ckground; about a foot of snow on the ground.]
U.S. OFFICIAL PHOTO
Allied Plane Carrying Bombs

The Reds tried to rally at a ridge of ground a verst in front of Kodish
but the dreadful trench mortars again showered them at eight hundred
yards with this new kind of hell and they were easily dislodged by the
infantry and machine gun fire. At 1:00 p. m. after seven hours hard
fighting the Americans were again in possession of Kodish. An
interesting side incident of this recapture of Kodish was the defeat of
a company of Reds occupying a Kodish flank position at the church on the
river two versts away. The Reds disputed but Sergeant Masterson and
fifteen men of "E" Company dislodged them. But time was valuable.
Donoghue's battle order that day called for his force to take Kodish and
its defenses, Avda and its defenses and to occupy Kochmas. Only a matter
of twenty miles of deep snow and hard fighting.

So the enemy was attacked again vigorously at one of the old fighting
spots of the fall campaign, at Verst 12. As in the previous fighting the
Red Guards, realizing the strategic value of this road fought
tenaciously for every verst of it. They had been prepared for the loss
of Kodish village itself; it was untenable. But they refused to budge
from Verst 12. The trench mortars could not reach their dugout line. And
the Red machine guns poured a hot fire into the village of Kodish as
well as into the two platoons that forced their way a half a verst from
the village toward this stubborn stronghold of the Reds.

Darkness fell on the combatants locked in desperate fight. All the
American forces were brought up into Kodish for they had expected to get
on to Avda as their order directed. Out in front the night was made
lurid by flares and shell fire and gun fire where the two devoted
platoons of "K" and "E" Companies with two machine guns of the first
platoon of "M. G." Company hung on. Lts. Jahns, Shillson and Berger were
everywhere among their men and met nothing but looks of resolution from
them, for if this little force of less than a hundred men gave way the
whole American force would be routed from Kodish. There could be no
orderly retreat from the village under such desperate conditions in the
face of such numbers. They had to stick on. Half their number were
killed and wounded, among whom was the gallant Lt. Berger of "E" Company
who had charged across the bridge in the morning in face of machine gun
fire. Sergeants K