The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-11

" liFe ou, anu no WOTh 10 90. ana
they all had a misgiving as to just
why the Americans were in Russia.
They had been sold out so many times
in the past couple of years that they
were not sure just whom to trust
End ADD DUBLIN
Influenza Takes Men
When we had gotten about half
way across from England the influenza
epidemic broke out among the troops
and we lost several of the men. The
men were taken off the ships into
hastily improvised hospitals and had
to sleep on the floors with insufficient
blankets
In England all our American rifles
were taken away from us and we were
armed with Russian rifles, which
looked like fishing pole and would
shoot around corner"
They were inferior to the American
Enf1elds, and the men had little con
f1dence in them. They damned and
broke, and were inaccurate. Each
man had shot this rifle just ten times
in England. When we arrived in Rus
STA we had no automatic arms, no
grenades, no trench mortors, no one
Founders, nothing to fight with, but
the Russian rifle.
Only a Months Training
Some of the men had only month 5
training and did not have a weeks
rest, or even days respite, but load
ed directly from the boats into box
cars, were shipped to the fronts.
The Third Battalion was the first
to debark 1t was Immediately sent
to the railroad front. In a few days
two companies were detached and sent
to the left flank where they establish
ed the kadish Front on the Petrograd
road.
The first battalion was sent down
the Dvina river and was divided at
Beresnik, a portion advancing down
the Dvina. The other moved south
on the Vega river.
H company was sent to Omega,
and a portion of &C" company to Pin
ega. Thus six fronts were establish
ed, forming a semicircle around Arch
angel with a radius of 800 miles.
Armistice Meant Nothing.
Up to the armistice, the operations
may be summarized as consisting of
a general advance, on all fronts, of
from two to seventy-five miles the
ground gained being held on nearly
all fronts.
The signing of the armistice in
France meant nothing to us young
Americans as fighting Yanks No
word came from France or from the
U. S. defining the position Of the
American forces. There was no arms
tice celebration.
Arctic winter, with It's long days
and cold, swooped down upon the half
1,nl, : r,1 - WV
and proceed further without aid and
the policy became to hold what had
been taken until reinforcements came
and to get under some kind Of shelter
to combat the rigors Of the climate.
The Bolshevikis asserted that they
would drive us into the White Sea,
and they did try, but we cold-hearted
Yanks stood our ground and pushed
them back.
The allied planned a general Of
fers4ye on the Onego, Railroad and
Se!etskoe fronts, Dec. 81, 1918, On
Dec. goth some of the Russians who
were on the Railroad front deserted
to the Bo.os and gave away the entire
plans. Before zero hour the next
morning the Bolo was pounding all
fronts with everything he had, and
NS
v.Ied to cal the attack oil.
On January 18th the Bolos launch
"a d heavy attack with about 5000
men. supported by a great superiority
N artillery One platoon Of "A COM
Daay vas cut off and practically an
initiated After several days Of fight
M and hardship. Serkurst was
evacuated and for 50 miles about 300
men held off between 5000 and 5000
Of the enemy.
In March, the Bolo massed his
forces in the Railroad front and began
what was to be his master stroke.
He planned to cut off the entire
force. The last of March he captured
Bolsheoyerki, % versts west Of Obey
erskya, thus cutting the lines Of com
munication to Omega. The French
garrison defending the town were
either killed, wounded or captured.
In a few days he had concentrated an
army of 5000 men with artillery. He
remained there for several weeks un-
til April. The allies began their Of
fensive and drove the Bolos out OF Boil
sheozerki, killing thousands Of them.
The Bolas were defeated on all
fronts and the Americans were in no
more engagements after May LIST. 1919
By this time some so companies of
Russians had been organized and a
brigade of English troops took over
the fronts.
Engineers Played Great Part
The American troops were taken
out of Russia except the 310th Engin-
GERS, and We must not forget them.
They were scattered everywhere over
this 250-mile front. They built block
houses, bridges and barracks. They
dug trenches and strung barbed wire.
They repaired engines and operated
saw mills They were on all fronts
doing a hundred and one odd Jobs.
They fought too. dropped their tools,
as engineers had done at Cambria, in