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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, MAY 8,1945
Peace Masquerades
★ ★ ★
"Peace! Armistice terms signed by Germans this morning! Fighting to cease at 2 p.m!"
These were the headlines blazoned across front pages of many newspapers Thursday, Nov. 7, 1918.
Peace! Waves of celebrations swept the country. The war was over!
And then the headlines changed. No armistice had been signed. The too-eager press association reporter who had issued the statement admitted it was not a verified report. There was still a war.
All America waited again, after the noise and excitement of the false armistice had died away.
Lawrence waited, too. This was Thursday. Papers serving the city had not published the erroneous report. Verified releases said Foch had delivered the peace terms to the Germans at 5 p.m.
Saturday. "Armistice envoys wait for word from Berlin. Germans must answer by Monday, 11 a.m."
Another day of waiting, wondering. Then Sunday, Sunday night. Lawrence went to sleep, with suspense and expectancy under the surface.
But the night operator at the Santa Fe station was awake. Toward morning the keys clicked out the words everyone was waiting to hear.
"Huns quit! World War ends. Germans accept terms."
Railway telegraphers flashed results as press associations called sleeping editors to the telephone. Wires began to hum, presses began to turn. The war was over!
Shrill whistles woke the sleeping citizens of Lawrence, who looked at alarm clocks pointing to 4 a.m., and then realized what the sound meant.
Sleep vanished.
Mayor George L. Kreeck ordered bells and whistles turned loose. As people stumbled through the dark toward town, the lights were turned on. Cars filled the streets, honking at noisemakers who overflowed from the sidewalks. Everyone was making ingine with pans, horns, guns, anything.
Monday was a day of unrestrained joy. A hastily-formed committee planned a celebration at McCook field at 4 p.m. That night the Bowersock theater was the scene of a longer and more serious program.
The Salvation army joined the throng of people. Then the police department and the fire department swelled the parade.
Eighteen men from Lawrence, composing the last draft quota, left on Armistice day for Camp Funston, since they had received no orders not to report. These same men returned home the next day, the "first veterans" to come back.
That was Lawrence in 1918. Now, 27 years later, once more the wires carry flashes of the defeat of Germany.
"Feace! Germans accept terms."
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General Marshall
George Cattell Marshall, chief of staff of the U.S. Army, is the sixth chief of staff not a graduate of West Point. He was born in 1880 in Uniontown, Pa.
Gen. Patch Experienced Army Tactician; Began West Point Military Training in 1909
Often called the army's "most experienced tactician," Alexander M. Patch, is the commanding general of the Seventh Army.
He began his military training in 1909 when he entered West Point. While there he excelled in athletics, being a star pole vaulter and track performer. He was graduated in 1913 with a commission as a second lieutenant in the infantry.
During the last World War he served as captain with the 18th Infantry in France.
On his return to the United States he was promoted to major and served in the adjutant's office in Washington, D. C. Later he was professor of military science at the Staunton Military academy in Virginia and then became an instructor of the Alabama National Guard
With the outbreak of this war was assigned to train rookies at Bragg, N. C., and became known a tough disciplinarian.
Patch was made temporary major general on March 18, 1942, and placed in charge of the defense of New Caledonia. Later he took charge of operations on Guadalcanal after the Marines had spent five months of hard fighting.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on March 7, 1943. In May of that same year he returned to the United States to take command of the Fourth Army corps at Ft. Lewis, Washington. In 1944 he went to England and participated in the invasion of Europe.
Married to Julia A. Lillell he has two children.
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