September 3, 1918: Don Martin reports what German prisoners tell and that now is machine gun war

Don Martin diary entry for Tuesday, September 3, 1918: 

Went to Paris. Met [Percy] Mitchell [Paris Herald Manager] at luncheon and talked things over generally with him. Stayed at the Crillon. Paris feeling much different than it did a few months ago.

        Don Martin's long main dispatch on September 2 was again about German prisoners, and also about the dominance of machine guns in the war. It was published in the New York Herald on Wednesday, September 4, 1918.

PRISONERS SAY GERMANY CAN’T WIN BY FORCE OF ARMS, BUT NOW DREAM OF VICTORY THROUGH DIPLOMACY

Captives Tell Don Martin Last Hope Rests on Long Defensive War

SAY U. S. MEN ARE WASTEFUL OF LIFE

Machine Guns Now Most Valued Weapon and Americans Anxiously Await Brownings

By DON MARTIN

Special Correspondent of the Herald with the American Armies in France

(Special Cable to the Herald)

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMIES IN FRANCE, Tuesday

           After conversations with scores of enemy prisoners, among them many officers, I am able to give the point of view of the average German soldier since the extensive Hun retreat. They declare that the withdrawal by their armies from the Marne and other advanced positions not only was inevitable but was advisable. They add that it was the intention of the German high command to abandon these positions unless they could capture Paris, which, they now admit, is impossible.

            German officers also say that Germany never can make another great offensive, but they believe she will fight a defensive warfare with a view of obtaining a peace satisfactory to her. They say they went past their objectives in the June drive because the high command thought they saw a possibility of taking Paris.

Germany Will Fight to End

            They say no military decision has been reached—nor will it be reached—since Germany is able to fight defensively for an interminable time, and meanwhile German diplomacy will obtain peace—perhaps this winter.

            Captured German officers told me that if the Allies are determined to inflict a crushing loss upon her Germany will fight to the very last, and that the war will continue a long time.

            Prussian prisoners declared they will fight until there is no Germany left. They say Germans do not understand why America entered the war and believe we have no business in it. When I told them of the sinking of the Lusitania, of Germany’s ruthless warfare and the other precipitating causes they declared all of them were insufficient.

           They say that American soldiers are good fighters, but wasteful of life, and expressed the opinion that our troops might have won victories north of the Marne with half the losses, because the Germans were wearied and, consequently, were unable to withstand the onslaughts of fresh men.

Now Expect Diplomatic Victory

            They really believe that the Americans are losing more men than the Germans, but their fear of a deluge of Americans is evident from their conversations.

            The Germans to-day are hopeless of winning victory by force. Their faith has been placed in their diplomacy. They are not worried at the prospects of the world’s hate after the war. In fact, they say there is no reason why the world should hate Germany, adding that she is fighting only for existence. Germans of the better type reflect this belief.

            The effect of the coming winter appears to be the chief worry of the German officers. Hitherto in the fall the militarists in Germany have been able to flutter summer victories in the faces of the people at home and to promise a triumph of German arms in the spring. This fall they are able to promise the home folk nothing.

             Newspaper clippings found on many prisoners show the Germans are having the scales peeled from their eyes, and that they are beginning to realize that the great retreat which still is on is not a strategical victory, as Von Hindenburg says. Germany is melancholy, but also is convinced the whole world is trying to destroy her. It is a mistake for the Allies to assume that trouble inside of Germany will hasten the end of hostilities.

Victory Long Way Off

            However, it is a fact that Germany is not the invincible military giant that the world once thought her to be. Her troubles are fast multiplying—her troops have lost their punch.

            I am not without a full realization, however, of the danger of speaking of these things—a danger that would lie in the people at home getting the idea that Germany already is whipped, or that she will be whipped this year. The proper view to take of the situation is that the tide has turned in favor of the Allies, but that still it is a long, long way to victory. Indeed, this is but a reflection of the opinion of military experts of the very highest standing.

             In a previous despatch I said that Germany now is relying on the machine gun as her principal weapon of defense. She to-day is using them to far grater extent than ever before. Her infantry units are virtually things of the past. All of them have been transformed into machine gun units, with one machine gun to every eight men. Two of these men operate a machine gun, four are armed with grenades and two are ammunition carriers. All of them are armed with rifles, which they use for sniping when it is impossible for them to operate their machine guns. The infantry fighting of other days has gone. The Franco-American troops now are using many of the captured German machine guns.

