Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1919 — FIFTH ARMY FOUGHT WELL [ARTICLE]

FIFTH ARMY FOUGHT WELL

British Troop#, Battling Agabsst De> perate Odd#, Allowed Ehehny to Gain Only by Inches. Then I was with the British Fifth army, and I'll tell you why they didn’t hold jigaixut the Boche—they -simply _ couldn't. They were outranged and outnumbered cruelly. Never in my life di»l I see such heroism and gal- ’ lantry displayed against frightful odds i ns by those men, and if they didn't ! fight then there never was any fighting anywhere upon the face of the earth. Maj. Cushman A. Rice, U. S. A.. writes in Leslie’s Magazine. Attacked jbv a tremendously superior German force, they lost almost all of their Artillery of any weight the first day, but stuck at the Somme line until almost annihilated. For every inch of ground ! they gained the Huns paid the highest | price in men, and I could tell 500 instances in which the British battlers proved to be magnificent heroes. I saw a captain who was in charge of a battery of six-inch howitzers have a hand shot away. He stopped fighting only long enough to have temporary dressing applied and then returned to his post and assisted his men In removing the guns. He was killed the next day. I was with a machine gun company until all but three of the men had been killed or Incapacitated. I_.l told them that I was going to fall back and urged them to do likewise. I The leader, a little Lancashire sergeant. -afi.swered: “No, the Boche* have chased us far enough. Here we ! stick." And they stuck and were i killed to the last man. i And tliese Canailian. iniiLs..., Main L simply can't tell you how they fought against odds for five (lays and six nights, going back only inch by Inch. One division of 10.900 men. sent in to replenish the line, fought continuously for three days and nights. A roll call showed 916 left. Still there are those who ask if the British ran away. No, a thousand times no. With comparatively few reserves they hung on. They were sacrificed, but it was their duty to stay, and they did. Too much cannot be said- in praise of the Fifth army, for it saved the day and prevented the Huns from breaking through to Abbeville until the French came up.