KAMERAD! Rather than face these American bayonets the Huns are surrendering with their usual cry of "Kamerad" and their hands held up. Whittlesey maintained his position, which he had reached under orders received for an advance, and held his command, consisting originally of 463 officers and men of the 308th Infantry and of Company K of the 307th Infantry, together, in the face of superior numbers of the enemy, during the five days. Major Whittlesey and his command were thus cut off, and no rations or other supplies reached him, in spite of determined efforts which were made by his division. On the fourth day Major Whittlesey received from the enemy a written proposition to surrender, which he treated with contempt, although he was at that time out of rations and had suffered a loss of about fifty per cent in killed and wounded of his command and was surrounded by the enemy. WICKERSHAM, J. HUNTER, Second Lieutenant, 353d Infantry, 89th Division, Denver, Col.-Limey, France, September 12, 1918. Advancing with his platoon during the St. Mihiel offensive, he was severely wounded in four places by the bursting of a high-explosive shell. Before receiving any aid for himself he dressed the wounds of his orderly, who was wounded at the same time. Then he ordered and accompanied the further advance of his platoon, although weakened by the loss of blood. His right hand and arm being disabled by wounds, he continued to fire his revolver with his left hand, until, exhausted by loss of blood, he fell and died from his wounds before aid could be administered. WOLD, NELS, Private, Company I, 138th Infantry, 35th Division, McIntosh, Minn.-Cheppy, France, September 26, 1918. He rendered most gallant service in aiding the advance of his company, which had been held up by machine-gun nests, advancing with one other soldier and silencing the guns, bringing with him upon his return eleven prisoners. Later the same day he jumped from a trench and rescued a comrade who was about to be shot by a German officer, killing the officer during the exploit. His actions were entirely voluntary, and it was while attempting to rush a fifth machine-gun nest that he was killed. The advance of his company was mainly due to his great courage and devotion to duty. WOODFILL, SAMUEL, First Lieutenant, 60th Infantry, 5th Division, Fort Thomas, Ky.-Cunel, France, October 12, 1918. While he was leading his company against the enemy his line came under heavy machine-gun fire, which threatened to hold up the advance. Followed by two soldiers at twentyfive yards, this officer went out ahead of his first line toward a machine-gun nest and worked his way around its flank, leaving the two soldiers in front. When he got within ten yards of the gun it ceased firing, and four of the enemy appeared, three of whom were shot by Lieutenant Woodfill. The fourth, an officer, rushed at Lieutenant Woodfill, who attempted to club the officer with his rifle. After a hand-to-hand struggle. Lieutenant Woodfill killed the officer with his pistol. His company thereupon continued to advance until shortly afterward another machine-gun nest was encountered. Calling his men to follow, Lieutenant Woodfill rushed ahead of his line in the face of heavy fire from the nest, and when several of the enemy appeared above the nest he shot them, capturing three other members of the crew and silencing the gun. A few minutes later this officer for the third time demonstrated conspicuous daring by charging another machine-gun posi tion, killing five men in one machine-gun pit with his rifle. He then drew his revolver and started to jump into the pit, when two other gunners only a few yards away turned their gun on him. Failing to kill them with his revolver, he grabbed a pick near by and killed both of them. Inspired by the exceptional courage displayed by this officer, his men pressed on to their objective under severe shell and machine-gun fire. YORK, ALVIN C., Sergeant, Company G, 328th Infantry, 82d Division, Pall Mall, Tenn.-Châtel-Chéhéry, France, October 8, 1918. After his platoon had suffered heavy casualties and three other noncommissioned officers had become casualties, Corporal York assumed command. Fearlessly leading seven men, he charged, with great daring, a machine-gun nest which was pouring deadly and incessant fire upon his platoon. In this heroic feat the machine-gun nest was taken, together with four officers and 128 men and several guns. In the case of all posthumous awards the Medal was presented in the name of the government to the soldier's nearest surviving blood relative. THE VICTORIA CROSS Six Americans out of 12,000 who served with the Canadian Army, were awarded the Victoria Cross, according to the final list of honors completed by the British War Records office. The records show that more Americans, in proportion to the number in the Canadian forces, won that coveted decoration than did Canadians or British. Two hundred and thirty-eight Victoria Crosses were distributed during the Great War, six among Americans in the Canadian Army, fifty-five among the rest of the Dominion's 450,000 soldiers, and 177 among the British troops, who numbered approximately 5,000,000 in 1917-18. That is: to Americans, 1 to 2,000; to Canadians, 1 to 8,100; to British, 1 to 28,200. The Victoria Cross is the highest military honor bestowed by the British Government. It is the rarest decoration given by any nation, fewer than one thousand having been granted since it was instituted in 1856, at the close of the Crimean For these reasons, and the additional reason that the wearer gets a life pension of £10 ($50) a year, it is the most prized of all military decorations. war. The Americans upon whom the cross was bestowed are: Corporal H. G. B. Miner, V. C., born on a farm near Cleveland, O., killed in action. Ore. Sergeant G. H. Mullin, V. C., M. M., born in Portland, Sergeant W. L. Rayfield, V. C., born in New York. Captain B. S. Hutcheson, V. C., M. C., born at Mt. Carmel, Ill., practising physician of Mound City, Ill. Corporal W. H. Metcalf, V. C., M. M., born in Walsh County, Me. Sergeant R. L. Zengel, V. C., M. M., born at Faribault, Minn. Four of the six, it will be noted won the Military Medal or the Military Cross in addition to the Victoria Cross. CHAPTER XXXIII WITH THE AMERICANS IN SIBERIA MERICA'S soldiers served in the World War not only AM in the struggle against militant autocracy but also in the fight against ruthless and murderous radicalism. They invaded the blizzard-swept wastes of the Arctic region to battle against Russian Bolshevist troops with the same determined courage that met the shock troops of Prussia and compelled the surrender of Germany on the western front. The need for American artillery, infantry and engineers came when Bolshevik control endangered great stores of supplies owned by the Allies in Archangel, Vladivostock and their neighborhoods and when large numbers of Russians, rising against Bolshevik domination rose under the leadership of Admiral Kolchak, General Judenich and General Denikin against the government of Lenine and Trotsky. The reign of terror in Russia was accompanied by sporadic efforts at resistance. Here and there throughout the country attempts were made to establish local governments. A provisional Siberian government was proclaimed on July 10, 1918, under the leadership of Lieutenant-General Horvath, and the whole of the Murman coast region seceded from Russia on July 7th. Turkestan was declared to be a republic on July 26th, and on August 7th the authorities at Archangel declared that they repudiated the Bolshevist government. All these movements were welcomed, and to a large extent aided by the Allies. But it was the Czecho-Slovak exodus which brought about allied military intervention. The Czechs are the inhabitants of Bohemia, Moravia and Austrian Silicia. The Slovaks lived in the upper regions of Hungary but are of the same race and language as the Czechs. They had, for many years, been in a state of unrest, and after the war began many thousands had been captured by the Russians |