The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-11
FIRST DIVISION GIVES
LURID BATTLE SCENE
Shells Scream Over Steel Hell
NETS in Realistic 'Ar-
gonne' Dash.

Special Despatch 10 THE NEW YORK HERALD.
CAMP DIX, n. j.. Nov. 10.--Once again
the First Division Jumped off" tonight
and followed the shellbursts of its own
barrage, up a slope at whose top were
barbed wire and trenches, with the rush
ing screech of shells overhead.
Two years ago tonight the First,
though with ranks thinned by what had
happened in Montrefagne Wood. passed
it's last night of war on the battlefield of
the Meuse-Argonne, getting its breath
after the race for Sedan, which 1t won.
Tonight the First recalled to thousands
of it's veterans returned for a reunion of
character probably unique In the Ameri-
can army, the stress and flare OF battle.
1t was outwardly a new First that
jumped off in this Sham battle" with
few of the same men who year ago
marched down Fifth avenue first to
go. last to return" Yet Major-Gen.
Charles p Summerall. division COM
mander now, says that 1t Is In spirit
the same old First, and the reunion Is to
keep alive that spirit The infantry
regiments that wen over tonight were
the same and almost personified the
history OF the A. f. F.-the Sixteenth,
first to be raided and fight the Germans
hand to hand the Eighteenth, first to
raid the Germans: the Twenty eighth.
that took Cantigny in Americas first
real attack; the Twenty-sixth, that
came out after Scissors led by cap
tain. The barrage was fired by the
"seventy-fives' of the Sixth Field A
tillery, that fired Americas first shot
on land. and the Seventh and the "155's"
of the Fifth Field.
PershinE with Cd Command.
There We're thousands who stood ana
| watched the lurid spectacle that the
| First and the Chemical Warfare Ser
vice had combined to produce. many
OF those spectators being now In civil
ian's clothes They had come from other
States, long journeys, and were officers
or doughboys of the First. when I'M
der Summerall it fought up the val
| ley of the Aire against eight German
divisions and outflanked the Argonne
forest Among those in uniform was
| Gen John J. Pershing, who was for
time especially commander of the First,
because the First was the whole A. 70.
Il Brig. Gen. Amos A. Fries. chief of
the Chemical Warfare Service, who
planned a great deal of the clever pyro-
technical arrangements whereby burst
ing shells and mines were simulated,
was also present.
AS wave after wave OF steel helmeted
doughboys moved forward across the
field, following tanks that lurched over
shellholes, airplanes droning overhead,
picked out by sweeping searchlights. and
below the rat -tat-tat" of machine guns.
the blood of the spectators was stirred
and some among them began to move
uneasily and a reminiscent CLEAN cam
into their eyes. Finally when the first
wave came under heavy shell fire (realis-
tically exploding red flares planted in
the ground) IL got almost too strong Tor
some of these alumni" of the old First.
Here and there in the crowd one heard.
'I'm going with EN-" and veteran
tried to break loose from the OBTAINING
grasp OF friend who urged him, Don't
make a fool of yourself"
1t Is said that a few even squirmed
through the safety lines of the M. P.s
and got in on the finish
Comradeshfps Revived.
The First asserts that it's battle show
is the most realistic and complete that
has been done I'm this country, and with
the addition of chemical contrivances
from Lakehurst proving grounds and
Edgewood, Md, challenges comparison.
The reunion and celebration OF 'Armis-
tice Day. of which the battle was the
most spectacular feature, is on the basis
of a college commencement rather than
a military affair. There Is meeting OF
the First Division Society. but that is In
cidental The plan Is that former mem
bers of the division returning-and
good many have returned--go immedi-
ately TO their old outfits and find there
open house. The visitors will find beds.
chow, everything they need for the pc
Rod OF the reunion with the unit In
which they served. They will find also
not only old comrades, but new First
Division carrying on with the spirit OF
the old.
In this way. Gen. Summerall believes.
the army will be kept in touch with the
country as IL never was before ana the
divisions esprit and morale immeasur-
ably improved.
. ~ m n II