Henderson daily dispatch., 1938-05-28

supplies concentrated before the push
can be continued.
! The likeliest jumping off place for
| the renewed offensive in Picardy, 1t
was apparent to Allied generals, was
| Cantigny Twice the French had
tried to take Cantigny, to forestall
this threat: So the first division,
which had commended itself to the
French in Toul sector, was brought
up for the task.
The enemy quickly discovered the
presence. of the new corners in the
sector and guessed the reason. They
dealt the first considerable losses by
artillery and raids for three days,
and on the 9th launched an attack
that was repulsed.
/ Gen. Billiard continues his account:
cat 1920 a. m. the objective beyond
/ the town had been reached, the de-
tenders of the town, excepting those
/ hidden in cellars, being killed or cap
tured." (Mopping up in the cellars
provided new and dangerous work
! for the doughboys. They made some
attempts at going in with rifles and
revolvers, then simplified matters by
tossing grenades into all likely places.
"A runner came to headquarters
| and handed a staff officer a message,
in French, taken from pigeon which
had fallen at the front. In the midst
of victory, this was a severe shock.
We were among the French and the
message read, Our lines are every
where giving way ..-,
1--WE were to discover that the break
was not adjoining our sector. The
/ H;vI I~,:xy %1oA AE
/ battle, had come from behind Chateau
Thierry. The enemy had forged to
! the Marne!"
| Two hundred of the 1000 Ameri-
can attackers lost their lives in TAX.
ing Cantigny that morning. More fell
that afternoon when behind a bar
rage came a counter attack Gen.
Billiard tersely comments:
ut was the threatening at one point
only, and the LIST Bait, 25th Infantry
Maj. Theodore Roosevelt command
| ing, reinforced.
Next day, in Parliament Premier
David Lloyd George, said that the
/ America victory was "a most en-
: couraging thing in day everywhere
else sad and depressing for the AL
lies"
Fershing was determined that Cant
| igny be held at all cost. A retreat
would be the proof that Lloyd George,
Foch and other Allied leaders want
ed that American troops were incap-
able of operating Independently and
must be brigaded in all cases with
French or British.
In the next week, the First's losses
| in, Oft hxy
sm ashing artillery fire, gas, counter
attacks and airplane bombing.
The individual exploits of Ameri-
cans in that battle, some of them
only for months from factory or
farm would fill pages. But one of
them must he told.
In one of these enemy counter-at-
tacks at night, a wave of field green
stormtroopers killed every member
of machine gun crew of Company
c., Bird Machine Gun Bait, holding
a position in advance of their line,
except Dan Edwards. Up to the very
snout of that Hotchkiss, the Germans
came. One German lunged at Pri-
vate Edwards with a bayonet, the
blade going through his leg. Dan,
ex-Texas Ranger, had his As out by
that time, and holding his ground,
killed or wounded every German sur
! rounding him until, few minutes
later, doughboys came up to his sup
port. Then Dan stuck to the machine
gun for another "a hours, until a doc
tor ordered him to the hospital.
! Doctors there certified Dan was too
badly wounded 20 be of any service
as a soldier again and he was mark
ed for a DSO and a trip home as
casual. Dan, when he could get out
OF bed, deserted the hospital, found
out his company was at scissors,
bummed his way there, and reported
himself as discharged by the hospital.
A few days later the company was
caught between enfilading fire of
nachine-gu2s. Dan volunteered to
put a stop - it, and went out with
nine men to do it.
When he came back, one hand and
one leg had been shot away. One of
his four German prisoners was carry
ing him, another was carrying a
; wrecked maCrine-gun. All of the nine
doughboys who had accompanied him
aere dead Dan had 20 shrapnel frag-
! '.-CHCo III lis oOuy, UuL Hc Ic1uSeu W
be evacuated until he had reported
to his captain and got receipt for
his prisoners. Then he produced his
amputated right hand from his KNAPP
sack. He had brought it back, fear
full it would be thought it was self
inflicted wound!
Billiard and Summerall called Ed
wards of Cantigny and scissors the
greatest soldier in the Army.