advanced preciously. Heavy machine gun and rifle fire, again, greeted him. He and his command took refuge in nearby trenches. Unfortunately, his men began to drift away in confusion. All this time, the Major was in the rear. On September 28, however, Major Elser was relieved of the command of the battalion and entered the hospital for "psychoneurosis" or shell shock," a phrase which often covers a multitude of sins. Later, the Major was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and transfered to a Labor Battalion.
Next, on September 27, at 4:30 PM, the Third Battalion of the 368th Infantry moved forward. This battalion was commanded by Major B.F. Norris, a White New York lawyer, a graduate from Plattsburg, and until this battle, a Headquarters Captain with no experience on the line. Three companies of the battalion advanced two and one-half kilometers and at about 6:30 PM were fired on by enemy machine guns. The Major, who was supported with one company and a platoon of machine guns, ordered the machine guns to trenches seventy-five yards in the rear.
The Major's orders were confusing and the company, as well as the platoon, retreated to the trenches, leaving the fire-line unsupported. The men were subject to heavy artillery, grenade, machine gun, and rifle fire during the whole night of September 27. Being without artillery support or grenades, the firing line broke and the men took refuge in the trenches with the Major. All the men spent a terible night under rain and bombardment.
The next morning, September 28 at 7:30 AM, the firing-line was restored and an advance was ordered. The men, lead by their Black officers, responded. They swept forward two and one-half kilometres. This resulted in an advance beyond both French and Americans on the left and right. The field officers failed to keep liason with the French and American White units and even lost their own Second Battalion.
The Second was dribbling away in one of the front trenches. The advancing fire-line of the Third Battalion met a withering fire of trench mortars (seventy-sevens), machine guns, etc. The 3rd still had no mortar support. Being too far in advance, they received the German fire from the front, flank, and rear. This action was endured four five hours. The line broke at 12:30 and the men retreated to the support trench, where the Major was. He reprimanded the Black officers severly. They reported the intense artillery fire and their lack of equipment, their ignorance of objectives, and their lack of maps for which they had asked. They were ordered to re-form and take up positions, which they did. Many contradictory orders passed to the Company Commanders during