Americans Await Brownings

            The German scheme is to retreat with as small loss as possible and meanwhile to inflict the heaviest possible losses on the troops facing them. In carrying out this general scheme the enemy is using about one thousand machine guns to a division (A German division is composed of about 13,500 men,) Many of these are heavy machine guns, and there are numberless light ones.

            The American troops also are using many machine guns, but far fewer than then Huns. Our automatics, which are not as effective as are the light machine guns, take the place of many machine guns.

             The effectiveness of the machine gun in covering a retreat is admitted by all experts. An army retiring, for instance, can leave small machine gun units in selected spots which are unknown to the advancing troops, and it is possible for a single machine gun crew to hold off an entire regiment and force it to stretch out its thin lines and to surround, rather than charge, these nests.

            The present method of fighting offers a splendid chance to the light Browning gun, which our soldiers are eagerly awaiting. They will be a wonderful help to the Americans, who are unable to carry the heavy weapons forward at the speed which is necessary at times.

Now Machine Gun War

            To-day I talked with Frank M. Lee, a machine gunner, of Buffalo. He has been in all the fighting since the July offensive.

            “The Hun is specializing in the machine gun,” he said, “and he knows how to use it, but wait until we get our Brownings; then we will give him a noseful.

            “I have seen prisoners who told me that they were forced at the point of a pistol to stand by their machine guns to the last minute, and I don’t believe the Huns lie about it. They said that they don’t like to fight the Americans, but that they are compelled to pump bullets into our ranks until we are within ten feet of them. Then they throw up their hands and shout ‘Kamerade!’”

            Wilbur Mach, of Detroit, another machine gunner, told me the same story. Both are typical American soldiers, full of ginger, who declared that they like the war, although they know it is risky, but they have nothing but their lives to lose.

         “We get plenty to eat, a place to sleep and the Boche is on the run. What more can a man want?” Lee said.

        I could recite an endless series of incidents showing the dash and the valor of American soldiers fighting in the Soissons region. Here is one of them, a report received at headquarters during the height of the fighting last Sunday:--

Kills Three, Captures Four

            Lieutenant ----- (name deleted) alone took an enemy machine gun nest, captured four Germans and killed three others. He made possible the advance of his company. A sad sequel followed Monday when an officer was killed.

           Another incident is revealed by a despatch a carrier pigeon brought from the front:---

           “We are raked by machine gun fire. Report the loss of one officer and ten men. Expect to advance.”

             Here still is another:--

           “Ration wagon arrived; unloading; starting back. Hope able be back in morning.”

            This wagon had gone to the very edge of the front line in order to take food to the men.

            Documents found on prisoners show the German Crown Prince sent a letter to one division opposite the Americans telling them that they were the “most fearless soldiers.” Four hundred of these “most fearless” were taken prisoner by the Americans yesterday.

Frenchmen Join Americans

          An incident which concerned two brave Frenchmen also was recorded yesterday. They belonged to the French Tank Corps and in the fighting their tank was disabled. They quit the tank and reported to an American infantry captain. They were equipped with American rifles and fought for hours in our ranks.

            Germany recently has been forced to undertake a combing out process at home to increase her reserves. Cavalry has been fighting on foot and bakers, cooks and a miscellaneous array of camp workers have been put into the front lines.

            Many of these man are angry at this action and gladly surrender to the Franco-American troops. Many of them have their kits ready ad when the time comes they shout “Kamerad!” lustily.

           To-day while I was with an American unit not far from the front line I saw a weird spectacle. It was in a cave, and a few electric lights revealed officers eating at mess. Entering from the sunshine it was almost impossible to see, but the men there were accustomed to the dark. Their luncheon was composed of clam chowder, macaroni, beefsteak, bread, butter, cheese and coffee.

          On a trip along this part of the front I passed through Soissons. That city is a wreck—worse than Château-Thierry. Houses are stripped clean and the once magnificent cathedral is gone except for its front, which stands erect and beautiful.

            The terrific character of the fighting throughout the region surrounding Soissons is shown by the tens of thousands of fox holes, pill boxes, dugouts, litter of all kinds and by the graves and the charred enemy ammunition dumps. Each additional peep one gets at the territory the Boche evacuated gives convincing proof that he was in a desperate hurry to escape. He destroyed or left millions upon millions of dollars’ worth of supplies. 

