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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (May 30, 1919)
IJtiE HUE: OjiAHA, FRIDAY, MAY 30, 1919. Eighty -Ninth Division, Veterans of Three Battle Fronts, Was Commended and Mentioned in Orders Eighteen Times i4 hi .3 Nebraska National Army Men, Trained by General Wood, Great "Shock Troops" Middle Western Division First Men of New Army to Enter Major Operation and First to. Reach Ger- ( many Were First Americans to Enter Trenches Without Being Brigaded With French and British Troops. FACTS CONCERNING "FIGHTING FARMERS." 1. First division to move from training area to front by truck. 2. First division to enter line without previously being brigaded with French and British troops. 3. . First division to be continuously in the front line for more than eight weeks. 4. First national army division to participate in a major operation. 5. First national army division to enter Germany. Veterans of three battle fronts, .including four offensives and the hazardous crossing of the Meuse river under fire, 1,400 soldiers of - the 355th infantry, the 354th infan try and 341st machine gun battal- ,; ion, Nebraska's contribution to the 89th National army division, return te) be welcomed by the folks at home. Commended and "mentioned in orders" 18 times, three of which were formal citations by Gen. John J. Pershing, Maj. Gen. C. P. Sum meral, Fifth American Army corps commander, and Maj. Gen. W. M. ' Wright, divisional commander dur ing the division's 88 days on the battleline under fire, the "fighting farmers" have more than proven their worth as "shock" troops of the first order. After tfie St. Mihiel offensive, September 18, in which the western ers took a pivotal part, a report of German intelligence officers was captured which declared the 89th to be one of the "enemy's best shock" divisions one to be reckoned with in the fighting later. And the men held that record without the least bit of nervousness. Their record of 5,061 German officers and men captured and casualties of 1,266 Barents who care for their chil dren's health will fgive them INSTANT POSTUM instead of coffee Hi f - fc A I! ' ri. - r V- ft ll killed, 5,678 wounded and only 58 missing is proof of this. Division Organized in 1918. The division was organized May 8, 1918, at-Camp Funston, Kan., un der the command of Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood. Drafted men from all parts of Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota, Colorado, New Mexico. Arizona and Nebraska began arriv ing as irly as September 6, 1917. Original officers were selected from the 14th Provisional Training regi ment stationed at Fort Riley, Kan. While General Wood was in France on an inspection tour of the front, where he was wounded, in November, 1917, Brig. Gen. Frank L. Winn assumed . command, later being succeeded by Maj. Gen. W. M. Wright, just before the troops entered the battle area for active combat. General Winn regained command on November 15, the date the division moved on into Ger many with the army of occupation and is coming home still In com mand. Less the 164th field artillery, the 89th division left Camp Funston for Long Island, N. Y., May 22. 1918, arriving at CamD Mills. Mav 25. On June 2, various detachments started for New York City and Montreal where the troops boarded transports and sailed for England. The convoys held to the course di rected and landed at Liverpool and London 10 days later. Removal to le Harve, France, across the Eng lish channel was accomplished in 15 days. Division Reaches Training Area. The command at once repaired to the Rimacourt-Sr. Blin-Prez sous la Fouche-Trampot training area, the soldiers arriving June 30, 1918. Here they remained until August 5, when the division was assigned to the First American army, Fourth corps. The men embussed at once and rode into the vicinity of their WELCOME! Men of the Eighty-Ninth Division This firm and every employe welcomes you home with hearts overflowing with joy. To those of you who were of us we say, Come Back Here Your Job Is Open to You Welcome to Omaha Whose citizenship is proud of you for your con duct abroad and the spirit which called you across the sea. To the families of those who will never return, we offer our most profound sympathy. To those who were with our own boys we say doubly welcome, for you now belong partly to us. May the world be good to you, and your commercial life be as successful as your overseas service was strenuous. Omaha Bemis Bag Company and AH Its Employes Well Bring Our Heroes Home 4rr r n-STDirs Tempo di majri And We're T e can do and must-, we muslshow him how. u j rv. Thee wj n the frav and now uH -lack WeSt: sent our boys o r r i I '"s l 1 f 1 pyrlfttl 191ft by This Ptettt Co - 9 first battle line position in the Toul sector, relieving the 82nd American division at KemenauviHe-Seichprey-Bouconville sector, north of Toul. From that time on until November 15, three days after the signing of the armistice, the division maintain ed itself for 98 days in positions of the greatest peril. The first days at Toul were spent in patrolling, recon noitering in enemy positions, many prisoners and identifications being captured nightly from the Huns. The casualties were slight and the Ger mans soon' came to. know them as careful, daring fighters of the most pronounced type. Brief Summary of Record. A brief summary of the battle rec-! ord of the division during its 98 days of active service follows: Under shellfire 93 days. In front lines, patroling, holding and attacking in the St. Mihiel and Argonne-Meuse offensives, 88 days, of which 65 days were continuous. In reserve under shell hre five days. Moving from sector to another five days. A table oreoared from "The Stars and Stripes." official newspaper of ) tf - r j bled and died foi u, coun try needs us now, !nd:zirh--tr mm 3 - u 'iid and Music by ELIZABETH CLAYTON BACON f 1 Our boys have fought foi you and me, TheyVe 2 The time has come ioi us to act. Our 1 n now iiS op to us to sea What back of Sam-my with a pact And 1 I -1 P 1 m JT cyjj J I- I -T F We'll bring those heroes homeward, WhoVe fought for Wc . to Now that the war is 0 nr. Don't let our ef forts f i 1 a 1 r-d 1 1 ..i-i mi! J - . J 1 -l-i 1- J i - t- ' - r i p pay Fbr Klo-nous lib et tv ver. We'll bnnu our