WITH OUR BOYS IN FRANCE

under an american command and the american flag these films of the american troops in action thrilled the home front in 1918 as they will thrill you today headed for internment far behind the front lines these german soldiers are at least sure of ending the war alive so so more than 30 miles east of paris the american forces capture the base of the largest artillery weapon developed during the war known with grim humor as big bertha she could sit at this great distance and drop shells on the city of light with terrifying psychological and physical effect this scene of desolation was filmed after the battle of chateau cherry where american and french troops won a decisive victory shot down while directing german artillery this french plane was found to be operated by spies their bodies are in the wreckage this shrine was used by enemy snipers and in this church only the crucifix was undamaged but the boys still seem to find music in the badly battered organ the death of lieutenant quentin roosevelt youngest son of beloved teddy roosevelt was a terrible shock to an already grief-stricken nation american and french ambulances take the allied casualties back to field hospitals after a battle with the germans us troops display some captured flame throwers communication lines are the nerves of an army and often the signal core goes into action ahead of the combat troops though they were prime targets practically sitting ducks for scraping planes these gas bags as they were called make fine observation poses this enemy balloon though not in first class condition allows the observer to direct deadly artillery fire into the german lines the aviators are the most glamorous heroes of this war creating a new concept of warfare the exploits of these daring men are capturing the imagination of the spectator world captain peterson lieutenant meisner and lieutenant eddie rickenbacher are decorated by general gerard the importance of air power is becoming more and more apparent utilized only as observational equipment in the early days of the war airplanes have proved their value in combat and men like these in the 94th aerial squadron lead the way for the great air with the cost of war amounting to unbought of heights salvage is an important project everything that can be reconditioned is put back into service another demonstration of air power knocked out by a well-aimed bomb this grim monster is completely demolished riding home what these letters will mean to the families which have been following the terrible battle of chateau thierry in the daily papers their only source of news excited and thrilled by the fever of war the class of 1918 graduates from annapolis these young naval officers will go directly into active service so the diplomas are presented by secretary of the navy josephus daniels the exuberant and traditional snake dance winds up the years of preparation and now these men must face the serious business of winning the war the admirals of the war fleet confer with naval secretary daniels about stepping up naval operations theirs is the gigantic task of delivering men munitions and food to europe battle the deadly submarines and blockade germany another terrible creation made possible by the gasoline engine is the tank built in america shipped to france and manned by our men though they're rather slow they have a terrifying inexorable deadliness about them as they lumber in advance of the foot soldiers or put their strength to physical objectives these walls and buildings make excellent cover for enemy snipers an attack by poison gas is the most dreadful aspect of the war special emergency aid for victims of gas attacks is provided but the ravages of chlorine and mustard gas are appalling and long-lasting immediate attention was imperative for gas damaged lungs and this new type of respirator is used in an attempt to save men injured by this cruel method of fighting behind the lines the boys clean up a bit their washing machine is primitive but illustrates considerable ingenuity though they give it the light touch these little borders constitute a most annoying condition the rhythmic twangy of the banjo brings a rush of memories to these boys so far from home tension grows as the zero hour approaches and the men prepare to attack in this old french fortress built in an earlier century for an almost forgotten type of warfare major general cronkite and brigadier general babbitt meet to discuss the next phase of the campaign this machine gun is in a position to help cover our advancing troops or repel an enemy assault digging in heavy artillery is a fact-breaking job especially if the position is under fire one of the most appreciated contributions of any civilian organization is the salvation army's project to carry coffee and donuts to the soldiers up front these men usually volunteers risk depth to get information about the enemy position they are truly prime candidates for the casualty list with the advance underway these air shots give a graphic picture of the immense scope of a battle these are american troops attacking under the protection of their own artillery many will die but others and more like them will continue to go forward until the war is won you