The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1919-01-15
SOUTH CAROLINA BOYS
PAY PRICE OF VICTORY
Long Officer Casualty List Shows Heroic Work of One
Hundred and Eighteenth Infantry in Break
Through Hindenburg Line..Many Make
the Supreme Sacrifice.

courtesy Oh Lieut.. Col. InOIlaS Is.
Spratt, The Safes correspondent was
privileged to examine copies Of field
orders covering the instructions to
the One Hundred and Eighteenth In
fantry, Thirtieth Division, composed
Of the troops from South Carolina, and
reports Of the operations Of the regi-
ment between the period from October
5 to October 20. the period during
which the Hindenburg line was first
broken by these troops and their OBJ
jectives obtained. There are also
original maps which were xsed on the
field showing by annexation the pro-
gress made by the troops as they went
forward on their objectivcs.
The orders contain wealth of de-
tail which seem to cover every contin-
gency from the laying down of the
first barragc to the disposition Of the
dead, wounded and prisoners, and
show the particular duty OF each arm
chine gun detachmcnts. acroplancs,
cavalry, water supply, food first aid,
and all in such accurate detail that
the mind trained to the business
should find no difficulty in any cOntin-
Gcncy The mass Of this information
is staggering to the lay mind and ind-
Gates the necessity for Skillful training
The orders originating with the hi!,h
arc written usually in all cases except
by The majors Of battalions who assem-
bic their company commanders and
personally go through their orders
The regiment left lc Mcsnil where
it had been stationed for two days fol-
lowing the operations at Bcllicourt
on October and was moved by bus
convey RonssOy, marching thence to
the trenches southwest Of Naur0y
On the same night it proceeded to the
vicinity OF Wontrchain and took, over
the lines OF the Twenty-first and
Infantry Battalions
and the second Pioneer Battalion, A
n. II. The line was continually
harassed by artillery fire on both front
Sitions were improved and the lines
advanced in some instances, while q
few prisoners were captured by raids
on enemy posts by parties from the
Third Battalion. On the following
morning, with the cooperation Of the
One Hundred and Seventeenth Infan-
try, on the left. the regiment 'madr
an advance of 100 yards on a 700
yard front with the aid OF a creeping
barragc, and suffered few casualties
in the operation. This operation was
for the purpose OF Strengthening out
the line and providing Il jumping off
place for an attack planned for Octo-
Der s.
The OdcrS for this attack came late
and, in the absence Of Colonel Wolf,
were issued to the majors by I.cutcn-
ant Colonel Spratt, who spent the
whole night in the preparation in
order that there should be no delay.
However, there was little time after
the receipt Of the orders since the at
tack was TO begin at 5 o'clock in the
morning.
Shortly after this hour the regiment
attacked with the Sixth British Divi-
sion on the right and the One Hun
dred and Seventeenth Infantry on the
left and breaking through the Linden
burg line advanced to depth of $500
yards on front Of 900 yards cap
turing the village Of Rrancourt, the
normal objective and the high ground
latter being the contingent objective.
The advance was assisted by tanks
land artillery barraGc. The advance of
| the left battalion was steady, but the
advance OF the right was held up tenn
porarily by fierce resistance in Bran
court. The normal objective was
reached by the First Battalion about
| $50 in the morning, while the con
! tingcnt objective was reached about
1890 in the afternoon. The enemy
| resistance was mainly Of machine gun
fire and artillery. the latter in some
instances firing over open sights at
the advancing infantry. In this opcr-
alton the regiment captured lG o"
GERS and $50 men and six square miles
Of territory. The regiment suffered
severely in casualties owing to the