Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-07
BELL WILL HONOR
4O6TH VETERANS
Reception Friday Evening in
Honor of Men Who Made
History in France

The Bell Telephone Company will
tender a reception on Friday evening
to the Harrisburg Division members
of the Four Hundred and Sixth Tele-
graph Battalion, just returned from
France. The Four Hundred and Sixth
was made up entirely of employees of
the Bell Telephone Company. 1t was
one of the first two such units to
serve with the American Expedition
ary Forces.
Shortly after their arrival in France
on August 20, 1917, they were sent
to Chaumont which had been select
ed as General Pershing's headquart-
ers. where they installed the switch
board and wired the headquarters so
that 1t was ready when General
Pershing arrived in September.
Moved to Marne
The Four Hundred and Sixth later
moved to Marine and took part in
the glorious advance to the Vesle
River, familiarly known as the
Chateau-Thierry operations. During
this time it built lines across a river
and was under artillery fire so heavy
that on the night of July 18th, twelve
direct hits by she'll fire caused forty
two breaks in the line which the bat
talon had built and was maintain
ing. Air raids were frequent, and
there were sometimes several in one
night.
From the Marne-Vesle salient, the
Four Hundred and Sixth was trans
ferred to a location north of Nancy
along the Moselle River. Here they
figured in the reduction of the St
Mihiel salient. Later they participat-
ed in the battle of the Argonne, and
the advance to the Meuse. In all OF
their operations they encountered
the same sort of difficulties, and
were subjected to the same sort OF
bombardment-if not heavier-as in
the operations on the Marne-Vesle.
After the armistice was signed the
battalion was sent to Tonnerre
where they began to prepare for that
nuch-desired event. the return to
America. Their next move was to
the LeMans area, from where they
were transferred to Brest. They
sailed from that port on April 8, 1919
aboard the battle cruiser Seattle
arriving in New York on Easter Sun
day, April 20. Six days later the last
formalities were completed; and a
happy crowd separated and the men
quickly scattered for home.
Compliments Men
Brigadier-General RUSSELL, Chief
Signal Officer, paid the men a COM
pliment when he wrote: "It is a mat
tier of pride with me to have such
an organization serving with the Sig
nal Corps and feel that you officers
and men of the battalion may return
to the United States with the ap-
proval of your own consciences, and
heartily deserving the well-earned
plaudits which 1 am sure your fell
low citizens Will accord to you"
There are nineteen members of the
Four Hundred and Sixth in the Har-
risburg Division that are to be en-
tertained by the Bell Company on
Friday evening and many interesting
tales will be told. They are: Captain,
". L c. Hasskarl, Lieutenant +. F.
Lutz. Master Signal Electrician c. e.
Miller. sergeants. first class, George
K Erb and j. M Hamilton; SER
geants, G. A. Donbaugh, P. r. knight,
]. Miller. r. c. Trittle; corporals, w.
J. B. Daniels, w. b. Haislop, NJ K.
Miller; chauffeurs, first class, c. L.
Althouse. c. L. Johnson and H. w.
Taylor; chauffeur, C. b. Fullerton;
privates, first class, S. ]. Bigham, ].
C. Kiehl. w. C. SINNERS, and H L.
Spangler.