Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-24
BLUE ARMY DRIVES
! RED FORCES BACK
Strikes Series of SIedge.
:.
Hammer Blows Along
~
AmIin.HaIiard Front.
BY J. 8. EDGERToN.
STAG Correspondent Of The star.

FAIRFIELD, Ohio, May 24.-The Reds
are falling back. The big push is on.
Through slanting rain and over muddy.
torn fields Uttered with the wreckage
of war Theoretically, the Blue shock
battalions struck the crumbkng Red
line a series of sledge.hammer blows
along the Anlin. billiard front, eight
miles northeast OF Columbus, capital OF
the mythical Red nation, beginning at
dawn today.
Their reserves exhausted during the
heavy fighting of yesterday, the Reds
lost grip on their front line trenches
during the first onslaught and now are
falling back on their main line OF re-
sistance along the Scioto River
No Withdrawal Ordered.
Red commanders. it was learned here,
have ordered every foot Of ground con-
tested and no withdrawal orders have
been issued at any point along the line.
THE br,lnt of the heavy Blue assault on
fine north has been borne by the 37th
DIVISION. under command OF Brig. Gen:
Frank D. Henderson, Ohio National
Guard, and the 18th Division, MAJ. Gen.
r. H. Tyndall, Indiana National GUARD.
ing made by the Blue SD Division. Col.
Oryal P. Townsend, Regular Army.
The 37th and 38th Divisions OF the
1st Corps. commanded by Brig. Gen:
: George H. Jamerson, commandant OF
Fort Benjamin Harrison. Indianapolis,
were prominent in the heavy nghting
Of yesterday.
Blues Use Planes Freely.
Aviation nIaved a prominent part In
today's fighting. Blue attack planes
were used freely during the morning In
assaults upon key points in the Red
lines and proved to be a tremendously
powerful adjunct of the Blue Infantry.
Bombardment planes are working be-
hind the enemy lines to break up troop
movements and destroy ammunltion
dumps and supply bases.
Blue observation planes reported great
military activity along the national
road leading east from the Red lines TO
Columbus. They reported that the
Blues are meeting stubborn resistance
from Red prepared positions on the
higher ground to the east Of Big Darby
Greek. Struggling forward under
storm Of small arms and artillery hre,
however. the Blue LIST Corps carried the
stream shortly before noon and this
afternoon are working forward deep into
Red territory.
The s3rd and Tooth Divisions. to the
south, have just won their way across
Darby Creek and are consolidating
positions on the east bank preparatory
composed of veterans of the World War.
known as the Red Diamond Division,
has met with determined resistance to
the south and repeated assaults have
failed to carry Darby Greek.
Flying with the Blue observation squad
rons through spurts of rain and under
lowering clouds, one can see the Fighting
37th Division of the Ohio National
Guard, veterans Of the battletields of
France, pushing forward toward the
little t4nage of billiard, on the Pitts
burgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & ST.
Louis Railroad and Price road. They
are opposed by the Red End Division
and part Of the Red LIST Division. To
the North Of the Ohio contingent the
and determination by the famed 3sth
Division of the Indiana, Kentucky and
West Virginia National Guard.
AS the observation plane drops low
over q small farm identified on the
battle map as that of w. A. Geyer, four
miles Northeast Of West Jefferson, Blue
Infantry patrols of the Tooth Division
can be seen working rapidly eastward
through fields of green crops. To the
east, however, reserves are being
marched by the Red along the national
route TO the support Of the hard-pressed
front lines.
Correspondent Hears Orders.
This writer visited the headquarters
Of the ist Corps in the ancient town
hall of Mechanicshurg, Ohio, yesterday
afternoon while the battle orders for
today's drive were being completed and
then pushed on farther front In q Blue
Army reconnaissance car TO the field
headquarters Of the 37th and Ssth DE-
visions.
The trip was made over roads which
have been badly cut to pieces by mill.
tary transport trains and twice heavy
bombardnent formations, protected by
attack and pursuit planes, passed over
head, one of the missions being the
successful bombing Of Griggs Dam.
north of Columbus.
Gen. Hendersons headquarters are
the typical quarters of an attack divt-
sion in the field. An old weather-beaten
farm house has been Communicated for
the staff. The walls are covered with
maps bristling with red and blue pins
tags and strings showing the various
battle units. A field telegraph set is in
operation in one corner and in another
is a field telephone switchboard.
The general himself sleeps in tent
pitched near the house. Ten feet away
over split rail fence, several broods
of fat and contented Ohio porkers
wallow in a most amazing pool granting
contentedly and pertaining the atmos-
phere.
ut is better than France, at that"
comments the general, a lean hardened
Weather-beaten campaigner, whose left
eyelid DROPS where it was cut by a
fragment of German shell in France
In France the pigs are quartered in
the houses"
Moving north from Gen. Henderson's
headquarters, at Resaca, We found the
headquarters Of Gen. Tyndall at Chuck
cry more connodiously housed IN q
sctoolhouse, with tents pitched In the
school yard.
We arrived at Chuckery just before
mess call was sounded by ruddy-faced
young bugler and were the guests OF
Gen. Tyndall at the Officers mess, I'M
der canvas just behind the school.
While we were at the headquarters re-
treat was sounded and the Headquarters
Company from the 18th Regiment OF
the Regular Army, Fort Benjamin
Harrison, went through the guard
mount ceremonies.
Gen. Tyndalls staff was just COM
pleting the Infantry orders for the
drive at dawn today and were hard at
work on the Artillery orders, which
when carried out would provide for the
laying of barrage ahead Of the COM
bat troops.
Tenth Sent Into Lines.
The Blue s3d Division is being re-
lieved today by the fresh 10th Division
This leaves the Blue 9th, 18th and 18th
Divisions in reserve, none of them hav-
n