Evening star., 1939-09-08
Americas World War
Victories Reviewed
Believes Lasting Peace Won
By Army Was NuIIified
In the Senute
To the Editor Of The Star:

In the Senote
To the Editor Of The Star:
AS one who served in the ranks, and
under fire, may be permitted to reply
to communication appearing on the
editorial page of yesterdays Star be-
moaning our entrance into the World
War and despairingly asking, What did
we get out of it,?
1t is not what we got out Of it, but
what we could have that should claim
our immediate attention.
The tragedy is that we have forgotten
the glory of historic days and have be-
come obsessed with the pettiness of
penny expenditure. The old canard about
having to pay rent for trenches is re-
vived again, while the history of tre-
mendous achievements is ignored Let
us not forget the cry of Premier Glenn
enceau, Hold fast, for America comes!"
And America did come!
In addition to other thousands, there
came in May 1918, 245,951 men; in June,
268,7 ,76O; in July, 3O7,182. The Americans
came as the Germans were winning
striking successes In three months they
had conquered over 5000 square kilc-
meters of land, which was more than
the French and British in all their great
battles in the Somme, at Arras, and in
Flanders had been able to win. BY July
/, prior to the November Armistice, the
Germans had captured nearly 100000
prisoners. They had cut one British
army to pieces; they had captured i'm
mense quantities Of munitions. and had
overrun great stretches of territory. They
had brought the Allied cause to the brink
of disaster.
On May 27, the Germans launched
their offensive on 30-mile front be-
tween Rheims and Soissons the Allies
were taken completely by surprise. With
comparative ease, the Germans won their
way.
1t was apparent that the Germans
were winning the war; they won smash
ing victory after victory until they ar
rived almost within sight of Paris. At
Chateau Thierry, two American divisions,
the I'd and the Sd, were rushed by trains
and motor trucks to the very point
where the Germans were nearest Paris.
The valor of the Americans was so
notable that the name of Belleau Wood
was changed to La Bois de la Brigade
de Marine"
While perhaps it is not proper to claim
that the Americans in the Chateau
Thierry sector saved Paris, 1t can be
said that the forward advance of the
Germans in the last year of the war was
definitely checked.
On June 8, the Germans struck an
other blow and had they succeeded they
again would have had broad front
within striking distance of Paris.
Then came st. Mihiel. This salient
had been held by the Germans since
october of 1914. 1t had been strongly
fortified. Six hundred thousand Ameri-
can troops, with some French, COM
menced the attack. 1t started on the
morning of September II, and in spite OF
mud and rain, St. Mihiel was taken.
Sixteen thousand Germans were made
attack began the salient was only
memory and more than $50 square miles
OF territory had been recovered. In the
words of Gen. Pershing, THE Allies
found they had formidable army to
aid them, and the enemy learned finally
that he had one to reckon with"
Next followed the Argonne, natural
fortress The Germans had prepared
three and, in places, four lines OF de-
fense. They had the Hindenburg line,
the powerful Kriemhilde Stellung; be-
yond that, the Freya Stellung. The
German lines consisted Of trenches, con-
crete pill boxes, forts and dugouts. Years
phases of the terrain.
Six of the nine American divisions
had never been in a real battle before.
Most of the guns were French, machine
guns were of the French Chauchat type,
14O tanks were French, and most of the
500 airplanes were French, but the men
were Americans. At 2:30 on the morn
ing of September 26, the preliminary
bombardment began and by night the
Americans had advanced more than half
a dozen miles Thence, 1t was forward
through six weeks of bloody effort, meet
ing with terrific German resistance at
Montfaucon. The Germans continued to
bring up an increasing number of di
visions and guns and the degree of their
resistance increased.
From September % until October the
Americans maintained the offensive. AS
the Germans continued to retreat they
looted and destroyed the abandoned
towns. Noyon was blown up by eXplos
ives and in the city of Lens not one of
10000 houses was left standing Machin-
cry in the great coal mines was blown
up and the mines flooded. The city of
Cambria was looted and destroyed by
time devices.
In 80 days, the German offensive had
been broken and the invaders had been
driven back. From July Is to October l.,
the allies had captured over 2500OO men,
and between $500 and 1000 guns
On November II came the Armistice,
and the tremendous pride in the glory
and achievement of the work of our men
was one of the great chapters in our
history. But although our men won the
war, 1t remained for others to lose the
peace.
On March 4, 1919, Henry Cabot Lodge
introduced in the Senate of the United
States a resolution which served notice