June 12, 1918 - Don Martin tells stories of heroic deeds of American troops

Don Martin diary entry for Wednesday, June 12, 1918: 

With [Edwin] James [New York Times] went to the headquarters of the Second division. Saw 200 German prisoners captured by the Americans. Wrote a 500 word cable and a long story for Paris. At night had a long argument with [Ray] Carroll [Philadelphia Public Ledger], Jimmy Hopper [Colliers] and Junius Wood [Chicago Daily News] on how best to increase the American hatred of the Germans.

         Don Martin was now doing what he liked and did best, finding and telling stories of the heroism of the American troops, making battles sound like glorious raids in the American West against the American Indians. This one dated June 12 was published in the New York Herald on June 13, 1918.

DEEDS OF THE AMERICAN MARINES ON FRENCH FRONT CHIEF FEATURE OF FIGHTING ON THE MARNE

Their Victorious Engagements at Belleau Wood 
and Bouresches Delight French.

CAUGHT THE GERMANS BETWEEN TWO FIRES

Huns Picked for Attacks on Americans 
Now Eager to Get Out of Way.

By DON MARTIN.

Special Correspondent of the Herald with the American Armies in France.

[Special Cable to the Herald.]

Herald Bureau, No. 49 Avenue de l’Opera, Paris Wednesday. [Jun 12]

                With the French making a wonderful stand against the most gigantic offensive in the history of the war and the Germans paralyzed though still determined to win their goal through the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands, the Americans are occupying with the French the spotlight of the world's most vital and thrilling war drama.

           The marines' latest achievement of capturing 350 Germans, thirty machine guns and two 77's, sweeping the Bois de Belleau, which was honeycombed with machine guns, and later by a brilliant manoeuvre repelling a desperate attack of the Huns to retake the village of Bussiares was the big feature of the front on Tuesday, also giving the Huns a startling and sad awakening to the fact that the Americans are a factor in the war.

             The Germans were eager to get possession of the woods, which are the gateway to an important terrain required by the Germans in the general advance on the new front They had placed a machine gun behind practically every other tree in the forest which the Americans knew were ready to burst forth at any moment and flash death. Night patrols, taking their lives in their hands, learned of the presence of the numberless atomizers of death.

Attacking Belleau Wood.

              Before dawn the Americans turned loose a savage barrage in the forest, part of which they held, and big guns hurled thousands of shells at points where the Huns were most numerous. The marines, who already were heroes in a dozen exploits which are bringing glowing tributes from the French, started, a thousand strong, through the woods. The way was barred presently by a few Germans who had survived the barrage and played their machine guns. With no little skill the marines plunged on, killing the Huns in their tracks with bayonet, rifle and grenades and suffering losses themselves.

               One machine gun after another was surrounded and captured. More then two thousand Germans had been in the woods. The marines seized the guns not destroyed and turned them to their own use, levelling them on the Germans, who turned and ran sprinkled with a murderous stream of lead.

               Part of the marines meanwhile had gone to the edge of the wood in perfect arrangement with their colleagues, who stopped firing. Then the Americans dashed in front of the frightened and retreating Huns, capturing upward of three hundred and killing—I can't tell how many—those who continued to run. Just outside of the wood the 77s were surrounded and captured whole.

A Trap for the Huns.

                  Meanwhile engagements inside the wood resulted in many dead Huns and the capture of enough to bring the total of prisoners almost to 400. The Huns were silent here the rest of the night, but later the Germans made a desperate attempt to retake the village of Bouresches, which the American seized a few days ago. Twelve hundred Germans crawled up under cover of night to the edge of the railway skirting the town, expecting to make a surprise attack. They crossed the track and started into the village when the Americans met them and turned loose a withering hail of machine gun fire, mowing down platoon after platoon.

               The Germans sent in wave masses, determined to give a lesson to their opponent who are such a thorn in the side of the Huns northwest of the Château-Thierry section, but the latter were equal to the occasion, as always. They refused to budge an inch and the German masses melted like dew before the sun. Finally they came slower, then stopped altogether, the Americans retaining the mastery of the village, which they are determined to keep.

            The losses in this fight were insignificant and the losses in Belleau Wood slight compared with the crushing losses suffered by the Huns.

