New-York tribune., 1919-03-31

Tpo 9Th Soldiers
Hid Behind German
Lines Three Days
Two doughboys of the 77th Division,
lying "doggo" for three days in char
coal pile behind the German lines,
were the first, according to Captain
James Loug ghborough, to discover the
fact, all important to the American
army, that the fighting spirit of the
Kaiser's two main reliances, his Jae-
gers and the Imperial Prussian Guard,
had cracked. The two men, privates
of the 302d Engineers, scattered ma
chine gun nest when they made break
for the American lines, after their ra-
tions gave out. They also rescued a
wounded comrade under heavy fire.
Both men were recommended for the
D. S. c., but because the recommends
ton has not yet been acted upon their
names are withheld.
Their exploit occurred in August,
after the first real contact the division
of drafted men from metropolitan New
York had had with the Germans ON the
Vesle River northeast of Chateau
Thierry The substance of their dis
covery was that the Germans were
nothing could stand against them.
Tells of Chinamans Valor
Captain Loughborough, who is at
tached to the advance party of the
77th, under Lieutenant Colonel Doug
las Campbell, told the story yesterday.
He also told of Sing Koe, Chinatown
of the 306th Infantry, who won the
D. S. c. about the same time, and of
the wild Annamite and lndo- Chinese
camion drivers of the French army,
who know only one thing-step on the
speed clutch and go ahead regardless.
"The 42d; of which the old 69th New
York is part, had been relieved and
drawn out of the forest of Nestles, .
said Captain Loughborough, the 4th
Division went in next and was pretty
roughly treated.
1--WE were then in the quiet Baccarat
sector, in Lorraine, where nothing more
occurred. When the orders came 10
relieve the 4th we were loaded into
French camions, driven by those Endo-
Chinese and Annamites. Ever see one
of them in action with an army motor
truck? Well, the Paris taSi driver has
reputation for irresnonsiblity III
driving, but he has absolutely nothing
on those little Asiatics. They are as
active and excited as congregation
Of cats on burning mansard.
Had to Hang on With Teeth
"They were ordered to speed. and
speed they did. Shell holes meant
nothing to them. They just kept going
over or through them. We had to hang
on with hands, feet and teeth, and
those who bounced off had to take a
chancs on swinging aboard the camions
booming along in the rear.
That was early in August. We pro-
ceeded through the forest of Nestles
up to the Veslc River, opposite the
German lines that ran through little
hamlet called Bazoches, about twelve
kilometres northeast of Chateau
Ihlerry, We knew only that we were
outnumbered about three to one by the
divisions Of Jaegers and Prussian
Guards facing us, and the problem was
to learn how the lines were held. The
attempt to find out provided our first
real action
company G., of the 3o6th Infantry,
commanded by Captain Charles NJ Bull,
Wall Street broker, we'll known as a
player of tennis and squash, was or
dered to feel out and mop up Bazoches
barrage was laid down on the Ger
mans at 1:15 in the morning and then
Company q went over. They mopped
oil r.ifr
Then the Germans counter attacked in
force. Out of IT'S men who went over
only about forty came back with Cap
tam Bull.
Listened to Germans Talk
"Two of the men caught behind the
German lines in the counter rush, in
stead of surrendering, hid with their
reserve ratlOns and a few grenades in 81
charcoal pile some distance from tho
north bank of the Vesle, which was
heavily fortified by machine gun nests.
That charcoal pile was the meeting
point of German sentry posts, and for
three days those two American en-
gineers lay there. One could under
stand German, and finally he heard a
sentry say to another as they met at
the pile that the Americans fought like
wild men.
iHStc nuSL Dc mlllOnS or them,
said one sentry. 'There's no use fight
ing them any longer
"That night the two Americans made
the break for their own lines They
tossed few grenades on the nearest
machine gun. only few yards away
Two of the three men of its crew were
killed. The third ran and the Amer-
cans dashed for the river
1t was during the same period of al
most constant action that Sing Kee,
the Chinese runner, won his decoration
Ran Through Gas Attack
'He was always laughing." said Cap
tain Loughborough, mo matter how
hot the fighting, and he kept messages s
going from regimcntal headquarters to
the fighting units even after he had
lost his mask during a gas attack. He
went through d three hour gas attack
at Mont Notre Dame near Fismes with
out his mask, and though he went to
the hospital 1t was not until after t g
battle. and for that he was given his
d. S. c.
The 77th went through the entire
battle of the Argonnc, one of the ierc-
act oil cn