=, Several well-placed shells in this
.mass from the German guns would
shave wrought terrible havoc. But
ali the German guns that hadn't
~been captured were being desper-
sately dragged off to the Hindenburg
.hne by an army that hadn't time to
stealize what had hit it. Intelligence
found on captured prisoners showed
that the Germans did not expect the
sattack during the rain, and that they
considered it rather mean thing to
.do-an ADVANTAGE that would not
have been take by the French and
British. They lad been caught in
.the act of Withdrawing their artil-
.lery from their old positions to the
line of La Chaussee, where it would
have inflicted considerable damage
Ito the advancing Americans.
:, Yanks Heavily Shelled.
a. Back on the Hindenburg line.
however, and under the guns of
Metz, they regathered their scat
stered wits and proceeded to shell
the new line and the near areas
heavily. Day and night they rained
shrapnel and high explosives on the
First American army, not concen-
trating their fire on any particular
points, but covering everything. For
Several days after the drive the St.
.Mihiel sector was the most active in
.the matter of artillery duelling on
The whole western front.
= Brighten. Douglas Macarthur.
commanding the 84th brigade of the
Rainbow division, realized this &C
.tivity i'll time, perhaps, to save his
life, He had established his head
Quarters in chateau at St. Benoit,
almost in the front lines. 1t was
.ander full observation from the Ger
.hlan positions. For a time it escap-
.ed the Smelling, because the Ger
.mans never dreamd that a brigade
Commander was living there. almost
an the front-line trenches.
=, One day, though, several shells
siell pretty close to it and General
Macarthur decided ITO move out.
sAnd the day after he moved the
Germans. having noted the activity
.around the place, shelled it fercely
.snd reduced it to a blazing, smoking
cheap of ruins.
., Town Rlotted Out.
e. General Menoher, the Rainbow
division commander, was also
aforced to after plans for establish
ling division headquarters in the St
.Milliel sector. but for a different
treason. Looking at the map he had
decided upon the village of Maizer-
ais, about half kilometer from Es-
&sey. 1t looked like a pretty good
.town on the map But when he ar
rived at the spot, expecting to see a
Village with at>least few decent m
.habitants in it he found nothing
,Maizerais was not only ruin; il
was an almost extinct ruin. Over
the crumbled foundations of she'll
Shattered houses grass had grown
"a casual observer would have
marked it merely as an extraordin'
.arily rough field. AS de.
.stroyed French town Baizerais held
the record as far rs the Rainbow
Twas concerned, throughout thu
whole war. y. -.
:, General Menoher established hi
headquarters in Essey. The ghos
of ruined .Maizeyais must have
haunted the forest Of the Lowell,
Willow. If it didn't it should have
For there the Germans, feeling Sc
cure in the unchallenged possession
...of the land for four years, had bull
themselves a suburban village lik'
unto the places tired city dweller
tourney to on Sundays in contem
.plation of "back-to-the-land
movement. They had turned tn
forest of the Lovely Willow into
..pretty little bungalow park.
!, Got Huns Clubhouse.
:, General Menoher took it owe
...later for Rainbow Division head
aor.rters and he and his whole stat