Marines Not Boastful

             The marines are slow to talk of their experiences. They have been the busiest unit of the American army so far. On several occasions this picturesque outfit has occupied the leading space in the French newspapers. It seems the Germans first picked out for attack are now eager to get out of the way.

               I talked with members of another unit which was first in the big line and heard smashing stories. One sergeant with six men of a corps killed seven Huns in a dugout with grenades and captured five. Americans covered their return to the lines. One German stuck his head above a trench intending to shoot the Americans when an American sniper killed him.

               Another story sounds weird but is true, a sergeant and a private stood at two ends of a dugout, one with a bayonet, the other hurling grenades. Forty-seven Germans were killed. Another corporal captured six Germans, than asked to take a private to go back for more. He started with him but was hit by a shell and killed.

           The most gratifying thing to find in talks with Americans in the line is that they are not worrying about the Germans, not saying the war is likely to last years, but are just sawing wood. The Germans are not frightening the Americans, who know they can lick Heinie any time they see him. Theirs is a fine spirit typically American. It means victory.

                  A Russian, who left the Germans, and came to the American ranks, tells an astonishing story of the Germans using British, French and Belgian prisoners to build trenches just back of the German present line. He says they are in constant danger of death from shell fire, but do not dare to protest. Seven prisoners already have been killed.

       Here is an example of Don Martin's parallel dispatch written the same day for the Paris Herald and published on June 13. 

GERMANS MELT BEFORE FIRING 
OF CRACK AMEX

Story of Americans Fighting in Woods 
and Town Reveals Great Bravery.

(By DON MARTIN.)

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY, Wednesday. [June 12]

                With the French making a wonderful stand against the most gigantic offensive in the history of the war and the Germans paralyzed, but still determined to win their goal though they sacrifice hundreds of thousands, the Americans are occupying with the French the spotlight in the world's vital and thrilling war drama. The Amex' latest achievement in capturing 350 Germans, 30 machine- guns and two 77's and, later, by a brilliant manoeuvre, repelling a desperate attempt by the Huns to retake the village of Bouresches was the big feature on the entire front on Tuesday, it is also giving the Germans a startling and sad awakening to the fact that the Americans are a factor to be reckoned with. The Germans were eager to get possession of the Belleau Wood, which is the gateway to an important terrain required by the Germans in a general advance along the new front. They had placed in practically every other tree in the forest machine-guns, which the Americans knew were ready to burst forth at any moment with a flash of death for anyone advancing. Night patrols, taking their lives in their hands, learned of the presence of the numberless atomizers of death.

              Before dawn the Americans had turned loose a savage barrage on the forest, part of which they held. Big guns hurled thousands of shells at the points where the Germans were supposed to lie the most numerous. The troops, who are already the heroes of a dozen exploits, which are bringing glowing tributes from the French, started  through the woods. The way was barred presently by the few Germans who survived the barrage. They played their machine-guns everywhere, but it was of no avail. The troops plunged on, killing the Germans in their tracks with bayonets, rifles and hand grenades and suffering slightly themselves. One machine-gun after another was surrounded and captured. More than two thousand Germans in the woods were apparently flabbergasted by the intrepidity of the Americans. The Americans seized the guns not destroyed by the barrage, turned them to their own use, and leveled them at the Germans, who fled, and sprinkled a murderous stream of lead into them.

Capturing Big Guns.

               Some of the soldiers had meanwhile gone to the edge of the wood, and by a perfect arrangement with their colleagues, who stopped firing, the Americans dashed in front of the frightened retreating Germans, capturing upward of 300 and killing a great number of those who continued to run. Just outside the wood the 77's were surrounded and captured entire.

                Meanwhile the engagements inside the wood resulted in many Germans being killed and the capturing of enough to bring the total of prisoners almost to 400.

                     The Germans were silent at this point for the rest of the night.

