The New York herald., 1921-02-27
Won KLUCK IN PERIL
WHEN FRENCHMEN
GOT BEHIND LINES
Gen. Pelecier Tells of Brave
Sally Made Before Battle
of Marne.
RAID LASTS 48 HOURS
War Leaders Hear Cavalry Is
Far From Out of Date De-
spite Airplanes.
Special Gable TO THE New YoRK HERALD.
C0pDrt0ht, 1921, bV THE NEw York HERALp.

Special Gable to THE New YORK HERALD
Copyright, 1921, bv THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Paris, Feb. 20.
Little by little many heroic incidents
in the early days of the great war are
being revealed by individual COM
manders who heretofore have failed
to get the full share Of glory to which
their victories entitled them. Incidents
typical OF French heroism under diff
culties were revealed before a group
of fifty generals and one time French
cavalry officers by Gen. Pelecier. who
told how for two days in September
during the first year of the wal the
Fifth French Cavalry Division actually
reconnoitered night and day behind
Gen. Won Kluck's overwhelming
armies, destroying meanwhile small
German units, and on one occa sion
almost capturing the Prussian leader
himself
You have no fixed orders do ycur
best" was the only order given to Gen
Cornuller Luciniere. then commanf1H
the Fifth Cavalry Division. AccordirFiy
he gathered together an Organization ~
picked dragons and chasseurs, a si..A-.
artillery group and one cyclist company.
in all not more than 1900 men. They
were supplied with only meagre rations
and were tired after their retreat from
Belgium.
A breach in the enemy's ranks was
found near the village Of Levignen n
the Oise. They passed through II ana
were soon lost in the darkness well be-
hind the German western front. They
discovered that this territory was filed
with German squads hastily preparirr
bases for new German advances.
French Force Is Divided.
Gen. Luciniere divided his force INTO
several groups, each of which finally re-
turned to the French headquarters with
their ranks terribly depleted.
In so far as is concerned the kind of
lighting these men did during the forty
eight hours they were in the rear OF Won
Kluck's armies. Gen. Peecier cited the
capture by them OF a German aviation
section which was busy trying to install
camp near Mortefontaine. The Ger
man bivouac was quickly enveloped and
by the unintentional firing OF large
petrol dump the French diverted the
attention OF the enemy, allowing the
rushing forward of the French lance
Dragons
Few OF our troops survived. IL Is true,
but the German camp was entirely an
initiated" Gen. Pelecier declared.
II was during the reconnaissance the
second day that the Germans unex-
pectedly attacked in the northwest by
Gen. Manoury. commenced a retreat
Won Kluck admitted that his headquar-
ters was at one time surrounded by this
valiant French cavalry near Ancien-
Vile. The German leader believing lie
had retreated into "a stronger French
hankiny movement. Immediately saved
his army by changing his retreat direc-
tion northward. thus enabling Gen. Lu-
cinere's troops TO Join the main body OF
the Marne troops for the first great
French victory In the war.
Argument for Mounted Troops.
The greatest effect of these new reve-
lations of French heroism is not In ad-
dltional prestige they give certain
French generals, but In the incentive
given the French General STAFF not to
abolish the cavalry arm OF the service,
as some military writer's propose.
"Airplanes are by no means a substi-
tute for cavalry" said one general at
the conclusion of Gen. Pelecier's re-
cital. "Airplanes arc good enough for
huge mass operations over a lengthy
front, but for detail reconnaissance and
divisional operations the glory OF cav
airy initiative remains undimmed. as I'm
the days when the French represented
the highest type OF soldiery and STRAIT
egy"