Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-11-11
lew Hours Before Armistice Held Dramatic Moments

back in Buzancy, and learned that the
Germans had been given until II
o'clock OF the following Monday morn
ing to accept the allied terms for an
armistice.
Congestion to the east precluded
progress in that direction. so We lie
cided to work northwestward in tie
general line taken by the Rainbow
| Division in its forward drive. Once
more the car went out Of commission,
and we swung onto the back OF supply
| truck We walked from Authe 10
! Tannay, and then quit the main high
way to cross eastward again. Present.
~ we came on a picturesque hillside
encampment of the Rainbow Division.
Resting. Rest we'll deserved when the
record for the previous nine days is
measured. On November division
headquarters was at Exermont, noriSs
west Of Montfaucon. On November 2
it was at Sommerance, southeast CT
Grand Pre- On November 3 the division
started for Verpel, northeast of Grand
Pre-, where it arrived on the 4th 1t
left Verpel November for Fontenac,
and on November 6 was in Maisop-
celles, from which towns its patrols
went forward into Sedan. From EXer-
mont 70 Maisoncelles is Al kilometsrS
and to Sedan another IL kilometers.
That Is moving.
Here we got the bit Of history con-
corning the capture" of Maj. Gen.
Douglas Macarthur. commander Of the
division, by patrols of the rival lst
Division Advance units of both had
been racing forward, the 1st Division
coming up along the west bank of the
Mouse, the Rainbow straight north from
Tannay and MaiSoncelleS. The general
had gone out for reconnaissance In the
+ fog of the early morning. The men of
the 1st Division. coming suddenly on
the group in the thicket, had sur
rounded and then taken them prison.
ers!
The men of the Rainbow Division
were we'll aware of the peace negotia-
lions. but it was not good news to
them. They we're eager to get back
into the fighting. Nothing would do
them except a march straight into
| Berlin.
| Observations on this part of the front
| increased our admiration for the engi-
neers and the Signal Corps They fol-
| lowed close on the heels of the fight
ers-repairing roads, building new ones,
throwing bridges across ravines and riv-
Clets in miraculous time and hooking
up new telephone systems in extreme
advance areas. Frequently the lines
men we're able to convert abandoned
overhead wires left by the Germans in
their precipitate retreat.
X X X x
! THE Signal Corps workers in the Tan
nay district rested on the night of
/ November 8 and for no reason in par
( ticular gave an elaborate Jazz concert
/ in the main building Of Mon Idee Farm.
Men came from miles around with
motley assortment of instruments. The
beat of drums, the blare of SaXophoneS
were drowned about midnight by sus-
tanned air raid of German night bomb
ers designed to disrupt the endless
American munitions and supply cara
vans. Little damage was done. and all
through the night guns and shells
crawled slowly forward
Sunday morning. November 10, we
learned many things on reaching Mai
soncelles, headquarters of the Rainbow
Division. The Kaiser had abdicated and
Germany was af1ame with revolt The
high command scarcely could do other
wise than accept the armistice terms.
Reports from American aviators indi-
Gated that the roads branching of east
ward from Montmedy we're choked with
enemy troops, transports, guns-in pre-
cipitate retreat.
Despite all this, the allied armies con-
| tinued their drives. quite in keeping
with the spirit of Marshal Foch's cele-
brated message. issued at o'clock on
/ the night of November g:
| The enemy, disorganized by our re-
| peated attacks, retreats along the entire
front. 1t is important to coordinate and
expedite our movements. I appeal to
the energy and initiative of our COM
manders in chief to make decisive the
results obtained
| There was nothing in the spirit of the
doughboy which ran counter to this in
| spirational command. as he entered on
the last 24-hour phase of the war.
Hourly the Americans pushed the Ger
mans from one strong position after
another.
News of the Kaiser's abdication
caused great rejoicing in Maisoncelles,
where the resting troops joined with
French civilians in an impromptu cele-
bration. The tricolor appeared by
magic from every window in the town
One French flag I saw. waving more
proudly than the others, was made of a
blue rag rug, a white bath towel and
red flannel undershirt. 1t had been
made by an aged woman with the help
of neighbors
All day long German prisoners were
passing through the place. marching
gr1mly, silently, yet obviously relieved
VAAeSO tA1CJ WC1C bl1IOuSH,
Our route took us to the village of
Tailley headquarters of the seth. Gen.
Wright greeted us with extreme cordi-
atty, but so far as he would admit
there was no such thing as an armi-
stice and fighting would go on forever
We might inquire at information head
quarters.
Groups of idle soldiers and villagers
stood in the misty night at the door of
G-2-D-deSignation of the information
Section-waiting for the magic order.
But the wars end was never mentioned
In messages which came through UP to
midnight November 10. Reason enough,
as the order had not yet been issued
Both American and German artillery
were active at this hour. McNutt sug-
geSted that we spend some hours with
battery command along the YOU
ziers-Longuyon highway. We knew the
approximate position of one battery, as
we had seen the guns firing earlier in
the evening. However, it was not so
easy to locate, as heavy fog blanket
had settled over the woods.
X X &
THE guns were firing at fixed inter-
walls. We parked the car in a lane
and scattered along the Vouziers road,
the idea being to wait for the next shot
OF the nearest gun and then, guided by
the momentary burst of flame, to make
for 1t. I walked westward on the road
ABOUT hundred yards from McNutt,
took my stand and waited. Ten minutes
passed. Several batteries let 20, but
tney were at quite a distance. Suddenly
the heavens were torn apart in a fear
tul cash OF red and white. The road
rose up and hit me. picked myself up
and yelled at McNutt and O'Donnell.
Hey. there! I found one!'
had been standing at the edge of a
roadside thicket in which a French rs
was concealed The business end nf