Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-03-07
MEN WHO BROKE HINDENBURCS
 LINE ARRIVE
IA, 900 Members of Famous 27th New York Greeted.
WENT THROUGH HE'LL
 AND BROKE THE LINE
G0tham Gives Returning Heroes Greatest Ovation Ever
 Witnessed.

New York March 6.-Fourteen thou
 sand New York soldiers. members O
 the famous Eth division. who proved to the world that the "impregnabie' Hindenburg line could be broaen. ar. rived here today on the transports Leyiathan and Mauretania. to receive
 the laurels Of victors.
 !! New York has cheered time and
 again heroes returning from overseas but not as she eheered today Hobo.
 ken's waterfron, was crowded a
 never before when the Leyiathan swung into her dock and across the
 river. outside the CunarC Piers. an l other giant throng greeted the Mature i tania
 Major General John F. O'Ryan. com
 mander of New York's Own" found awaiting him Mrs O'kyan and their children. It was a touching reunion but only one in many.
 Visit Mayor Hylan. This afternoon, the general and his staff paid a formal call on Mayor
 Hylan at the city hall. where the ! mayor paid his tribute to New York s { former national guardsmen. the men who went through Hell and broke
 the Hindenburg lines.'
 l The generals reply was brief.
 "The high opinion that mas been i held of the fighting qualities Of Amer ican soldiers. I believe. has been jus tified,' he said. Our troops were looked up to by the British and the {, French-and also I might say by the enemy.
 Initiative and dash of American troops, brigaded with the British in | the campaign which began Septenl- Der 29th last. for the St Quentin canal and resulted in breaking the Hinden- ,, burg line. were held 10 have been he deciding factor" in the war by Brig 1 adler General Palmer E. Pierce. com mander of the 54th brigade. part of
 the 27th division. in charge Of the soldiers who arrived on the Maure- tainia.
 General Praises Fighters. General Pierce, formerly assistant { to the chief of staff at Washington. ! was warm in his praise of the fighs- l ing units He said the Germans now were commenting on the wonderful new discipline shown by the Amer jeans whom they previously regarded he said. as "bushwhackers." "The part taken in this conflict by | our American troops was of the great
 est yalue," declared the general. sOur soldiers did not of themselves win the
 ciding factors. Sudden termination oi
 the struggle was due. primarily, to ! the arrival of our troops III grea,
 numbers, to the fighting qualities
 they displayed and to the vital points at which their efforts were directed "The second army corps consisting of the 27th and 30th divisions. cam | paigned entirely with the British and on September 29th made the great at- tack on the Hindenburg line north of St. Quentin, where the canal of that
 name passes through tunnel. for some four miles.
 Thought Line Impregnable. cThis part of the Hindenburg line ! was prepared for the very strongest | possible defense by the Germans. Its strength cannot be appreciated except
 by a personal inspection. The pene- tration of that line permitted the l whole Hindenburg system to be turn 1 ed. The advance of the troops through l it was headed toward Maubeuge and was of vital importance because d. 1 rected toward the line of communica- tions which supplied the main line oi the German army in Belgium. "This achievement of the second army corps was only typical of what was accomplished by other American armies in other fields. The reason it succeeded was due to the excellent fighting quality of our soldiers. This quality was manifestly owing to thelr high ideals and was one of the strlk' 1 ing features of the war.
 Men Were Inspired. Our men have been uniformly in-
 spired by the loftiest motives and this has made up for any lack of training 1 or experience"
 Early in the war, General Pierce
 said. many casualties occurred as a | result of the soldiers keeping togeth-
 CT but as the fighting progressed. they learned to separate and better pro-
 tect themselves.
 l Five deaths occurred on the Levla than during the voyage. Among those who died was Pirate Tender
 son Kimble, 309th labor battalion Queen City, Texas.
 I Tf you think your income tax is a