Show UNKNOWN HERO WINS CITATION french aft unable to learn identity of soldier who gave life for country REFUSES TO SAVE HIMSELF with pipe in mouth he tranquilly picks off german after german until he falls riddled with bullets anith alfh the french armies to the seventy ninth french regiment ot of in fantry belongs the honor of the only citation in the present war mar to an unknown n soldier the croix de guerre which the elta tion merited and which in lew orthe heros death would ordinarily be given by the french government to the sol adlers nearest relatives lies unclaimed at the ministry of war at paris all that Is known of the man is the man ner ot of his death and the fact that he be Is burled buried where he tell fell on the heights of saint epure the story of this unknown soldier Is unquestionably the story of thousands ot of other french heroes in the early days olt althe the war the only difference Is that this unknown soldier received a citation for his lifes sacrifice and the others did not this Is the story on august 20 26 1914 during the forenoon the first battalion of the seventy ninth regiment of infantry which had been decimated at Mor morhange Morban hange gc na was hastily reformed in the vicinity of eres aux salines from a conten n gent of reserves which had been rushed up that evening before the original members of the battalion had had time even to get acquainted with their new comrades the battalion waa was engaged by the germans in a violent surprise attack on the heights of the farm of saint cypre near Lu huneville neville about five in the afternoon the advanced line of the battalion took shelter back of a little ridge which protected it from the germans who were only yards ahead A veritable storm both of rifle and artillery fire whistled constantly over the heads of 0 the sheltered french battalion suddenly from out of the ranks of the third company an unknown reservist who had just arrived that morning leaped to the summit of the ittle little ridge under which the battalion was resting dropping to his knees with a pipe hanging from his mouth be began tranquilly to fire shot after shot into the ranks of the germans just lards ahead consternation reigned in the ranks of f the first battalion of the seventy linth ninth then the officers recovering from their surprise loudly ordered the man back into ranks but the latter without ceasing tor for an instant his ills firing and without even dropping his pipe from his mouth bellowed back leave me alone I 1 im in an tin expert marksman and I 1 want to do something for my country while I 1 have such a fine chance to do it from the very first instant of his tits appearance pe arance on the summit of the ridge the rifle tire ot of the entire regiment of germans wag was centered on him yet for a full five minutes he lie continued tranquilly to fire with sure aim alin into their ranks before he finally fell riddled with bullets the stock of his rifle shattered into splinters and his pipe knocked from his mouth aa as he lie rolled oner on the ground A moment afterward the seventy ninth leaped again to the assault and drove the germans down the ridge that night the seventy ninth buried burled their hero on the summit of the ridge ridge where he had fallen there was noth ing about his tits person to indicate Indica tp his identity ills deed of he heroism was sig baled to the ministry of mar w ar the ministry of war did everything in its pow er to identify the soldier but without results unwilling that the sacrifice r a should go unrecorded the was granted in the name of an unknown soldier |