The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-03-07
HobOken Waterfront Crowd ed as Never Before When Men Who Smashed Hin
 denburg Line Arrive
By AmocIated Press

New York March -FUntsen thou sand New York soldiers, members of the Twenty seventh division, who with the Thirteenth Tennessee. South Caro- lima and North Carolina) division. proved to the world that the Hindenburg line ! could be broken. arrived here today on the transports Leviathan and Maure- tania
 Hobokens s water front was crowded as never before when the Ievlathan swung 1 into her dock. and across the river, out side the Cunard piers another great i throng greeted the Mauretania. l Maj. Gen. John r. O'Ryan, command | CT of New Yorks Own,' found await l ing him Mrs. O'Ryan and their children. This afternoon the general and his staff paid formal cal lon Mayor Hylan, at
 the city hall, where the mayor paid his tribute to New Yorks former national
 guardsmen, saying their services will
 long be remembered by a grateful and ! loving people
 i In reply the general said 1 "The high opinion that has been held
 of the fighting qualities of American sol
 aires l believe has been justified Our
 troops were looked up to by the British
 and the French--and also I may say, by
 the enemy"
 l It was expected that details of the
 parade in New York of the entire divis- <, ion set tentatively for March 20. would be arranged at the city hall today, but officers of the division said tonight that
 decision had been postponed until to- morrow. when General O'Ryan would confer with city officials.
 ! Initiative and cash of American troops. i ibrigaded with the British in the cam
 paign. which began September 29 last, 1 for the St, Quentin canal and resulted ] in breaking the Hindenburg line. were
 held as a deciding factor in the war I by Brigadier General Palmer E. Pierce,
 commander of the Fiftyfourth brigade Iof the Twenty-seventh division i "The part taken in this conflict by our l American troops was of the greatest tvalue." declared the general. l WERE DECIDING FACTOR l Our soldiers did not of themselves win the war, but certainly they were the deciding factor. Sudden termination of the struggle was due, primarily. to the tarrival of our troops in great numbers. to the fighting qualities they displayed and to the vital points at which their Iefforts were directed.r
 l "The Second army corps. consisting , of the Twenty-seventh and Thirtieth di- vicions, campaigned entirely with the i British and on September 2S made the great attack on the Iindenburg line, north of St Quentin, where the canal of that name passes through a tunnel ] for some four miles.
 ..This part of the Hindenburg line was lprepared for the very strongest possible defense by the Germans. It's strength cannot be appreciated except by a per sonal inspection. The penetration of that inc permitted the whole Hindenburg 2 system to be turned. The advance of the troops through it was headed iowa rd because directed toward the line of com runications which supplied the main inc of the German army iii Belgium | This achievement of the Second army corps was only typical of what was ac- icomplished by other American armies in
 other fields.
 ..The reason it succeeded was due to the excellent fighting quality of our sol l diers. This quality was manifestly owing to their, high ideals and was one of the striking features of the war.
 .Our men have been unfornly in spired by the loftiest motives and this lhas made up for any lack of training or iexperience.
 Imany casualties occurred as result of the soldiers keeping together. but as the fighting progressed they learned tc separate and better protect themselves Five deaths occurred on the Lexiathan ldsrins the voyage.A tf4f
 I Among those who died were: Private Il tAilen P Stakes. stevedore of Wades- lboro. N C.: Private Jento l.. Anderson lO6th infantry, Badger. Mnu.; Private Henderson Kimble. 35sth labor battalion
 Queen City. Tex