Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-27

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from salt water.
For the American Navy, OF part of it, any
way, came ashore In 1918 to cut the main Ger
man line of supply and retreat by hingng big
1-ton shells u miles across country to blast
away the German railroad system at the high
tide of the greatest battle in history.
1t isn't exactly secret that the American
Navy landed gigantic 14-inch naval guns in
France, took them up to the front and fought
them there. But it's pretty much an untold
story.
For instance, the German Big BerthaS" are
still believed to have been the most powerful
guns on the western front during the war.
They weren't The American naval guns had
far greater force, though shorter range And
when the American naval guns reached the
front the Berthas retired.
Here's another "for instance" Everybody
knows that the objective Of the last American
drive was the great strategic railway from
Sedan to Metz, vital to German communication,
and that the approach Of the Americans to this
line was one of the chief contributing causes OF
the final German defeat. But how many people
know that for whole week before the first
American doughboy ever set eyes on that rail-
road the naval gunners were dropping shells on
1t and blowing it apart faster than the Ger
mans could put it together again?
And here's another for instance" When the
armistice was signed, two of these big guns
were actually IN position to fire into Germany.
VES, it's largely an untold story. The Navy
Is proud Of this feat; proud that 1t was
able to come ashore and play an important
part in battles on dry land. I'm proud that
had part IN it, The job was well done.
The accuracy Of naval gunf1re is attested 10
by the fact that of the 1872 big shells we fired
in France, fully two thirds had a direct mate
rial effect, despite the fact that we were firing
ut targets that we never saw and that much
Of the time we didn't even have the benefit of
aerial observation.
When you realize that these shells went
81, 600 feet up into the air-nearly miles
before they started to come down, you'll realize
what a job that sort of shooting was. And
when they landed how they landed! They
hit German army headquarters once, and
headquarters moved away from there at once.
They hit q movie theater full of German SOL
diers once with frightful effect. Prisoners told
us that these guns had the Germans scared
stiff.
When we came ashore to fight our deep-sea
guns on dry land, we were butting in on some
body elses war. We tackled about all over
France intruding on the governments railroad
and the American Army's preserves, so that we
sometimes felt like flying Dutchmen. Some
times we thought we'd have to beat both the
French and the A. e. r. before we could get
chance to help beat the Germans. Hardly any
one believed In uS-except ourselves and Gen.
Pershing
pROBABLY the fact that we were about the
weirdest-looking OUTFIT In France didn't
help us much The gobs and officers wore Ma
zine uniforms Of greenish-g gray, Army tin hats
and gas masks. Underneath they were Stin
sailors and wore blue trousers and sweaters.
sometimes, in the main, they wore Navy SOU
westers. -.
The railroad cars they lived In were painted
white inside, and kept white, and they had q
ships bell, too. When "came aboard" they
wanted to pipe me over the side, nautical FASH
Ion, but they were afraid some doughhCy