Don
Martin diary entry for Wednesday, July 31, 1918:
Did not start out today till noon. Went with [Edwin]
James [New York Times] as usual. Went to Marigny where we and
other correspondents saw General [Jean] Degoutte, commander of Sixth French army.
He told us he was proud to be general of an army in which are Americans. Said
they make ultimate victory possible. Told us all plans of French for immediate
future. Said Germans had planned to take both sides of the Marne and make that
the path of their march to Paris. Saw him in a chateau which was built in the
thirteenth century. Afterwards went to the corps headquarters but Col. Williams
was out. Returned at five in the afternoon. Wrote considerable for Paris and
about 500 words for New York.
Don Martin's report on the briefing by General Degoutte, dated Wednesday, July 31, was published in the Paris Herald on August 1. He was not allowed to name General Degoutte, but was allowed to name General Bailloud.
French Army Commander Praises Dash of Americans in Recent Big Drive
He Finds Their Fighting Qualities Assure Victorious Outcome of the Great Struggle
(Special Telegram to the Herald)
By Don Martin
With The American Armies, Wednesday.
This forenoon it was my privilege to discuss the military situation in detail with a distinguished French general who is familiar with every move that has been made in the recent big operations and who is an enthusiastic admirer of the American soldier. He said that the Americans have proved themselves to be unsurpassed in bravery, energy and dash, and that he feels it an honor to be commanding an army in which the Americans have been fighting. He spoke of the various achievements of the Americans since the beginning of the offensive started on July 14, saying that with the Americans showing such spirit and effectiveness the outcome of the great struggle is plainly to be seen.
He said that the Germans have been delaying the Americans’ advance as much as possible in order to get out vast supplies, guns and ammunition which filled the woods in preparation for the big offensive planned against Paris. The Germans, he said, expected to hold both sides of the Marne and to make that their pathway to Paris.
This French general was not satisfied to praise the Americans who took part in the recent big operations. He spoke of their bravery and effectiveness several times, for he wished everyone to know that the achievements of the Americans are known and appreciated by the French.
General [Maurice] Bailloud, formerly in command of French troops in Salonica, was present during the conversation. He said he wished to let the war correspondents know what use had been made of 300fr. which they had paid him for his photographs. He smiled before telling the details. This is the story:--
“A correspondent of the New York Herald asked me for my photograph; other correspondents wanted pictures also. So I told them I would charge 3fr. for a photograph of myself sitting down, 5fr. for one riding on my horse and 10fr. for one in an automobile. They laughed and accepted my proposal. Altogether I collected 300fr. I was to dispose of them in this way: Give 5fr. to any soldier killing five Boches, 4fr. for killing an Austrian, 3fr. for killing a Bulgarian and 1fr. for killing a Turk. But before the money could be disbursed I sailed away and was close to a transport which was torpedoed. I gave a franc to each of 300 soldiers who were rescued, so they could buy cigarettes. Now, tell this, so the correspondents will know that I did not misuse the money I obtained from them.”
His story finished, General Bailloud laughed heartily, and his listeners laughed with him.
 |
| General Maurice Bailloud, Macedonia, end 1915 |
Don Martin wrote another report on the fight at Seringes, dated Wednesday July 31, which was published, along with a map of the area,in the Paris
Herald on Thursday, August 1.
PRUSSIANS LOSE SERINGES
AFTER VIGOROUS COUNTER-ATTACK ON THE AMERICANS
Enemy Momentarily
Forces Back Defenders, and Then in Turn is Driven Out—Germans Expected to Stop
Their Retreat at Fismes, Prisoners Say
(Special Telegram to the Herald)
By Don Martin
With The American Armies, Wednesday.
Germans made a vigorous
counter-attack early this morning on the Americans at Seringes-et-Nesles and
momentarily forced the Americans back. But a short time later the Americans
struck a blow which drove the Prussians out of the village. There was almost
continuous fighting during Tuesday night and this forenoon, but it was on a
much smaller scale that that of Sunday and Monday around Sergy and Seringes.
The Americans continued all day
yesterday to make slight headway, but it was by no means as great or as
important as that made previously.
