FEBRUARY 12, 1931.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. LUCE, from the Committee on the Library, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 14262] Public Resolution No. 89, approved June 17, 1930, which provides for the participation of the United States in the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the siege of Yorktown and the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, October 19, 1791, authorizes an appropriation of $200,000 by the Federal Government. In order to provide for a celebration in keeping with the occasion, the original estimates called for an expenditure by the United States of $300,000. This was reduced and authorization of $200,000 was recommended and approved. The commission after a thorough investigation presented a budget calling for expenditure of $300,000 by the Federal Government. This budget has been carefully considered by your committee and a decision has been reached that through the exercise of strict economy it will be possible to carry out properly the program of the Federal Government by a total expenditure of $250,000, an addition of $50,000. Your committee recommends the passage of H. R. 14262 with the following amendment: Page 2, line 8, strike out the figure "300,000" and insert in lieu thereof the figure "250,000". MEMORIAL TO THE DEAD OF THE SECOND DIVISION, AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES FEBRUARY 12, 1931.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed Mr. Luce, from the Committee on the Library, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. J. Res. 467] The Committee on the Library, having had under consideration H. J. Res. 467, to authorize the erection of a memorial to the Second Division, American Expeditionary Forces, without expense to the Federal Government, recommends its passage with the following amendment: Page 1, lines 9 and 10, strike out the words "along the north side of B Street Northwest, a short distance east of Seventeenth Street" and insert in lieu thereof the words "in the District of Columbia". Your committee is averse to specifying in bills the location for monuments and memorials in the District of Columbia within narrow limits, believing that this can better be worked out by consultation between those concerned and the Federal authorities involved. In this particular instance, however, there is no reason to believe that the location that was specified in the bill will not receive official approval. The memorial to be erected is expected to cost approximately $100,000, a substantial part of which is reported to be already in hand. The monument is expected to have as its central motif a flaming sword held in a vertical position by a hand which rests on the ground. The sword is to be about 30 feet in height, of bronze, with flame on either side, probably in gold or gilt. The sword will be visible in either direction, from front to rear and vice versa, bisecting the center, vertically, of a rectangular opening, the sides of which will be of granite, connected at the top over the sword in a straight horizontal line. The granite sides offer sufficient opportunity for inscriptions and the idea is that a glance through the opening would reveal the sword outlined against the green foilage in either direction, front or rear. For the information of the House a brief statement of the achievements of the Second Division is submitted: No division of the expeditionary forces in the Great War has recorded more remarkable achievements than those of the Second Division. Its formal organization as a division was effected by War Department order of December, 1917. It existed semiofficially for several months before that, but its units were scattered and its unity was not yet an actuality. The Fifth Marines reached France in June, 1917; the Ninth and Twenty-third Infantry and Fifth Machine Gun Battalion in September; the Sixth Marines, Second Engineers, Division Trains, and Sixth Machine Gun Battalion in October; the Twelfth, Fifteenth, and Seventeenth Field Artillery in December, 1917, and January, 1918; the Fourth Machine Gun Battalion in January, 1918. No division could have been organized with better units. The Ninth and Twenty-third Infantries were two of the old line regiments of our Army with fine records almost covering the period of our existence as a Nation. The War of 1812, Mexico, the war of secession, the Philippines, Santiago, and China, are written on their regimental colors, and their history is that of the early struggles of our country, the winning of the West, the war with Spain, the Boxer trouble, and many encounters with the wily Tagalo and savage Mohammedan Moro. The Marines, a selected body of men, with their proud boast of "First to fight" and a record in their country's battles "from the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli," brought a wealth of tradition and esprit and mingling their forest-green with the olive drab became as "army" as the Army itself. artillery and auxiliary units more recently organized under the national defense act brought to the division the vigor and dash of youth, as marked in organizations and peoples as it ever is in individuals. Indeed America's whole participation in the World War was that of a young Nation with the energy and drive that distinguishes youth from age. The To all these units the volunteers and the selective conscription had brought great numbers of eager youngsters from every phase of American life. No duty could be named-technical, mechanical, military, or civil-for which some expert could not be found. Officers who had spent their lives preparing to lead men in battle, the finest types of American regular soldiers and marines, engineers from the great enterprises of industrial