White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1931-06-25
WORLD
w AR
YARN S
by Lieut.. Fronk E. Hogon
The Victor of the Marne

the victor at the first Battle of the
Marine, but recent historical scholar.
ship proves rather cOnclusively that
credit for the miracle of the Marne"
belongs to a most unmilitary-look
military genius, bespectacled and
untidy looking little man with shaggy
mustaches, black buttoned boots and
yellow leggings, of whom a high-hat
British general once said, mo Brit.
fsh officer would be seen speaking to
such On comedian" His name
was Joseph Simon Gallieni and he
was governor of Paris when the Ger
man tidal wave began to roll back the
British and the French that day in
September, 1914.
1t was Gallieni who saw that the
German right flank was exposed at q
critical time during the Battle of the
Marne, it was Gallieni whose insist
ence gained from Joffre permission
for counter-attack and 1t was this
counter-attack which caused the Ger
man advance to waver, then stop, then
begin to recede.
Associated with this battle also is
the famous story of the "taxicab
army" which is supposed to have
turned the tide. The popular idea is
that Gallieni rushed his soldiers to
the front in a fleet of taxicabs just
in the nick of time to halt the Ger
man advance. The true story is this:
The Seventh French division had just
detrained near Paris, but it was 40
miles from the battle front. If 1t
marched to the front it would be too
late. The available rail transport
could take only half of the division.
So the Paris police rounded up all
the available taxicabs, 600 in num-.
Der, and sent them to Gagny, where
they were filled up with soldiers and
dispatched toward the Marine. Gal
lieni, upon seeing the ingenious trans
portation expedient, is said to have
remarked with some amusement:
"Well, at least it's not commonplace y
Commonplace or not, it was effective
and in two trips the taxi fleet took
5000 soldiers to the place where they
were so badly needed even though in
passing and repassing they became
so mixed that several hours were
spent in sorting out the passengers"
before the division could attack.
DECORATED"
How was the king of Montenegro to
know that the consuming passion OF
Americans in Paris, and on other
fronts, after the armistice was the
collection of medals?
Anyway, an American medical ma
jor attached to the military police of
Rue ste. Anne spawned the idea that
his private collection could be mate
rally enhanced if only the king would
cooperate. So he went into confer
ence with a Russian colonel, aide-de.
camp to the Montenegrin monarch.
The result was that the king ended
one of his daily drives through the
Bots at the prison stockade near Long
champs so fatal to many wandering
doughboys.
Lieut.. Albert Mackey of Detroit
Lieut.. Albert Mackey. now of De-
troit where he is giving the world
something new in the way Of windows.
but then of the Two Hundred and Six
ty-third M. P. corps tells the story Of
what happened at the stockade.
"Tt CHANGED that we were changing
guards when the king arrived" swears
Lieutenant Mackey. "The old and
new guards were drawn up with the
prisoners paraded between. It made
a great impression on the king.
"a brother officer presented the king
with an American sawed-off shotgun;
handed him box of buckshot shells
to use in it. The king enjoyed the
reception tremendously and shortly
after, issued orders we were to be
decorated.
majors carefully laid designs had
become public. However, compro-
mise was effected. The major and an
officer who had just arrived from the
States were made officers of the Lee
gion of Honor of Montenegro. The
officer who'd disposed Of the shotgun.
and l, became chevaliers.
Notices
The World var featured, among
other things, formation of what prob
ably was the only completely Jewish
fighting force since Biblical times.
This Jewish unit was formed after
the British government let 1t be known
the Holy Land would be restored t.
the Jews as soon as the Turks we're
driven from it.
General Earl Allenby, the British
commander who eventually entered
Jerusalem afoot at the head OF his
victorious troops, drew the jewish
unit for part of his forces.
No matter what the fighting ability
of this particular body OF troops-no'
matter what shining feats OF heroism
were performed by its l. .ividual mem
bers. From the first. 1t was eviLent
that the Jewish unit must Withstand
volume of fun by British wits.