The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1919-02-19

cTOWu6u JHOTUuSHldIei anu many lOil
before reaching the lines. The First
division was given the important
point southwest of scissors, near
Bois.
At 4:35 a. IN. on July 18 the bar
rage lifted, and the First went for
ward in what was probably the most
decisive battle in history. In some
of the bloodiest fighting of the war,
this division drove ahead from eight
to ten miles within five days against
almost superhuman resistance, and
captured the heights southwe1t of
scissors.
In the five days there was not
single minute of pause in the terri
BILE fighting Five separate attacks
we're made and a dozen counter
attacks repulsed. SO heavy was the
fighting that at times battalions were
commanded by lieutenants and Ser
geants--all other. officers were cas-
ualties. In Major Roosevelt's bat
talon every officer was hit within
few hours and a sergeant COM
manded the unit for a time.
The number of prisoners and guns
captured in the face Of such resis-
tance showed the character of the
fighting-3, 3,375 men and 125 officers
went sent through the cages, and
the material captures included $50
field guns, 300 machine guns and
great quantities of other material
Then followed several weeks of
rest and training of replacements
while the wounds Of the division
we're bound up. Meanwhile General
Pershing was bringing to close the
plans for the battle of st. Mihiel.
Early in September the First was
moved stealthily into the lines near
Beaumont. On the morning of Sep,
tember 12 the division went after
them" again and helped wipe the st.
Mihiel salient off the map. Beside
the fighting at scissors, this was a
field day for the veterans of the
First. Within 10 hours some e.e-
ments had advanced from 10 to II
miles. AT places the resistance was
stiff and considerable machine gun
fighting developed The division
bagged 1,19O prisoners, a quantity of
guns, ammunition and three loco
motives.
With another short rest the First
was again on the way to another
great battle. In conjunction with
the French, General Pershing was
laying plans for the battle Of the
Argonne, which was aimed to cut the
vital artery between the northern
and southern German army groups.
Again the First was given an i'm
portant point.
ward of the Argonne, October A..
The First went over" in the Chepy
sector near Varennes in the face of
desperate resistance. The Germans
realized the vast Importance of ev-
cry yard of ground captured army
order told them that "the fate Of
the empire depended upon their
holding With the difficult terrain
and several powerful defense sys-
TENS in their favor the Germans
fought like madmen. But the line
was pushed ahead, yard by yard,
day after day, until the division had
gained more than four miles within
eight days. This division was op-
posed by elements of eight different
German divisions. The distracted
German commander threw division
after division into the path of the
advance.
Before its withdrawal to rest
camps, the First captured 1873 men
and SS officers.
With evidences that the German
military machine was rapidly going
to pieces, came series of quick,
hard blows The First division was
hurried up to the lines again and at
tackled toward Mouzon on November
9Th. By noon it had reached Mou-
zon. The Germans we're on the run
and the line pushed ahead five miles
in as many houres Some prisoners
and material were captured
That night the division was assem-
bled and advanced in five columns
toward Sedan Then ensued the race
toward Sedan. With the Germans re-
treating in disorder. the advance ele-
ments met only slight resistance, but
on the morning Of the 7th ran into
stiff machine gun resistance on the
heights near Sedan, which they
quickly smashed through Although |
the doughboys did not know, the war
was in its last hours Everywhere |