| Show WAR WARby 0 by F Frank k E. E H Ha Hagan pan panA panr an I r m- m M A Naval Victory on Land mL 0 L The fhe final month of the war found Americans and French closing In on 0 Sedan and the Germans trying to withdraw with with- lc c draw enormous stores from that city over ti th s Sedan Sedan Sedan-Longuyon railroad d which one German general had called the life artery of his army That I life artery was cut by American shells fired from some of the most moat powerful guns possessed by any of the roon Allies long They were five live plant giant 19 inch 14 inch American Amer Amer- dies ican lean nn naval yal guns mounted on steel 0 of Df f t railroad cars and manned by crews of ot seen jeer eeD American sailors commanded by Rear hear of a Admiral Charles P P. P Plunkett aT When T TI TI La aL L U Lie brought m th guns to trance France it was Jor considered a 8 very doubtful expert expert- sort merit meet They sali the guns wouldn't coul caul work and thit they and their carriages car- car es would wreck the tracks and lea 1 roadbed of the protesting French rail call railroads the fie roads over oyer which they were run On F ar ar their very first trip to the front a Flu PIU lu French railroad official tried to stop them Go and talk to Marshal Focht Foch for QT Admiral Plunkett replied Des Hes the roman fro ro froman ro roman man Im I'm working for I Then turning ShIto ShI to the engineer of the train he said sale fer er s laconically Let er b go I l Ib the thE And go they did did up up towards Sedan S CI to take talce part pan in the assault on that o historic town With a crash and a fr f roar that sh shook ok the ground Plunketts Plunkett's s 's he e guns began hurling shells weighing Tt It 1400 1900 pounds each nearly yards A I Alt to tD the Junction points on the German 11 n arterial railroads They put the railroads rail rail- de roads out of ot commission during most n of the day by hits on or near the track Then they turned their atten- atten bE bt b t tion elsewhere They set fire to the jj bE lower freight yards at and I abrIdge a threw 50 shells on the bridge One shell shen landed In German m ln headquarters which were Immediately t o moved mo Until the last minute of ot the pl war and this battery fired the last rl r American shot In the war they gave u li Lon Longuyon its daily dany dozen of shells They boomed the beginning of the lE end for the Germans Sedan fell tl to P French and American soldiers but It b was a naval victory on land won r rby by Admiral Plunketts Plunkett's guns which helped make e that possible o They Called Him Spike f Be He was christened James by his i mother but long before the World war warn wara a n handy left fist earned the sobriquet of Spike from his mates of ot the Sixth 4 infantry Spike was First Sergeant i Collins of the Sixths Sixth's machine gun company in fn France before it went into the lines and he became a second looey In May tay 1918 1913 before the outfit moved a field day was held In the commune of ot a n few kilos from sur Bar Fighting was In order A young soldier from another another- company nil all comers One J un victim after another was added to his knockouts as Spike regarded stoically stoical stoical- ly the successful but obviously Inexperienced inexperienced inexperienced efforts of the champion Then a cry went up for Collins Collins We want Collins yelled the gunners A Aw w I dont don't wanna fight begged Spike sheepishly as they stripped him of first sergeant chevrons chevrons' and hoisted him to the ring Spike stood In the squared circle dumbly while the gloves were tied on His Ills hands waved awkwardly as the novice rushed like bull-like and aimed a haymaker for his head Then Spike stepped quickly aside and his left darted smack I to his opponents opponent's face Aw A w. w I cant can't fight protested Spike And again the younger r doughboy rushed and again Spikes vicious left shot home Spike tired of ot the slaughter after a brief session of clowning He measured measured measured meas meas- the other man and slammed over overa a k o o. o which started somewhere In th V. V i I It n nt of hJo hie his Mn hi n n t ee e e y V p tv minutes later Inter the young soldier regained regained regained re re- re- re gained consciousness Cries of ot That boy n-boy Spike Oh you Spike I pene pene- The novice no looked at Collins smiling goofily and stripping oil off hi hl his gloves oves He was weak but game What the h h- h said the youngster How long you yon been In the army My sl sixth th hitch replied Collins the youth What the h h- h repeated An old soldier soldier and and they call caU you yon Spike Hells Hell's bells I If Id I'd known that you'd never have ha crawled Into a n aring aring ring with wit we me I e 9 Laconic Report A colonel who was chief of ot staff stair of ot an nn American division on the Lorraine front was the first American officer of ot the ho war to capture a prisoner Incidentally Incidentally Inci Inci- dentally his catch was a portly Bavarian Bavarian Ba Ba- varian varlan lieutenant and was the first German officer captured by the Amer Amer- The capture was made during an attack by the French whom the colonel colonel colonel col col- col- col onel had Joined preparatory to the American occupancy of the sector His own troops hadn't arrived when It occurred occurred occurred oc oc- oc- oc and knew nothing about It until later Inter When pressed for tor details of bis o accomplishment ac ac- the colonel replied briefly and I 1 found round the Boche In an angle of a trench when his automatic wasn't aimed almed my way pointed straight at and mine was him Western Newspaper Union unton C Ce 1931 1991 |
