OCR Text |
Show WOUNDED EMEERS REMOVED TO PIS Americans Who Assisted in Offensive Near Cambrai Tell Experiences. RECOVERY IS ASSURED Artificial Limbs Are to Be Prpvided for Most of Them. PARI?, March 15. (Correspondence of the Associated Press.) Twelve American railroad engineers who were wounded whllo talcing paj-t In the big British offensive of-fensive near Cambrai last November have been brought to the American Red Cross hospital No. 2 here, where artificial limbs will be provided for most of them. All are suffering from serious wounds, but will recover. They are in good spirits and proud of the fact that they were the first of the soldiers of the American army to see active, service on the western west-ern front. All speak in high appreciation of t he treatment they received in the dressing station behind the lines and at the army hospitals. "We were doing general engineering work behind the British lines,'' said Sergeant Ser-geant Haley of New York City concerning concern-ing his experiences. "Before the attack at-tack we unloaded and assembled several hundred tanks, made a special roadway for them and helped to get them into position. po-sition. When the attack began we followed fol-lowed the British troops, rebuilding the railroad to Cambrai which Fritz blew up during his retreat. Troops Move Rapidly. ! "The attacking troops moved so fast. ! and we worked to hard that we were able to hook our end of the railroad hue ! to the Cambrai end because, toward the last, Fritz retreated so rapidly that he did not have time effectively to destroy the road. "A few days after the initial attack our company was near the front doing yard work. Shells had 'been falling heavily ali day. We were ordered to return re-turn to our billets. I started walking down the track when suddenly I felt a powerful prod in my back. I thought a railroad train had struck me. Down I went with three wounds in my back. I scrambled up again and found I could not use my left arm. 'I ran seventy-five yards and then gave up. Two Tommies carreid me to a field dressing station. Just as they were lifting lift-ing me into an ambulance for the ride back to the base, we heard the whirring sound of a machine gun. I felt a sharp pain in my head and saw that one of uie j. uimiiies iia.u ueii nil. ui me iiiuuixu "A Boche airplane had spotted our ambulance, am-bulance, swooped down and fired a round of machine gun bullets, one of which had given me a scalp wound while another hit the British soldier. He was not stunned and did not fall, but grapsed the rear end of the ambulance and said, I guess I'll ride to the hospital with you.' " Another Experience. Charles Geiger of No. 2235 Fullerton avenue, Chicago, was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans for twelve hours. "We were up near the front line when the shells began dropping heavily," he said. "We were ordered to take refuge in a dugout and remained there for some time, but came out when the bombardment bombard-ment apparently was over. As we emerged, we saw, not fifty yards away, an advancing line of gray-green figures. It was Fritz. He had counter-attacked. We Just turned and ran. I can hear the bullets whistle yet. Suddenly my left foot crumpled and over I fell. As I lay there the Germans came up and swept past. A German Red Cross man gave me a- drink of water and bound Up my wounds, but none of us was helped to the rear. "We lay on the gTound for twelve hours while desultory fighting was going on all day. "When the British counterattacked counter-attacked again the Germans retreated, but did not attempt to take us with them. Soon we wer in British hands again. Then we were all rushed to the dressing station, and thence to the base hospital." Geiger's foot was amputated before he was brought to Paris. |