The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-12-14
SECOND DIVISION
GETS DISTINCTION
Only Combat Division to
BE Maintained at
Full Strength

CAMP TRAVIS. SAN ANTONIO.
Texas, Dec. i".-An account of the
Fighting OF the Second division.
which hurled the Germans back In
their drive on Paris In 1918. has
recently been written by Major Cen
erai James q. Iiarbord. its present
com fnandcr, who served with the d.
vision In France. The Second divi-
sion was recently SELECTED by the
war department as the only combat
division In the army to be main
taincd at full strength and ~ being
fiIlcd with recruits from all parts Of
the United States. General Harbord
says in part;
mo official records can oil the
story OF the division as 1t IL writ
ten in the memories OF the men who
fought with 1t In thoss brave days.
The divisions first Victory was TINT
Germans which attacked tho Ninth
infantry on April 10, 1918.
And that nigh, OF Memorial day
In 1918. when in lovely Normandy
the division was under orders to
march on May 81 toward Beauvais
TO relieve the First division and at
\ o'clock received orders To embark
At Z next morning In trucks for duty
northeast of Paris where the
Germans had pushed down through
Soissons toward Chateau -Thierry,
paking n deep salient which pointed
IKE n menacing spear head toward
Parie.
who that saw them can forget
those IA miles of trucks speeding
through the outskirts of Paris.
carrying our men toward the
enemy? Town after town was
passed and the change In tho man
ner OF the people striklngly indicated
tho approach to the front. In fair
Normandy they welcomed our men
with flowers, in Paris they chccrcd
them; but as long AZ conveys neared
| Meaux the anxiety and depression OF
the people was reflected In the al
tered department OF the soldiers and
when they began Ia pass long col
umns OF terrified refugees, there
was no more singing or cheering
Faces became stern. and hands
frightened on the rifles "a the distant
rumbling of German artillery began
to be heard In the east.
| The official record says nothing
OF that night on the road near May
cnMulticn when there was no one
faced toward the northeast and the
Germans except our men disc bark
Ing from their trucks In the dark
dropping their bombs along the
crowded highway. The writer viii
remember the relief on the face OF
the gallant French general De-
gouttc, on the morning OF June |,
| when the first reports reached him
of the arrival ut our men. For
forty days the division fought there,
From June To % the fighting
was OF the most desperate character.
| Division after division was thrown
In by the German command In an
! effort to shattcr the line. But the
| lines OF the Second Division moved
| In no direction but forward The
| Marines ground their way through
| the Bois-dc- -licllcau (Bollcau Wood
! that bloody tanglc OF brush and
rocks made horrible hy the reek of
| dead bodies, the unCCasiug crash OF
shells. and the whino and snap OF
machine gun bullets. In spite of
losses ana exhaustion the Marines
| In a final brilliant dash on June .5
! killed or captured the last enemy In
| the bots de Bcllrau, which, In recoE
! nition OF their gallantry the French
renamed the wood OF the marine
! brigade.
The official record can but in
adequately picture the march
| linIouSn inc nuu ana rain OF the
ink black forest Of Nillers-Cottcret
the night before the Solssons often
siye, in which the second division
on one flank of tho LIST FrcnC h
Moroccan d!vis!on opened the battles
OF July Is and succeeding days. The
Moroccas were reckoued the best
shock troops ~ France and the
Americans understood that II they did
not keep up with the Moroccans or
pass them they would hc dishonored
An night long. the columns Of
he second marched through the
dark forest in driving rain, making
lh"lr way through artillery, tanks.
trucks and infantry. the worst con.