Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-01

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pering of shrapnel from cannon behind
the German front. Crossroads every
where in the sector were under con-
slant bombardment, more violent at
night. This was designed to keep
American transport with ammunition
and supplies for troops of the roads.
Faced Gas Shells at Night.
The division had simply to sit still
and take 1t. Floods of gas shells at
night were not infreuuent The Ger
an ammunition dump in one village
until they blew it up.
Those who saw the start for the
Cantlgny battle IL years ago VIII never
forget 1t.
The troops started off and walked
unmolested across fields to the village
of Cantigny. One lone German IT.
millimeter cannon was operating some
where beyond. No one paid any atten-
ton to It, A few machine guns were
doing some long-range firing, but with
little precision.
The 28th Infantry Regiment, assigned
to make the attack, advanced almost
without casualties and without opposi-
ton, outf1anked the town and occu-
pied it.
The infantry operating began at 5:45
am. and was completed at 7:20 am.
on schedule time.
Real Work Done in Advance.
Why, one may ask, was it as easy as
that? Because the real battle of Ca
tigny had secretly begun many days
before. Airplane observation and coun-
ter battery work had been carefully and
expertly used to locate every German
battery within the area. Machine gun
nests and every enemy position which
housed weapons of any caliber had been
spotted. In the meantime a mass Of
French artillery almost unparalleled in
volume for single regimental front
had been massed under cover Of dark
ness and perfectly camoudaged. AM
munition had been brought up and like
wise hidden. The troops assigned to
make the assault had been carefully
trained and 1ectured on the vital char
acter Of the occasion.
At 5:45 am. everything was ready.
Everywhere back of the line there were
guns ready to fire and heaps of ammu-
milton to feed them. Many of the guns
had been moved into position that
night.
To refer to War Department data at
little "75s" (3-inch) capable of rapid
fire action. There were SO of the larger
1855" (6-inch). There we're 178 more
heavy guns and howitzers of various
types and 40 trench mortars-a total of
1856 cannon of all calibers ready to cut
loose at the signal.
All Fired simultaneously.
All these guns opened up at about the
same moment. The little "75s," firing
as fast as their crews could pop shells
into them and extract the cases lined
up a neat barrage ahead of the moving
infantry. The other guns had their
firing positions.
One battery was devoting its atten-
ton to a German battery previously
spotted and others had similar assign
mentS Virtually every battery and
every weapon the Germans had In the
entire area was under a rain of steel
and gas. These were fired at intervals,
according to orders, alternated with the
high explosive. German gun crews
could do little more than clamp on
their gas masks and stay in the dug
have been for them form of suicide
The astounding drumfire which
opened suddenly on the Germans ac-
counted for the absence of artillery fire
against the Americans of the 28th In
fantry as they left their positions and
walked fanwise toward Cantigny.
During brief period the German
infantry and German artillery sat
under hail of 100000 shells, which
were handed" them by the French
guns as the American troops were CD
their way.
Hold Position Four Days.
But If the assault" on Cantigny was
Walkover, consolidating the position
and holding it for the next four days
was the real period which tested the
mettle Of untried American troops.
once the Germans were able to come
out OF their dugouts, there was trouble.
German artillery poured torrents of
steel into Cantigny and enemy troops
made one assault after another without
regaintng any part of the new Ameri-
can line. 1t was during this period that
American casualties began to mount up.
American troops, which the French
command had looked upon as an un-
known quantity, became q very thor
oughly known quantity. Due to mex
perlence in avoiding casualties and by
taking chances which French veterans
had long been taught to avoid. the
american losses during the consolida-
companies of the 28th Infantry lost
half their men.
In all, IS officers and / 1922 men of
the regiment were on the casualty list
oe1ore the Germans gave up hope of re-
gaining Cantigny and halted their
costly efforts to break down the psy-
Geological effect which the American
acquisition OF the village had created in
al the allied countries. Among the
officer casualties was Col. Theodore
roosevelt, now Governor of Porto Rico
ana tnen a battalion commander.
Lighter Side Of Battle.
The Battle of Cantigny had its light
er side. 1t might have caused a
casualty In the ranks of the war cor
respondents. The correspondents were
scattered over the front according to
their own desires.
The writer was accompanied that
early May morning by James Hopper,
Hopper is an American of French ex-
traction and subject to Latin enthusi-
asms. On the morning of Cantieny
with the barrage already pecking up
the ground in front of the troops and
the big guns laundering all around, it
was Hopper's sudden desire to get into
the spirit of the thing and to keep
l!BnI On going Win the troops into
the village of Cantigny. He urged the
writer to do this, but the writer, being
the correspondent of the New York
Tribune. argued that dead. wounded
Or captured correspondent for q daily
newspaper was OF no great help to his |
paper.
Consequently, Hopper disappeared
with the doughboys in the direction of |
Cantigny. The writer waited until it |
was evident that the objective had been |
gained and then made his way back |
over the countryside through sprinklings |
Of artillery, to Chepoix, a village 10 |