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Show FOREIGN LEGION ONCE MORE WINS HIGHEST HONORS Reduced to Single Regiment; Given the Most Difficult Task. F, RM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT CORRESPON-DENT OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, GRAND HEADQUARTERS HEADQUAR-TERS OF THE FRENCH ARMIES IN FRANCE, May 23. "A marvelous regiment, animated by hatred of the enemy and the highest spirit of sacrifice." These words were used In the official offi-cial arniy order In conferring the fifth palm on the flag of the famous foreign for-eign legion for gallantry In the recent re-cent fighting In Champagne. The regiment is unique in the number of times mentioned and decorated. The staff correspondent of the Associated As-sociated Press visited the legionaries In their rest camp, where they were recuperating and filling their ranks, and heard personal narratives from officers and men whose conduct is so highly praised. 51 Nations Represented. No matter what the men's nationality na-tionality and citizens of no fewer than fifty-one nations are represented repre-sented among the legionaries after joining they immediately become imbued im-bued with the regiment's glorious traditions. tra-ditions. They always have been where the fighting was hottest. When the war started, six battalions, bat-talions, forming two regiments, were sent to the front; now only three battalions bat-talions remain, fused into one regiment. regi-ment. Among them are still Americans Ameri-cans from various states of the union, as well as from all the republics of Central and South America. There are men from every British colony, from all the countries In Europe, Asia and Africa, and also a number of Frenchmen who have been attracted at-tracted to the legion on account of its adventurous career. Many Russians. Rus-sians. Belgians, Italians, British and Rumanians recently have been transferred trans-ferred to their own armies, reducing the legion's strength, hut Spaniards, SwIes and South Americans are Joining. Join-ing. The legion's task, for the successful achievement of which it was honored today, was the most difficult in the , recent French offensive. Its front stretched westward from Auberive, the capture of which was Included in-the in-the objective aimed at. For five days and nights the legionaries fought continuously con-tinuously and virtually without sleep. They accomplished the task set them, but at the cost of the life of their colonel and many other gaps in their ranks. At the end their commander was Major . Auberive was entered and carried by a lieutenant, with a non-commissioned officer and ten men, with unbelievable un-believable daring. The non-commissioned officer, single-handed, attacked at-tacked a machine gun emplacement and killed twelve German gunners. Legion Outflanks The Enemy. The advance of the battalion operating operat-ing to the west of Auberive was retarded re-tarded for some time by the opposl-. tlon.of an unknown series of German intrenchments, formidably armed, in what is known as the gulf. It was impossible to attack frontally across the half mile of open ground, but the legionaries succeeded in outflanking the position and made their way, fighting for every foot, along a communication com-munication trench until they had carried car-ried .the whole position. They threw 50,000 of their own hand grenades in the course of the five days, besides many thousands of German grenades they discovered In the dumps on the enemy territory. Men Dead Tired; Sleep Standing. When the fighting was over many of the exhausted legionaries slept as they stood. The brigadier general told the correspondent corre-spondent that bo many of the legionaries le-gionaries were entitled to decorations that he was unable to give to all. Several Americans, however, obtained the war cross. Sergeant Edgar Bouligny of Xew Orleans, who was wounded, already has been awarded the war cross for bravery. He has served since the beginning of the war. The division's captures for the five days comprised 1100 German prisoners, prison-ers, twenty-two cannon, fifty-eight trench mortars' and forty-seven machine ma-chine guns. |