Evening star., 1919-04-27
DISTRICT HOSPITAL
AHEAD OF BIG GUNS
Dressing Station "0ut in
'FRONT.'" Near Chateau
Thierry, Camp Hears.
GERMAN TRICK DESCRIBED
From a stan Correspondent.

From a STAFF Correspondent.
CAMP MERRITT, n. J.. April 26.-
The story of how German troops
sought to beat the American Rainbow
Division in the battle Of the Cham
pagne last July by wearing French
Uniforms was related here today by
Washington boys of the 1s5th Hos
pital Company, which has just re-
turned from overseas.
The District hospital men. who were
close to the front in the battle. be-
lieve the Germans used this camou-
fage in the hope that they would con-
fuse and break the morale of the
Rainbow men in their first encounter.
The game was for a party of Ger
mans, clothed in long French army
lines and when at the edge of the
trenches release a yolley of shells
and hand grenades upon the un-
suspecting Yanks. For several rounds
the subterfuge worked. Then lieu
tenant from Alabama turned the trick
of French coated Germans came
across no mans land this lieutenant
waited until they were within close
rife range and gave his men the COM
mand to fire. The Germans went down
and the performance was not repeated
hospital men by wounded Americans
who were brought to their surgical
dressing station behind the lines that
day. 1t was only one of many stories
that the Washington boys recalled as
they loafed about the barracks today.
wishing they were back in the Dis
trict Of Columbia and wondering how
soon they would be.
Ready to Come Home.
Maj. Henry F. Sawtelle. commander
of the Washington outfit, said his
men are ready to leave for Camp
Meade or the District as soon as the
word is given. He has not yet been
able to learn how many days his men
will be kept at this camp. His be-
lief is they will be transferred to
Camp Meade within few days.
Another yarn the boys recalled to-
day was the game of base ball they
played at Camp de Cracteur. within
three kilometers Of the front line
trenches, on July 4. 1918. They played
the Nebraska hospital company and
won the game 2 to 0. The stake was
$1,000 francs. So close was the field
to the German lines that cheering
and roofing" was banned. Il
While they were operating the ad-
vance surgical station near Chalons
on July II they met the sisters Of
Secretary of State Lansing, who were
then in France doing relief work at
the front The sisters Of the cabi-
net onicer invited the quartet of the
Washington outfit to sing at an enter
tainment they had arranged for the
celebration of Bastile day. Word had
been received, however, Of the in
tention Of the Germans to attack
at midnight and the concert was
called off.
The quartet Of the District unit,
which was cheated out of a chance
to perform. is composed Of F. X. j.
Fogart, Joseph A. O'Brien. Theo. p.
Aberly and Sergt. w. H. Colston.
In Danger, But No Losses.
I'VE certainly had horseshoe luck"
said Sergt. Colston. as he recalled the
numerous occasions on which the
company operated hospitals within
a mile or two Of the battle front
without losing a single man.
For three days before the signing
of the armistice the Washington
company was conducting it's operat-
ing room in a church at Tannay,
which the Germans had evacuated in
their retreat.
"If anybody thinks this field hos
pital unit was not under fire." one
private chimed in, they should have
been with us at Epieds. near Chateau
Thierry, on July 20, when we located
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