The important fact however was
that the Prussians fighting their best, have been unable to dislodge the
Americans from the positions they took from the Germans, nor have the Germans
been able to stem completely the advance of these young warriors. To the south
of the Sergy sector Americans have been fighting steadily and effectively for
two days. Against these soldiers are pitted Bavarians. The Americans have mad
steady though necessarily slow headway, because the Germans occupy positions
which are difficult to smash even at a tremendous cost. The Germans are in the
Bois Meuniere, where they are being constantly shelled. They have a strongly
entrenched position in the woods.
Although the Allied advance has
necessarily diminished in speed, as everyone knew it would, it is going on
slowly, with the Germans massing forces at certain points to check the sweep
until a line, now being prepared, presumably along the Vesle, can be reached by
the main army.
The Germans have distributed
themselves along a ridge of plateaus and are very evidently intending to fight
desperately before re tiring to their new line.
Prisoners say their baggage was
shipped seven, eight or nine kilometres north several days ago and that the
engineering troops started north about the same time. The statement of the most
intelligent prisoners is that the Germans intend to make a stand in the region
of Fismes.
I saw an American to-day in a
hospital who is probably the unluckiest soldier in the army. I know his story
is true and I will let him tell it:--
“I was hit in the arm with a piece
of shrapnel, but the wound was slight, and I walked to a dressing station.
While I was being attended, a shell struck the station and wiped it off the
earth. I got a cut on the head. I was able to walk, so I hiked to another
dressing station. That was hit by a piece of shell and wrecked. I wasn’t
touched. Then I started for another place and was messed up in a long
ammunition train when a Boche flier swooped down and let loose a couple of
bombs. One struck close by and I was knocked against a truck. My leg was broken
above the knee. I expect something will happen here any minute. There certainly
is a hoodoo on my trail.”
The Germans continue to do their
fighting with artillery and machine-guns. They use several hundred machine-guns
to a division, and as a division frequently covers but a kilometre of front it
is easy to understand what the attacking soldiers have to face. However, the Americans
have met the machine-gun face to face, and beaten it so far.
Don Martin reported on his visit to the superman emplacement in an article published in the Paris Herald on August 1.
GIANT GERMAN GUN BASE COULD NOT BE BLOWN UP BY FOE
Enemy Tried to
Destroy Huge Mechanism in Forest Before Retreating, but Failed
(Special Telegram to the Herald)
By Don Martin
With The American Armies, Wednesday.
The gun which the Germans had in
the great emplacement in the Bois du Châtelet, southwest of Brécy, was far
bigger than any gun I have ever seen. It has done firing in a southwesterly
direction.
To-day I inspected the foundation.
The gun itself is gone. But there is enough of the giant structure left to show
that the Germans built it to stay and made every haste to get parts of it away.
Practically all but the gun itself remains. The location is near a railway
track and about 200 feet from the very edge of the wood. The steel structure
upon which the gun rested is thirty-four feet in diameter and eleven feet deep.
This weighs 1,100 tons. The movable part of the affair rests on ball
bearings—110 of them, each being 8 inches in diameter—and weighs, according to
engineers who have made drawings and observations, 150 tons at least.
Three railway tracks lead to the
gun from the edge of the wood. One leads in the opposite direction. The steel
structure had been perfectly set and the mechanism for turning may still be
seen. The whole thing resembles from a distance more than anything else an
American turntable for locomotives, and it is just as big.
The treetops in a strip of 100
feet southwest of the centre of the emplacement are scorched and withered,
showing that the firing was southwest and that there was much of it. In no
other direction do the trees in the woods show effects of the firing.
There are evidences all about that
part of the wood that the men who fired the gun were prepared for bombs and
artillery fire. There are long excavations leading in a circuitous line to
dugouts of perfect construction, some of them being 30 feet deep and presumably
impervious to bombs or anything else. There are two dents in the steel structure
of the gun, which may have been made by the Germans when they saw they would
have to abandon their pet masterpiece of destruction, but which seem to have
been caused by shell fire. The Germans manifestly tried to blow the structure
up before departing, but the explosive used was not powerful enough to cause
great damage.
Bolts were taken out of most of
the big circular standard, but the thing stands to-day practically as it must
have looked when the Germans were using it.
On the steel turnstile are the words:
“Fried. Krupp A. G. Grusonwerk, Magdeburg.”
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