life, linguists, artists, athletes, artisans, physicians, authors, lawyers, captains of finance, experts and organizers of all phases of active business life by hundreds caught the step and marched under the Indian head and star. In January, 1918, all elements of the division were assembled near Bourmont in the western foothills of the Vosges and began a most intensive training for the ordeal before them. The German offensive of March, 1918, made it necessary for them to continue their training in actual service and, on March 16-26, the Second Division took over the Toulon and Troyon sectors between Verdun and St. Mihiel. Aside from training received under fire, it had three more brief breathing spells which were devoted to instruction; near Robert Espagne May 14 to 20; Gisors and Chaumont-en-Vexin May 21 to 29; Columbey-les-Belles August 18 to September 1, 1918. From the cold official records of the American Expeditionary Forces the story of its achievements from March 26, 1918, may be paraphrased as follows: Verdun sector, March 15-May 13, 1918.-Division occupied Toulon and Troyon sectors in conjunction with French. A German raid in force was made against the Ninth Infantry on April 13, 1918. This was the largest demonstration made against American troops up to this time. The Ninth Infantry took some prisoners and inflicted heavy casualties on the Germans. Aisne-Marne defensive (west of Chateau-Thierry), May 31-June 5, 1918.-The division moved by camion to area northeast of Meaux and took up a position across the Paris-Metz highway west of Chateau-Thierry on June 1, 1918. The German advance on Paris was stopped and the enemy thrown back during this operation which lasted until June 6, 1918. Chateau-Thierry sector, June 6-July 9, 1918.-Almost continuous fighting marked the Second Division's stay in this sector. During this time the Belleau Wood and the villages of Bouresches and Vaux were captured. Casualties were heavy, but the American Army demonstrated its ability to successfully meet in battle the best of German troops. Aisne-Marne offensive (Soissons), July 18-19, 1918.-Attached as part of the Twentieth Army Corps (French Tenth Army) near Soissons on the western side of the salient the Germans had pushed down to the Marne. Captured Beaurepaire Farm, Vaucastille, Vierzy and advanced to Tigny. Marbache sector, August 12-16, 1918.-Quiet sector on Moselle River. action except for numerous patrols. No St. Mihiel offensive, September 12-16, 1918.-Went into the line near Limey, night of September 9-10, 1918; attacked with First American Army September 12, 1918; captured Thiaucourt, Xammes, and Jaulny and advanced to the vicinity of Rembercourt. Relieved September 16, 1918. Took many prisoners; losses slight. Meuse-Argonne offensive (Champagne), October 1-10, 1918.-Moved from Mairysur-Marne to Suippes Souain area. Went into front line under Twenty-first Corps (French) October 1, 1918, near Somme-Py. Cleaned up Essen trench. Jumped off October 3, 1918, and advanced to Medeah Ferme, Blanc Mont Ridge Road. Captured the strong enemy position of Blanc Mont and town of St. Etienne. Losses severe. Relieved by Thirty-sixth Division, United States, October 10, 1918, and moved to rest area near Somme Suippes. Meuse-Argonne offensive, November 1-11, 1918.-Marched to First American Army area October 22-25, 1918. Relieved Forty-second Division in line near Landres-et-St. Georges, night of October 30-31. Attacked November 1, 1918, advanced to corps objective. Captured Landres-et-St. Georges, St. George, Landreville, and Bayonville; continued the advance for several days; captured Fosse, Nouart, Letanne, and Beaumont. Crossed the Meuse the night of November 10-11, 1918, and was fighting east of river when the armistice went into effect. Three hundred and nineteen officers and 9,972 men, who were present with the division on March 15, 1918, were still present for duty on November 11, 1918. Remained in the Beaumont-Pouilly area refitting until November 17, 1918. March to the Rhine.-Marched at 5 a. m. on November 17, 1918; crossed the American front line, advanced through Belgium and Luxembourg, and entered Germany December 1, 1918. Reached the Rhine in the vicinity of Remagen and crossed tais river December 13, 1918. Occupied area No. 2 of the American sector of the Coblenz Bridgehead and established headquarters at Heddesdorf Accomplishments in the field.-Kilometers advanced against opposition, 62. Prisoners captured: Officers, 288; men, 11,738; total, 12,026. Material captured: Heavy artillery, 74; light artillery, 269; trench mortars, 58; machine guns, 1,350 1; antitank guns, 8; rifles, 1,000 2. Decorations awarded.-Medal of honor, 7; distinguished-service crosses, 675; distinguished-service medals officers, 10; Belgian crosses, officers, 6; Legion of Honor (French), officers, 17; Medaille Militaire (French), men, 42; croix de guerre (French), 2,740; croce di guera (Italian), 15; Knight of Order of Crown of Italy, officer, 1; citations for distinguished gallantry, 795. Such is the curt official record--its brief entry on the page of history. To write that entry cost the Second Division 4,419 killed, and 20,657 wounded; 35,343 replacements were sent to the Second Division-over 5,000 more than were sent to any other of the many fine American divisions. It lost 157 prisoners to the enemy. It spent 66 days in an "active sector," a period equaled only by the older First Division, which has 93 such days to its credit. Its service in "quiet sectors," 71 days, was equaled or exceeded by five other American divisions. But one other of our divisions, the Seventy-seventh, equaled the number of kilometers, 62, which it advanced against the opposition of the enemy. Many machine guns captured at St. Mihiel were not counted and are not figured in this total. O |