The sun., 1919-03-23
Go Ahead, Tank. or No Tanks.

Go Ahead, Tanks or No Tanks.
THE command of the General was
to go ahead. The other artillery would
give the supporting fire. The men did
go ahead. The 10sth went through
death dealing fire and penetrated and
held the Hindenburg line from Bony
to Bellecourt. There, in spite Of the
constant counter attacks of the Ger
mans. they held on with the grip of
bulldogs. The line had been reached
at too great cost to be given up
under any circumstances. They were
there and they were going to stay
there.
THE 10TH, equally brave and deter
mined, attacked at the northern end.
Machine guns planted along every
twenty feet Of the Hindenburg line
spat the death fire into their faces and
bodies. but they went on. Their OBJ
jective was the tunnel. And there's
where the German cunning did more
to straighten the lips of our men than
anywhere else. The 10th tore its way
through the hellish barbed wire belts
and was ready to keep on advancing
and tearing the way until the tunnel
had been reached.
"But-and here Is the thing that
aroused the boys to the fiercest anger
no sooner had they conquered one area
than fresh German troops would rise
out of the ground behind them and
fire from the rear. They came up
through the underground passages
connecting them with the tunnel, and
armed with machine guns and bombs
attacked our boys from behind as they
were advancing.
Artillery Could Not Assist.
1.-THE men Of the 10th, with Ger
mans in front of them and Germans
behind them. fought like SO many
devils. 1t was a battle against terrific
odds. Time and again they made at
tempts to mop up the line and clear
the ground that the advance had gone
over. but the constant surging in of
the Germans behind them made 10 a
grim task.
7 Gen. Organ at headquarters knew
what was happening all this tins. It
was impossible to send any artillery
fire across to help the 10Th because
the men were SO interspe rsed with the
Boche soldiers who were oozing up out
Of the ground. 1t was the most trying
position any commander has ever had
; to face.
when the report came that the
Germans were not only fighting the
10th from the front and then from
the rear in the captured area, but
had also launched left flank attack
from the area of Vendhuille, the 1O5th
/ a ell L..
tide OF the counter attack. This regi-
ment, together with the 10Th. finally
overcame the enemy. The 105th and
|, 10th went ahead. and despite the ter
rife odds they encountered elements
Of the division reached the main line
and forced their way into the St
Quentin tunnel.
Some Of the elements of the 10th
when greatly outnumbered and re-
duced to skeletons of their former
selves, retired to the support troops
while elements Of the 10Sth held on
bombing dugouts and positions on the
main defensive line and capturing
more prisoners than their own
strength.
Defeated Germans Caved In.
treating Germans were spewed out OF
the ground in hordes. Airplanes fly
l ing over the battle-ground reported
that the areas behind the tunnel were
, thick with running men. Those thai
l we captured were all broken up ir
body, spirit and morale. Their rock
, Of Gibraltar, upon which they hat
pinned all their faith, had failed them
When they were lined up at head.
quarters they were like so many
5 masses of limp clay-all the fight ant
5 the will to war had simply run out
E of them. The plant expressed by al
l OF them was: The war is over. The
r Hindenburg line has broken"
Such was the Twenty-seventh Di
S visions greatest feat of arms, the cap
: sheaf of its stock of victories. OF al
the wars Shows" which Americans
!. ran, or in which they bore a part
future historians and their reader;
. | will dwell with most pride no doub
\ upon this, upon the American debu
= around Chateau-Thierry, and upon tn,
d vast, toisome, grinding inferno
;. through which the bulk of the A. z
5 #. was pushing forward at that yer!
Q moment in the south to clear the Ar
g gonne.
= OF course. the last In physical ex.
2 tent was UNNECESSARILY the larges
: operation OF the three. 1t was the
G American army's own great battle
d and 1t settled the point that the wal
n would be over in 1918. But in qualit,
S of heroism and achievement there
: seems to be nothing to choose. Ger.
tainly whenever our World War vet
d Grams parade, new Grand Army o
n the Republic. on anniversaries, tn,
o place OF the Twenty-seventh and Thir
y tieth Division men will not be very fai
s behind the band.
. One BattaIion's Record.
Short Of the big book, or set of bis
k books, sure to be written some day, M
d history of the division in France coul,
I do Justice to the individual records o.
y the outfits that made up the New Yorl
t division. not to speak OF celebrating