The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-03-03
ey VICTOR MeNAuGHT.

gained.
BY VICTOR McNAUGHT.
PARIS, March 3.-(Special Cores
pondence)-It is difficult task to un-
dertake to answer the question:
(Which were the best American COM
bat divisions?' The fairest and wis
est way is to say that all American
soldiers were equal to the best; that
the glory of achievement depended
only upon the opportunity.
By this | mean that the divisions
that entered the fighting first, and
continued in it longest, naturally came
out with the most shining records.
At the scame time, when national
guardsmen followed regulars, they
proved they were of the same ster-
ling stuff, and when national army
men came along, they showed that
they, too, were capable of UNFOLDING
our standards of vaior and self-sacri-
fee.
According to official records, the
Second division gained more ground
and captured more prisoners and guns
than any other. When history is
written, the Second will be given its
permanent place in the memories of
our people because of it's gallant con-
duct in stopping the Germans at Cha
teau-Thierry and turning them back
from Paris at Bouresches, Vaux, and
Belleau Wood The Second comprised
the Ninth and Twentieth-third regu-
lar infantry regiments, the Fifth and
Sixth regiments of marines, besides
the usual batteries of artillery, ma
chine gun battalions, engineers and
others, making total of about $4,000
men.
Here is the war record of the Sec
ond: Prisoners captured, 228 officers,
11,73S men; guns captured, 343 pieces
of artillery, 1850 machine guns; total
advance on front line, about thirty
eight miles.
Taxes Part in Big Campaigns.
The Second division had the privil-
eye of taking part in practically all
of the great American campaigns,
after winning immortal glory by stop
ping the Germans at the Marine. 1t
took part in the Marine counter often
sive, the operation which resulted in
the pinching out of the st. Mihiel
salient, and in the Argonne- Meuse
offensive, which threw the Germans
back on their lines of communication
at Sedan. The men of the Second
wear on their left coatsleeves their
division insignia, an Indian head in a
star, placed on shield
The men of the Second perhaps
never would tell you of their great
record. l spent two days in the COM
pany of fine, outstanding type OF
young American officer from the
Twenty-third infantry, Capt. w. A.
Burress, of Richmond, Va, and he
never once mentioned the subject.
The bravery of our men is equalled
by their modesty.
Partisans of other divisions must
not be envious of the Second. The
fortunes of war threw it in the way
of great opportunities, and the Second
lived up to them. Let us consider
some of the other divisions that did
we'll and earned the respect of their
enemies.
The Forty-second, or Rainbow di-
At the same time, when national
vision, made up of national guards
and the District of Columbia, arrived
in France late in 1917. 1t fought in
various sectors with the French army
early in 1918, and participated in the
ST. Mihiel and -Meuse cam
| paigns Prisoners captured, fourteen
officers, 1903 men; guns captured,
| twenty five pieces of artillery, 495 ma
| chine guns, ground gained, about thir-
| ty-five miles.
Regular Army Troops Hearten France.
! The First division, made up of reg
ular army troops, was the first Amerl-
can force to arrive in France. | came
in July, 1917, and it's coming heart
ened the allies tremendously. 1t was
| the first to fire shot at the Germans,
| first to conduct raid, first to capture
prisoners and inflict casualties. 1t
won the small but important battle at
Cantigny, May % to 80, 1918, took part
| in the Marine counter-otfensive July
! IS to "a; in the ST. Mihiel operation,
September II to IS; in the Argonne-
Meuse campaign, october 1 to II, and
at, the end of the war was fighting
south of Sedan. Then it went on to
| CobIenz with the army of occupation
Prisoners captured, 165 officers, 6.3O4
men; total advance against resistant
/ thirty-two miles
The Third division, regular army
arrived in France in April, 1918;
helped stop and turn back the Ger
mans along the Marine from Chateau
Thierry northeast to Jaulgonne;
| fought at ST. Mihiel and in the Ar
gonne, and then marched into Ger
many. Prisoners, thirty-one officers
| 2,209 men; guns captured, fifty-one
cannon, 1901 machine guns; total ad
vance, twenty-six miles.
The Twenty-sixth, or New England
national guard division, arrived in
France in December, 1917; fought in
the Chemin des Danes sector in Feb
ruary and March; later in the Cha
teau-Thierry sector, in the st. Mihie
drive, and in the Argonne. Prisoners
sixty-one officers, 3,0S7 men; guns
captured, sixteen cannon, 1872 machine
guns; total advance, twenty-three
miles. Like the other divisions, the
Twenty-sixth suffered heavily. | me-
two boys in Paris who told me tha
out of their original companies of 25t
/ men each, one was among eight o.
the original members, and the Other
was one of only five left.
The Thirty-second's Record.
The Thirty-second division. nationa
guardsmen from Michigan and Wis
consin, arrived in France in February
1918: stationed first in Alsace, tool