he roes bark iT the American Expeditionary Forces, gives the following summary of captured prisoners, guns, machine guns, etc., captured by each division. The record of the 89th division fol lows: Captured officers, 192; captured men, 4,869; artillery pieces, 127; ma chine guns, 455; kilometers ad vanced, 38; number of days in lint, 88. This record, compared with that of the First, Second and 42d divi sions, crack "shock" troops of the American line forces, is highly com plimentary considering the number of days the division spent in front line positions. Laissoned with ma rines of the Second division in crossing the Meuse river, Novem ber 14, the division drew a highly complimentary statement from Ma jor General Lejeune, divisional com mander of the Second regular army, a marine officer. Held Sixteen Kilometer Front. Trior to September 11, the divi sion held a front of approximately 16 kilometers to the north of the Metz road, in the Toul sector, from west of Bouconville to east of Limey. On September 6, Maj. Gen. - ermaa - pn n, i., -, .. .i - -m a II t . ' A A fe1 We'll ba-k this Loan ol Vk-io.r. We said the Yankee couldrfl do IV get behind this VictryLoaD. We will fall W. M. Wright assumed command, relieving Brig. Gen. Frank L. Winn. On the night of September 11-12 the front of the division was reduced in preparation for the attack in the St. Mihiel offensive, September 12. On the morning of the twelfth, the "fighting farmers" went "over the top" for their first taste of real fight ing, operating in a sector extending from Limey west to two kilometers west of and including Flirey. The advance continued 20 days, the divi sion having gone an average dis tance of 12 kilometers and an ex treme depth of 21 kilometers, an excellent record for ' raw troops, practically inexperienced in front line work. During the operation six towns were taken including the important German stronghold at Thiacourt. The towns taken were Beney, Essey, Bouillonville, Pannes and Xamm'es. Besides enormous quantities of ar tillery and small arms ammunition, grenades, clothing, blankets and stores of all kinds, 2,287 German officers and men were taken prison er, 72 cannon, 10 minenvverferes, 95 machine guns and 1,000 rifles were captured. Several large locomotives and a number of railway cars were boy Iw died to keepufre. It' now our chance to piy They ,i-h i i 1 1 t i y " I . J " I . . 1 . Ml 1 , T ' ur; -, m m z r. M , , -W W" " r TTT!3 aWB rtf ' - ' ? iijiliU' 7iti-f iUi J 4 i -I JssH Ipfeptt ft will help to clear the debt a way Our Now they know wahmtiha pep. pep, pep Well in line and help to pay Well pay also taken. Heavy casualties were imposed on the 10th German divi sion and the 77th German Reserve division which were opposite in the attack. Exact Casualties Were. Officers killed 16 Officers wounded 69 Men killed 281 Men wounded 2,040 Men missing 29 Five commendations, two from General Passaga, commander of the 32d French division, operating in the same sector, and another from President Woodrow Wilson, com plimenting the First army of which the 89th was a part on its successful advance, were received by General Wright immediately at the close of the offensive. During this action the American forces captured 16,000 prisoners, 443 guns and liberated 240 square miles of French territory a notable achievement. Immediately at the end of the St. Mihiel drive, the 89th repaired to the Flirey sector, which its com manders reorganized and placed on a fighting basis. Later the division relieved the 42d "Rainbow" division in the Pannes sector and the 78th Heroes of it$i$titifi In Thankful Appreciation We Welcome You To the honor of you boys, upon whom the laurels of victory has fallen. To you who have made possible for us the per manence of the higher ideals of humanity and civil ization. To you who have sheltered posterity from the Turk and the Hun, that liberty and freedom might triumph. To you fighting sons of Omaha in particular, who have assisted in conquering the mailed fist of the oppressor, that peace and prosperity might again be restored to us A We Welcome You Home To those martyrs whom God in his immutable manifestations has chosen for the supreme sacrifice on the altar of freedom's cause we drop a silent tear, and extend to their relatives our heartfelt sympathy. Iteis Snow White Bakeries and All American division in the Limey sec tor. Large tracts of French soil were famed and held in patrolling and asserting a powerful defensive. On October 9, the division was re lieved by the 37th American division and ordered to the Argonne-Meuse front. Positions were taken in the vicinity ol Bois de Bathaneville. Ten days later the 89th moved on into the Argonne-Meuse line as a part o( the Fifth army corps, First American army, relieving the 32d di vision along the Somnierance-Ro-niange road. The attack on Bois de Bathaneville was begun at once and the town cleared before November 1. For thig the division was cited. Advanced For Five Days, Preparations for America's great advance, the attack of the entire American army in the Argonne Meuse which reduced the positions of the crown prince's armies nd caused the German debacle and end ed the war, had been going apace. On November 1 the great attack be gan. The 89th was in position WELCOME HOME NEBRASKA'S OWN. Browning the 89th Employes. abreast of tht Second regulars at the north edge of the Bois. The advance lasted five days. Ir that time the 89th advanced west tr. the Meuse river, the line extending from opposite Stenay, through Laneuville. Cesse and Luzy to oppo site Pouilly. Here the men expe rienced the hardest of fighting, for the Germans were making a last stand. From November 5 to 10, the river and towns opposite were patrolled nightly and preparations for further advance across the river made. The crossing was effected on the night of November 10. Without even a bridge, by means of foot bridges and rafts, the entire division, under only casual shellfire, unknown to the enemy, crossed the river. Parts of the Second regulars crossed in collaboration with the 89th regiments. At 11 o'clock on the morning of November 11, Gen eral Wright reported tothe coips commander that his men were hold ing the line on the east side of the Meuse extending east from Stenay, (Continued on P(te Five, Column One.) King & Co. 1 . " IgfaH