New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-02-21

quarters he had at the same time dis
missed three colonies, all of whom
were regular army men. Informed by
member OF the committee that Gen-
cral Martin was now adiutant general
OF the Kansas National Guard, Cen
eral Traub replied:
Il am glad to know it. He is good
officer and will render excellent ser
vice.
A little later General II. l. Martin
testifying before the Senate Military
Affairs Committee, said that after his
dismissal General Traub told him that
IN the report to Headquarters he
Traub, had said that while Martin had
leadership ability and was a good tao
tlclan, he was lacking in force. Martin
afterward inspected this report at
headquarters and found that it did
not exactly correspond to Traub' 8
synopsis.
General Trauo began his discourse
with picture of the terrific task that
confronted the Both in the Argonne
He told Of hills covered with artillery
and machine guns and underlaid with
mines, of the Germans concealed in
forests and craters and trenches, OF
the Americans advancing in the open
country, Of an impossible ravine roar
ing with the explosion of the enemv's
shells that held up the advance of the
division artillery, of the vast conccn-
tration of American artillery on one
of these hills until it was fairly blown
out Of existence and then scared with
liquid fire; of how the artillery was
rushed forward to support the infan-
try, with the men working like demons
to supplant Che lost horses.
He told how he himself put his Shout.
M
despite every known device of destruc-
ton from the mines that blew up the
earth under foot to the shells that
rent the air and tore the ground anc
the bombing and machine cunning air
planes-despite every form of ambush
and concealment and every sort of traY
these wonderful youngsters, those
marvellous soldiers,' advanced to vic
tory through ten and one half kilo-
metres of the enemy's defences.
General Traub said that the artillery
support had been excellent, and that
the front line troops were never be
You'd the range of the corps artillery
though at one time, while the gaping
ravne was being conquered, the di
vision artillery did not keep up witt
the artillery had shelled its owr
men. General Traub said that about
half a dozen shells did fall in the front
lines, but he implied that these shells
came from one of the supporting
French batteries.
"Why was it," asked Representative
Cambell, of Kansas, that with all the
money we appropriated to equip this
army with artillery and every other
military machine, infantry had to fight
artillery in the Argonne 2"
Always Pounded Bochc
at didn't said General Traub, eek
cept as infantry is expected to fight
artillery. Our men had riflc grenades
trench mortars and 37-mjllimctre guns
You can't overwhelm artillery with
those means, but you can Lsc them for
flank attacks Whenever we had a
target definitely located our artillery
was always reads to give it to the
boches, and, believe me, it dido
But you must understand that you
don't always know where the enemy
guns are. The Germans arc past mas
III the woods; airplanes couldn't de tect
them. They had to be felt out, and
even then when you got reports and
had to be careful 70 decide whether
they were correct or whether to FOL
low them would be to shell your own
men. At times we even turned our
guns on German artillery cnplaccments
beyond our own sector. There were
moments when to have directed artil-
lery fire on false report would have
wiped out whole outfits o our men
We had TO be careful. The RESPONSE
blity was great, but never once when
| caleld on the artillery did it fail tc
give the required support"
Questioned nv Chairman POI. abOut
lack of stretchers for the wounded
General Traub answered:
"There's no doubt about it. 1t WAS
impossible to have stretchers enough
for 1000 wounded men at once. Why
sometimes 200 men would be gassed al
once"
"But VIC have been told by Genera
March," said Representative Campbell
chat this battle was planned five
months in advance
impossible" answered Genera
Traub, at can't be done. You can have
an intention five months in Advance
but not a plan"
"How about soldiers wearing summer
undertaking in that severe climate? p
the general was asked
"You must realize,' was the answer
chat when the division left the Vosges
on September it was summer and the
weather was warm and delightful. OF
could not make men wear heavy under.
wear then. Nevertheless, my G. L.. was
on the job and had requisitioned the
winter Undertaking in August. The
dcpots were far in the rear and the sup.
ply was wonderfully ran. But we were
on the move. When the underwear
reached one railhead wc had gone OF
to another, and so on. Besides, ycl
can't get 10000 men Quilted in dav
but the people back in The rear were
doing their darndcst."
Temporary Food Shortage
Concerning lack of food. Genera
Traub SAID that every man went into
the battle with two days rations
Every effort was concentrated or
bringing up food and taking bacl the
wounded. But there was only one roat
and the congestion was awful A sin
gle shell crater held up the move
mcnt Of transport for forty Ugh
hours, and it was ten days before The
road was entirely repaired, notwith
standing the most desperate efforts OF
the engineers. 1t was not advisable tt
have kitchens or fires in the front
lines. The lack of them was serious
but on a pinch troops can get along
without them. At points there was
distressing shortage of rations, bu
the men Railways had something te
cat"
an a general way" declared Gen.