The Washington times., 1938-03-30

Those Americans were boches in
disguise. That chauffeur Of theirs
he speaks quite good French.
and he says he was waiter in a
French restaurant in New York
but if you ask me, he is a German
Alsatian-don't know their
speech, helm? And then, je vous
demande un peu. Why should they
go to inspect the sector that is
going to be allotted to the first
American draft? A sector is a Sec
tor, and there is no need :"
WIRES CUT
What is thatP Inspect the sec
tors to be allotted to American
troops? Who told you that?" Cap
tain Herve was startled.
"Who else but that chauffeur,
while we we're having lunch?"
Amedee answered surlily. "T h ey
have been traipsing all over our
front for the past three or four
days"
Having delivered himself of this
bombshell, he saluted and de-
parted kitchenwards. My two com
panions started cursing.
"Easv," J. said. "let's telephone
all the British posts on the coast.
They may be making for Rouen,
after all and then Calthorpe can
nab them.
We got our first inkling Of the
truth when it was found out that
the telephone wires were cut.
after themi" Captain Born
cried heroically." they've taken
the Rouen highway-we'n catch
them .."
Like the proverbial Scot, was
beginning "to hae me doots"-for
one thing, our ramshackle Pan
hard was no match for that fast
touring Fiat. It was Amedee who
once mere provided the dramatic
climax: he burst on us spluttering
with rage.
"Q'est ce que je diSais? Spies
they are-boche spies our four
tires are slashed and our petrol
tank is punctured and leaking.
That boche chauffeur did it
TOO TRUE
We did not listen but trooped
out to the car It was but too
true; we were stranded in Caude
bee, without a conveyance, for the
hiring of q car in tiny place OF
thai type in war time, was out
of the question
Several hours passed before
some order was restored. Mean
while, the Fiat had disappeared
into thin air.
No British Intelligence post or
the Normandy coast had received
{ visit, official or otherwise, from
/ any American officers. On tht
;. other hand, the French sector!
!, adjoining those that were to bt
allotted to the first A. E. F. drafts
were agog with the excitement
caused by the unexpected flying
! visitation of three very business
like, very efficient, if somewhat
arrogant and overbearing Ameri
can Staff officers.
The question was: where hac
! they gone and how to get them
= = They had shrewdly calculated tina
: the chase would develop towarC
=, Paris, which was actually the case
It was not until days after, whel
irate front line staff nabobs begal
J ringing up the Deuxieme Bureau
! complaining Of the unwarrantet
: intrusion of "those pestiferou
q American nosey-parkers," that vi
= got on the trail of the Fiat; it hat
v skirted our front. along tn
. Somme, penetrated the lines a
some danger points, whiske'
g through barrages and booby-trapI
4 then vanished one misty night
presumably into the German line!
n The devilishly clever raid hat
i been staged under the auspices O
IS a highly psychological moment.
It may have met them later ant
learned their true IDENTIFY ma,
h have heard the full story ant
l. heard it's heroes laugh over it
. ridiculous details I do nc
!. believe in telling tales out of school
They were brave men, who sense
If an opportunity and took it, regarc
less of consequences to themselves
If But I could not help reviving tn
a old argument with Captain Herve
n "And what price intelligenc
now?" I taunted him wickedly
4 He did not answer.
I THE ENn