One important engagement occurred June 12th, which the soldiers called the million dollar raid, because they thought the preparatory barrage of the Germans must have cost all of that.  The Germans came over, probably believing they would find the Negro outfit scared stiff.  But the Negro lads let them have grenades, accurate rifle fire and a hail from some concealed machine gun nests.  Sergt.  Bob Collins was later given the Croix de Guerre for his disposition of the machine guns on that occasion.

While holding the sector of Hauzy Wood, the 369th was the only barrier between the German army and Paris.  However, had there been an attempt to break through, General Gouraud, the French army commander, would have had strength enough there at once to stop it.  About this time everyone in the Allied armies knew that the supreme German effort was about to come.  It was felt as a surety that the brunt of the drive would fall upon the 4th French Army, of which the 369th regiment and other portions of the American 93rd Division were a part.  This army was holding a line 50 kilometers long, stretching between Rheims and the Argonne Forest.  It was the intention of the Germans to capture Chalons and then proceed down the Marne Valley to Paris.  It was expected that the big German drive would begin on July 4th, but as it turned out it did not begin until the night of the 14th—­the French national holiday.

On July 1st, the 369th had been moved from its sector further toward the east where the center of the attack was expected.  Upon the 14th of July the French made a raid for the purpose of getting prisoners and information.  This had a tremendous effect upon the whole course of the war, for through it General Gouraud’s staff learned that at midnight the Boche artillery preparation was to begin, and at 5:25 o’clock on the morning of the 15th the Germans were coming over the top.

This phase of the operation is described by Col.  Hayward as follows: 

“This is what Gen. Gouraud—­Pa Gouraud we called him—­did:  He knew the Boche artillery would at the appointed hour start firing on our front lines, believing as was natural, that they would be strongly held.  So he withdrew all his forces including the old 15th, to the intermediate positions, which were at a safe distance back of the front lines.  Then, at the point where he expected would be the apex of the drive he sent out two patrols, totalling sixteen men.

“These sixteen had certain camouflage to perform.  They were to set going a certain type of French machine gun which would fire of its own accord for awhile after being started off.  They were to run from one of these guns to the other and start them.  Also the sixteen were to send up rockets, giving signals, which the Germans of course knew as well as we.  Then again they were to place gas shells—­with the gas flowing out of them—­in all the dugouts of the first line.  Meanwhile the French