Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-21
BY ROBERT A. ERWIN,
a.- Staff corresnondent.

National Guards 12lst Engineer
Regiment carried advance columns
of the LIST Virginia and LIST Mary
land Infantry over the Racquette
River north of here today. despite
raids from big Army bombers of
the opposing Black forces and the
menace of parachutists dropped be-
hind their lines.
This enabled the 10th Division
part of the Blue Army to establish
a bridgehead on the east bank OF
the winding stream. The troops
marched eastward to meet the enc
my Black forces. The movement
established a new front along the
Norwood Potsdam highway running
north and south, and Blue troops
moved steadily forward through
Potsdam after repairing a bombed
bridge there.
The first crossing of the Racquette
was made at All am. under ad-
verse conditions. Four engineers
stripped and dived into the cold
water to help determine the depth.
Men Of Company c, Capt. William
F. Jorgenson commanding, showed
assault boats into the water and
rowed a squad of infantrymen across
on each trip. The spot selected for
the crossing was low and level, and
was protected by trees along the
west bank.
Bridges Thrown Across.
After the assault boats had moved
hundreds Of foot soldiers into coun-
try occupied by the Blacks during
the night, the engineers constructed
a foot bridge over the stream. This
further facilitated troop move
ments, and later the I'd Battalion
under Mai. Clarence S. Shields
started building a pontoon bridge.
An cupboard motor was used to guide
the big pontoons into place.
1t. Col. Julian s. Oliff, executive
officer of the engineers, directed the
work, which was witnessed by 1t.
Gen. Hugh A. Drum, LIST Army
commander; Maj. Gen. Milton A.
Reckord, 18th Division, and Maj.
Gen. James K. Parsons, Sd Corps.
Gen. Drum was one Of the first to
cross the foot bridge.
The entire 18th Division welcomed
the early action today after spend
ing the night on the ground In
temperatures that dropped as low as
40 degrees.
Brig. Gen. Amos w. w. Woodcock.
Maryland brigade commander, and
Col. ]. Fulner Bright, leader Of the
Virginia brigade. both crossed the
Racquette not long after the main
body of their troops and established
new command posts near the front
lines.
Invaders Use Bombers.
Big Army bombers, flying for the
Black invaders, droned low overhead
and were met with the rat-tat-tat
of machine gun fire from both sides
of the river. The 312th Coast Artil-
lery, Pennsylvania, attached to the
Goth. turned its light guns on the
raiders from the east bank.
Opposite the 1st Virginia was the
Regular Army's crack 18th Infantry,
part Of the Black LIST Corps which
is fighting the Blue I'd and Sd Corps.
Gen. Reckord promised citations,
as soon as he is given their names,
for the four engineers who swan into
the Racquette.
Parachute troops were injected
into the maneuver today by the
fast-moving Blacks. A man from
the 104th Ordnance Company, Dis
trict Guard, stationed at Morley, re-
ported he saw three parachutists
drop out Of Black bombers at $50
am. Searching parties were sent
into the countryside to capture them.
Brig. Gen. Albert L. Cox, COM
mander Of the District Guard, who
is acting as chief of artillery for
the Sd Corps. visited the bridging
operations later in the morning and
walked over the footbridge.
Yesterdays Communique.
The Black invaders we're on the
run and victory seemed imminent
for the defending forces.
The LIST Division was virtually
surrounded for several hours in the
hayfields west of Chamberlain after
the 5th Maryland Infantry, led by
its commander, Col. Harry Ruhl of
Baltimore, had knitted northward
yesterday in a raid to capture the
lists train of 325 trucks and four
officers of its high command-two
lieutenant colonies and two majors.
First Army headquarters had de-
scribed the lists plight as follows:
Fighting all day without food,
ammunition practically exhausted,
its battalions widely scattered and
the situation unrelieved by any hope
of reinforcement, the 1st Division is
faced by the 5th Maryland, 109th
and 10th Pennsylvania Regiments
/ /