New-York tribune., 1919-02-27
General Banding Tells of
New York Mems Valor
in Severe Fighting
1900 of $500 Came
Back After Drive
Received No Replace.
ments From KENNEL to
the Last Smash at Line

Something OF Cne Vdiof dhu eie
sacrifice Of New York National Guard
troops in the last weeks of the war
was told yesterday by Brigadier Gen
eral Albert H. Blanding on his arrival
on the transport President Grant. He
commanded the 53d Infantry Brigade,
comprising the 105th and 106th lnfan-
try and the 1o5th Machine Gun Bat
talon of the 9th Division.
Eight thousand two hundred strong
the New York brigade swarmed into
action at Mount KENNEL in the sultry
dawn of August 81. Two thousand
eight hundred of them tramped back
November / to Amiens, then SO far in
the rear as to be designated a rest
area. For two months, day after day,
the sad Infantry Brigade had been
hurled against the Germans. 1t had
no replacements in those furious
weeks.
Every lean, sinewy fighter who
marched back to Amiens ten days be-
fore the armistice was signed had
rushed the fatal hill at KENNEL and
had been fighting ever since. The
crosses that blazed the way for their
return showed where many of the
missing 5,400 lay.
1000 Fall Taking Tunnel
Others were in hospitals in France
and England. Some were buried be-
meath tons OF earth and timbers in
graves marked only by the scars of the
shells that buried them. A thousand
fell taking a 6,000-metre tunnel at the
Canal du Nord.
1t was a new method of fighting
which "O'Ryan's Roughnecks" had
sprung on the Germans, and it swept
the enemy OFF his feet. The assaulting
battaiions of the 53d Infantry Brigade
fought in defiance of rules which four
years of trench warfare had established.
When they had the enemy on the run
they kept him at it. Needless OF the
machine gun nests that barked at their
heels they swept on; the pill boxes and
the nlopping-up was left for the waves
that came after. 1t was desperate,
heart-Dreaking work, but Organs men
did it.
mo regular, no marine. no other
American soldier fought with more gal
antry and fearlessness than the men
Of the New York National Guard" said
9th Division are wonderful fighters
and General Organ is great gen.
eral."
Wants to March in Parade
General Blanding has been trans
terred to the 92d Division, and ne is on
MS way to Washington to ask the
favor OF marching up Fifth Avenue
with the men and the general with
oattle. He took command Of the 53d
infantry Brigade at p. m, August 80.
At $3.50 the next morning KENNEL was
stormed. 1t took three days, and Cen
erai Blanding knew the first night the
manner Of men he led. That knowledge
was all that lent him any degree of
confidence when the brigade was trans
Ierred to the Cambrai-St. Quentin front
70 celiver the first blow at the Hinden-
burg ". line;
over the Hindenburg line" said the
general, II saw acres and acres of
oarbed wire. 1t was almost inconceiy-
aoie that anybody could ever pene-
nable.
In the mass of barbed wire entan--
ssements there were numerous pill
poxes, with the machine guns manned
selected machine gunners, few of
~aom' we were to learn. disobeyed the
0fder to fight to the last.
Passed Manv Carrrar
Bat we got our orders, and we
vent through. We smashed the line
$50 we went so fast that many Ger
mans were passed and some Of our
men we're shot in the back by machine
kqaners who continued to operate
asir weapons. Very few Of them
xsned 'kamerad.' They stood up and
ntsfA'Iy fought to the last. grinding
xsay with their machine guns until
npsy were bayonesed at their poats
~. tnsy were driven from BeIlerourt
sha we started for the Canal du Nord
In TINS eanal, which extended for a
sssnce of 5000 metres, was a clever
camounaged tunnel, Containing
~ ,ssusanns Of machine guns, nests and
ssax nxr death dealing traps. IL was q
& vp.np JOB. Any one could see that
salsea 1or the greatest sacrifice and
- .sssfg. IT was on September 20 that
tx etArten the main attack. We bur-
IL gore ahsn 900 Of our men there
49, nnnk 70 say that the 27th did mot vc,
~ ~ tsHaesmeut from the time IL wsnt
.1s~ ssss...ssssp sssspn n that fight until we re-
| EOzaff,,s,u<y NJ.