The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1919-02-25
BY WEBB MILLER,


THE RHINE, Feb, 4.-(By Mail)--
In the battle that probably saved
Paris; in the great counter'offensive
that broke and rolled back the tide
of invasion from the heart or
France; in the action that pinched
off the st. Mihel salient; in the
battle that pierced the German line
in the Argonne; in the stroke that
relieved Rheims-in each of these
momentuous struggles the Second
American division had large share.
In coming years, when historians
and military experts calmly and dis
passonately unravG the tangled
skein of events of the Great War,
they may find that the Second di-
vision played a greater part in chang
ing the course of the war than any
other American division-perhaps
any single division in Europe.
The Second division captured
about one-fourth of the entire num-
Der of prisoners taken by the Amer
ican Expeditionary force, captured
one-fourth of the total Of guns and
suffered about one-tenth of the total
casualties of the American armies.
The division landed in France in
the early autumn of 1917 The Off
GERS were mostly experienced regu
lar army officers with regiments
composed of a nucleus of regulars
and marines filled to full strength by
men from every section of the Unit
ed States, but largely from the Mid
die West.
In March they moved up and went
in with the French for six weeks
training on the Meuse heights near
Verdun. Outside of constant excit-
ing patrolling activity and a few
roads the sector was quiet" Then
the Second was entrusted with q
sector of its own in the Eparges re-
gion. About the second week of
April the Germans launched re-
markable raid. Under cover of dark
ness about 500 Germans dressed in
American and French uniforms and
speaking French and English, infil-
trated into and through the lines.
Before they were aware OF the de-
ception, two companies of the Ninth
found the enemy among and behind
them. Despite the great disddvant-
ages and confusion of uniforms the
little groups rallied. Then ensued
a savage fight in the darkness. By
daylight the lines were cleared of the
enemy. The Germans had suffered
haayily-67 dead Germans were
picked up in our trenches, and scores
limped or were carried back to the
enemy trenches. The American
losses were unusually light. That
was where the Second learned it
could whip the boche.
After six weeks in the line the di-
vision was withdrawn for rest and
training.
Then came the dark days of May
and June. The German flood broke
through the Chemin des Danes and
poured swiftly toward Paris. The
whole world held it's breath as the
grey masses drew closer and closer
to the capital of France. The Sec
ond was called upon for the supreme
test. On the night of May 80 the
orders reached headquarters.
Throughout the night the division
prepared feverishly for the move
There was no sleep that night for
the officers. In the early morning
long columns of French motor trucks
5000 of them-rumbled into the
divisional area The entire division
of $1,000 men was quicsly loaded
and the memorable rush to saYe Par
is started. Through the long hot
day the lines of crowded trucks tore
along the dusty roads. AS they
passed scores of French villages, the
peasants lined the streets and
cheered frantically and threw flow
ers at the trucks. They knew I g
terrible significance of the coming
battle.
After a fatiguing journey of about
100 miles the division was detrucked
directly in the path of the advancing
enemy, where he was nearest Paris
The lines were thrown across the
famous Paris-Metz road. Then fol-
lowed a forced march of - miles to-
ward Chateau-Thierry. The broal
highway was crammed with pitiful
caravans of distracted refugees flee
ing the Hun. On the same road were
the broken columns of French troops,
They were utterly
worn out and discouraged. Many
of the men shouted the war is fin
ished" They despaired of the ability