Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-08-13
Historic Rainbow Division Is Born Anew

main attack. It was ordered to
storm the heights on both sides Of
Sergy and, in conjunction with the
French on the left, to take Hill 1874
northwest of Fere-en-Tardenois
A Deadly Hail of Fire.
The 168th infantry crossed the
stream under a deadly hail of fire,
to climb by slow stages to the crest
of Hill 212, between Sergy and
Cierges. The 10th meanwhile, had
made its way down the Rue de la
Taverne, crossed the Ourcq, and
swept on up the northern slope of
the billy country.
New York's lighting Irish" of the
165th infantry emerged from Villers
and secured a precarious Judgment
on the slopes on either side of Mer-
curry Farm. Subjected to the same
raking fire that had made this push
so costly, this fine regiment still car
ried on, plunging forward to the
sunken road north and west of
Sergy.
By midafternoon the weary dough-
boys of the And division were bat
ting in mortal, hand-to-hand combat
with the Germans in the streets of
Sergy. The enemy troops were of
the 4th Prussian Guard, grim and
spirited fighters embittered by re-
cent German setbacks, veterans
all and determined men.
Twice the Americans were iushed
out of Sergy, but thrice the Yanks
returned, and the third time the
Americans captured the entire vii
lage. Again the men of the Rain
bow division had proved to be of
heroic mould.
In the st. Mihiel drive, launched
in mid-September, the And, with
the 1st and End, formed the spear
head of the attack which penetrated
deepest into the enemy positions. In
the main attack, the End division
captured Thiaucourt, the LIST took
Nonsard, and the And division drove
through to Pannes.
Through the thick of the heaviest
action of the Meuse-Argonne opera
ton, the Rainbow carried on. 1t
penetrated the Kriemhilde line,
sWooped up the fire-swept slopes
about ROMANCE and Cote Dame Ma
RE; it seized Cote de .Chatillon by
skillful infiltration behind its protec-
tive wire, and early in November,
on the extreme left flank of the
American attack, it began to fight
through Bulson, Thelonne and Ba-
zeilles, on the Meuse, to gain the
cherished final objective-Sedan.
The taking of Sedan, for senti-
mental and historic reasons, how
ever, was left to the French 9th
corps, on the left of the Rainbow.
On the night of November 10 the
And division was relieved, and as
sembled in the area of Artaise-le-
Vivier and Les Petites-Armoses.
The Full Tide of Victory.
The And thus shared in the full
tide of victory, on the morning of
November II, 1918. The American
Second army was even then prepar-
ing for a general assault in the d.
rection of Metz, in an offensive with
the famous Mangin and 20 French
divisions. The Meuse had been
crossed, French troops in Sedan in
retaliation for the terrible French
defeat there in 1870; the Germans
were on the run, almost in utter
rout.
Naturally, the Rainbow was one
of the crack divisions of the AEF
chosen to be part of the American
Army of Occupation. Concentrating
near Stenay, it began the long hike
into the Rhineland on November 20.
On December IA it took its station in
Germany in the Kreis of Ahrweiler.
Training continued there, on the
steep hill of the Rhineland, through
the winter and spring of 1918-l9l9,
until April S, when the division be-
gan entraining for Brest. On April
the first element to sail for the
United States, the 117th Trench Nor
tar Battery, boarded a transport for
an American port. By May 70,
rehabilitation had been completely
effected at Camps Upton, Dix, Grant
and Dodge.
after the storm, the rainbow