Greenwood daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1919-1926, 1920-01-03

HELPED VICTORY
American SubaIternS' Trick Kept
Five German Divisions on
the Qui vive.
Deceived BY RADIO
Telephone Squad Also Conducted Mis-
leading Conversations for German
Listeners Benefit - Staff
Worked Overtime on Game
Of Camouflage.

With the American Forces in Ger
to light from time to time AS
each side tells it's story. One of the
most successful of them was practiced
by American forces in the Meuse-Ar-
come battle last fall, when the last
great allied offensive was at its
from Switzerland to the sea
imaginary army, conceived by a
handful of American junior officers.
was thrown into the field overnight,
and for days five crack German diVl-
sions just east of Verdun, in the
Etain region, were kept on their toes
momentarily expecting an attack
which never came.
At a dinner table in a Coblenz cafe
overlooking the Rhine an American in
telligence officer recently told the
story of the creation Of the mythical
TX army as it was called. 1t ap-
pears that the Germans were expect.
ing an attack in the Etain sector at
any time, and the Americans knew 1t :
but at that stage of the game the First
American army was devotlng It's ener'
gies to driving the enemy out OF the
Argonne forest and the hill country on
either side. So the mythical army was
created, in preference to a real diver
sion, requiring many men, to convince
the German commander that 1T Woulc
not be wise to weaken the Etain front
for the benefit of the Meuse-Argonne
front.
Commanded by Captain.
Five fresh divisions had been placed
by the Germans on the Etain line
These constituted their last and finest
reservoir Of available divisions. The
Americans realized that the minute
the Germans decided hat this was not
a danger point any or. all of the five
divisions could be Withdrawn, re-
placed by exhausted and f~ragmentary
divisions coming from the battle
fronts, and that the appearance Of the
fresh troops in the line west of the
Meuse would have a tremendous effec'
on the American offensive. "a
The tx army was assigned to 9
front from BezonvauxtO Ffesnes
From the morning Of October a. unit
Just before the armistice this saFnas
"functioned.' Capt. Charles H.taati
of Hubbard Woods, ILL.,, was c0Han3and
err in chief; Capt. William H. u
den of Springfield, Mass, and Waslf
ington, d. c., was chief of staff; Lieut.
John H. Graham of lexington, Va.
was chief of troop movements - Capt
0. w. Neidert was in charge of Gil
or administration, and Lieut.. ID. L
Griswold of Old Lynn, Conn, was
chief of artillery. The staff of the ~
army" were all members of the IN
telligence section of the First army
and, of course, before beginning oper
atoms, had obtained the consent o.
their chief, Col. Wiley Howell.
The wireless and the telephone wer'
freely used to convince the German!
that the Americans were prepared TO
an attack in the Etain sector. II
make sure that the Germans would
be able to "break into" the code used
the Americans furnished them with
satisfactory key.
Functioned Until End.
One wireless station of the ~
army was established in a clump o
woods near Verdun and was callet
headquarters of the x army" Thi
station functiOned until the end Of tn
game, all 'orders' for the army goin'
out from this place by wireless. Sool
after the station began working tn
Germans located its whereabouts an
frequently shelled the woods and vi
cinity, apparently in hope of breaking
up the radio of the latest Of annoy
ances. The "X army also had a port
able radio station, which moved abou
and represented itself at a differen
station every day or two.
The first message from the "1
army" headquarters was a genera
dispatch to all wireless stations in tn
army area (none OF which actually ex
! isted), in the new code of course, di
recting that none of the stations an
swer or make use of their sending in
struments, for fear of the enemy locat
ing them, but that they be or tn
alert at fixed hours t o receive mes
sages. The effect was to convince tn
Germans that a large number of wire
less stations had been set up and t
advise them of the hours when the en-
envy intercepting stations should b
on the alert for the American mes
sages.
This was followed by a series o
messages designed to indicate that tn,
tx army was preparing for a full
fledged operation. In order to inform
the enemy of the geographical limit
of the sector of the tx army" man,
messages were directed to imaginar,
officers at existing towns on the Etai1
front.
Wireless Works Night and Day.
Meanwhile the rowing wireless sta
ton was working overtime day an,
night. 1t began sending out message
in the Fresnes sector and trying t,
| give the impression that it was Sc.
eral stations at widely separated |.
cations. One message in partical.
RHEUMATISM
is completely washed out of the sys
tenn by the celebrated Shivar Minera
Water. Positively guaranteed 5.
money back offer. Tastes fine; cost