The sun., 1919-03-02
GEN. HARBORD end HIS STAFF. CATLlNS
MARINES WERE IN HIS DIVISION.

thing" said he. looking mournful at
the recollection.
They say the German soldiers fight
blindly. with only such knowledge OF
their detectives as Is absolutely neces-
sary to send them forward. We be-
lieve in giving our men thorough ori-
entation and realization Of Just what
is expected Of them and what they are
up against. 1 showed the battalion
commanders my map. indicating the
points to be held. and through them
passed on to the men all the infor-
nation available. hold that men
like ours fight none the worse for
knowing just what they are fighting
for.
The men were told that the orders
were to hold the line at all costs, for
at first We were to assume a defensive
position. Unquestionably they realized
what that meant They knew that
there were few II any troops in their
rear, for they had Just come that way.
They knew that only their thin, deter
mined line lay between Paris and aw-
full destruction, and in that knowledge
they fought.
There was no distinct line where we
went in-no trenches or prepared de-
FENCES. We were merely ordered to
take up definite position in support
OF the French who were struggling in
front with the advancing Germans.
The latter were thrusting down COL
unfns wherever the resistance was
weakest, forging ahead at the rate Of
9 ~
French line was not holding. Stray
glers were coming through all the
time, many of them at loss as to the
location OF their units. Pity swelled
our hearts as we watched them stag
ger back to the rear, a bruised and
broken remnant. with utter despair
written upon their war weary faces.
To them the war was lost. life held no
hope. And when We took our places
In the line OF defence before Belleau
Wood 1t was with the grim determi-
| nation to avenge to the death the bit
! terness which had been shot into the
hearts OF those suffering men.
Peril to Paris in Ebbing Tide.
And oh. the peril to Paris and to the
cause of liberty and justice that lay In
that ebbing tide! II the world was
staggered by the news OF it. think
| what II must have meant to us who
were there to witness It. The storm
was approaching. and It was borne in
upon us that the war was lost II we
did not hold.
| The curving line which was assigned
to our division ran from the Metz to
Paris road at La Thiolet in a generally
northwesterly direction along the Bois
des Clerembauts, through Triangle
Farm, skirting the southern end OF the
Bots de Belleau, to the town of Lucy
de Bocage; thence to Hill 142 and
through Les Mares Farm toward the
Bois de Veuilly, At the extreme lef,
we're the French ena the Twenty -thir6
Infantry. From Les Mares to Hill IA:
the line was held by a battalion OF the
Fifth under Lieut.-Col. Wise. From
Hin 142 the First Battalion of the
Sixth under Major Shearer took the
line down past Lucy to a point just
south OF Belleau Wood. There 1t was
Joined by the Second Battalion of the
Sixth - Holcomb's - which extended
down 10 the Metz to Paris road. where
1t was met by the Ninth Infantry. The
Sixth Machine Gun Battalion was dis
tributed along the line.
The marines thus held line extend
ing from Les Mares Farm. past Bel
leau Wood to the road, front o.
seven kilometers in all. The ThirC
Battalion OF the Sixth-Sibleys-wa
in support position in the woods south
OF Lucy. about a mile and half bacl
OF the line, where II remained tina
night and the next day. The othel
two battalions Of the Fifth were alst
in reserve.
AS our men went into line there
was a very light artillery fire from
the German guns, which seemed e
indicate a lack OF information on the
part of the enemy as to the signifi'
canoe OF the movement. 1t did moi
bother us much. The men were ordered
to dig in and they made for them
selves such shallow rifle pits ant
shelter trenches as were necessary fol
protection in a temporary line.
There were three French regiment:
in front Of the Sixth at that time ant
one IN. front Of the battalion OF The
Fifth that we4t in. I went to Luc,