                     Later the Germans made a desperate attempt to take the village of Bouresches, which Americans seized a few days ago. Twelve hundred Germans crawled up under the cover of night to the edge of the railway skirting the town, expecting to make a surprise attack. They crossed the railway and started into the village, when the men—who were the heroes of the woods battle—met them and turned loose a withering hail of machine-gun fire, mowing down platoon after platoon. The Germans sent a wave of masses determined to give a lesson to these troops, who were such a thorn in the side of the Huns north-west of the Château-Thierry section, but the Amex were equal to the occasion, as always. They refused to budge an inch. The German masses melted like dew, finally came slower and stopped altogether, the Americans retaining the mastery of the village, which they are determined to keep.

Losses Are Insignificant.

                 The American losses in this fight are insignificant and the losses in the Belleau Wood slight compared to the crushing losses suffered by the enemy.

       This graphic picture of the fighting at Belleau Wood was included with Tony Perry's article, 'Incomparable bravery' gave U.S. Marines victory at Belleau Wood', in the WWI Centennial Commission Weekly Digest Bulletin for June 3, 2018. 
 

Marines charge at Belleau Wood    

              Don Martin, a lover of politics, used information from German prisoners to delve into the situation in Germany. This dispatch dated June 12 was published in the New York Herald on June 13, 1918. One can wonder how true it all was. 
          GERMANS SLOWLY STARVING,

DISEASED AND TORN BY FEAR

Prisoners Tell of Appalling Conditions in Nation, 
Now Giving Up Hope.

BRITISH AIR RAIDS ARE SPREADING TERROR

Refugees from Bombed Rhine Towns Stretch 
for Miles and Bread Supply Is Failing.

By DON MARTIN.

Special Correspondent of the Herald with the American Armies in France.

[Special Cable to the Herald.]

Herald Bureau, No. 49 Avenue de l’Opera, Paris Wednesday. [Jun 12]

                 I saw to-day the most interesting epitome of the statements of German prisoners captured by Americans. They say that the Hun soldiers realize a reason for carefulness due to the French ability to attack at a vital moment.

               They know they cannot win the war, even if they capture Paris or even if they take Bordeaux. Their morale is weakening and the condition of the Germans is serious, especially in health, say German scientists and college professors.

                Physicians held a conference at Heidelberg recently and made a protest to the German government that the present conditions spell the doom of Germany and must be changed.

               The people are undernourished and the mortality rate among children under ten years old is sixty-eight per cent. British air raids on Cologne, Karlsruhe, Mannheim and other Rhine towns are causing a panic with lines of refugees miles long. The people are making ugly demands upon the government for bread rations,

Civilian Food Ration Reduced.

            The civilians were reduced on May 16 from two hundred to one hundred and sixty grams a day of food, and are threatened with further reduction pending the arrival of the Ukraine wheat harvest. The people are angry at the failure of the election reforms, also because of the unsatisfactory result of the Brest-Litovsk treaty. They are rallying to the side of [Matthias] Erzberger [politician in Catholic Centre Party], who is leading an agitation against the conditions in the country. The most intelligent of the prisoners say the people are dubious of victory, now that the great offensive which the government said would result in crushing France in two months has failed. They are stunned by the prospect of another winter of suffering.

                   German soldiers were led to believe the French could not hold out. The soldiers now believe that France will be able to endure for a long period, especially with American help. The submarine delusion which sustained their hopes so long is now smashed. America's ship output is the final blow.

Realize Americans Are Dangerous.

                  On top of it all the soldiers say that the Germans are being driven into the present battle with losses that are staggering. Bombs dropped back of the lines are disorganizing their schemes of attack. They are sure now that the Americans are dangerous fighters, but are not numerous enough to prevent victory, were the Germans able to overcome the French, who arouse the awe of Germany by their wonderful resistance.

                British bombing operations are paralyzing the Rhine country. Hygienic conditions are bad in the Empire, where there is an epidemic of abscesses. The workers are disgruntled and believe the war is being continued for the benefit of the big business element, which is getting richer and richer. Death is casting its shadow nationwide, and the wounded are overflowing the hospitals.

                   There is no doubt that the conditions in Germany are bad. The militarists must show victory soon or face a grave menace at home. This means the hour is here for heroic effort by the Allies.

              Documents found upon prisoners and clippings taken from them report a meeting at Heidelberg. The prisoners who told of this are mostly members of the famous Tenth and Twelfth German divisions.