       Another September 3 dispatch reported on the state of fighting for the Americans, also published in the New York Herald on Wednesday, September 4, 1918.

SILENCE OF HUN ARTILLERY 

INDICATED RETREAT TO AISNE

Americans on Vesle Front Now Expect Little Opposition to Their Advance Except Scattered Machine Gun Nests Used by Rear Guard

By DON MARTIN

Special Correspondent of the Herald with the American Armies in France

(Special Cable to the Herald)

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMIES IN FRANCE, Tuesday

           The movement of the German artillery northward indicates that the enemy is moving his armies back to the Aisne. The fire of their heavy guns constantly is diminishing, and Boche air activity in the Vesle region is believed to foreshadow their army’s retirement.

           The pressure of the Allies on the Soissons front is designed to force this enemy retreat to the Aisne, and it is believed now that it has succeeded.

           The German artillery, which ordinarily is active day and night, now is silent except for occasional firing. A week ago scores of their airplanes could be discerned in the sky at almost any time. For the last four days the Allies have been supreme in the air.

           The opinion of experts here is that the Germans are withdrawing , although they are likely to keep a harassing set of infantry and machine gunners on the Vesle heights.

       If they do withdraw it will be a victory for the Americans, who have been a vital force in driving the Huns backward.

         German raiding parties have tried repeatedly to invade our line recently. They obviously are seeking information. In spite of the fact that many of these have been made in strength they all have failed of success.

      On September 3 Don Martin also related an amazing war story, published in the New York Herald on Wednesday, September 4.

BAYONET BARS PATERNAL HUG 

WHEN U.S. BOY CAPTURES FATHER

By DON MARTIN

Special Correspondent of the Herald with the American Armies in France

(Special Cable to the Herald)

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMIES IN FRANCE, Tuesday

           There is a remarkable story that has been told here a thousand times that concerns a German soldier, fighting in the German army on this part of the front, who was captured by his son, an American soldier. While a high officer assures me the story is true, I have been unable to verify it, because the American soldier concerned still is on the fighting line.

           He was marching behind four prisoners, who were carrying a litter. When they stopped to rest one of the prisoners turned, looked at the American soldier and recognized his son.

          Then he made a dash for the American to take him in his arms and embrace him. What did the son do?

           He brought his rifle, with bayonet fixed, into position, warding off the advancing father.

           “Son?” he asked. “Yes, but you are a Boche and you will obey discipline. I am fighting for America,” replied the boy.

           Forty-one per cent of the unit to which this American soldier belongs is of German ancestry. Many have relatives in the German army.

     And Don Martin sent his daily report for September 3 to Paris, for publishing in the Paris Herald on Wednesday, September 4.

GERMAN RETREAT FROM THE VESLE SEEMS IMMINENT

Eastward advance of French and American Troops Makes Enemy’s Position Perilous

(OFFICIAL TELEGRAM TO THE HERALD)

By DON MARTIN

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMIES, Tuesday

            To-day saw little or no activity of an important nature along the American front on the Vesle river. The Germans sent over two raiding parties early this morning from Bazoches, but they were repulsed without getting the prisoners they came after.

           At a number of points back of the German lines between the Vesle and Aisne rivers a series of large fires, apparently ammunition dumps, were observed. These fires were evidently set by the Germans, and may be taken as an indication that they are preparing for retreat from their Vesle position back to the Aisne, or even to the Chemin des Dames position. The eastward advance of General Mangin’s army, which the Americans have been aiding, makes the Boche position along the Vesle more and more perilous, and it is generally believed that a further gain of terrain by General Mangin would be followed by a German withdrawal to the north. It is known that positions to the rear are all prepared, and that the Germans have very few large guns south of the Aisne.

           The American artillery continues its harassing fire on the German positions and lines of communication north of the vicinity of Fismes and Bazoches. In this work we are using a number of one hundred and fives captured from the Germans, firing their own ammunition. While Americans have hitherto in the Marne fighting turned Boche machine-guns against their erstwhile owners, this is the first time we have used captured field guns against the Germans.

           While there is no activity of large moment along the Vesle line, the boys who occupy the front lines hardly agree with one when one calls it a quiet sector. Snipers and machine-gunners of both sides are active and all the roads in this section are nothing more or less than shooting galleries with anyone who shows himself as a target.