Evening star. [volume], March 25, 1918, Image 1

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
WEATHER.
Fair tonight and tomorrow; tem
perature tonight slightly above freea
^Temperature for twenty-four hoars
ending at 2 p.m. today:' Highest, 54. at
2 p.m. today; lowest, 39, at S a-tn. today.
Full report on page 15.
CLOSING raw YORK STOCKS PAGE IS.
? No. 26,998.
ii - ? ?
WASHINGTON, D. C., MONDAY, MABCH 25, 1918?TWENTY PAGES.
AD rights
ft paWeetlee of apeetal
herein are alao reaeraed.
TWO CENTS.
BRITISH HURL HUNS BACK AT BAPAUME;
FRENCH AID ENGLISH IN NOYON BATTLE;
BOCHE GREAT GUN AGAIN BOMBS PARIS
FRANCE PITCHES FORCES
INTO BATTLE; REPULSE
THRUSTS ON ALLY'S LINES
Combined Armies Holding Fast as Enemy On
slaught to Break Through Fails?Force
Way Across River at Brie.
Fiance has thrown the weight of her forces into the great battle
raging with unexampled intensity on the western front, and the
British and French armies are now battling together against the
onslaught of the common enemy in his desperate attempt to break
through the allied line.
The British armies are holding fast along the line of the Somme
anil also in the region north of Bapaume, Field Marshal Haig reports
today. The Germans, in their thrusts in the latter section, reached
the British trenches at only one point, and there they were immedi
ately ejected. Their assaults elsewhere were smothered by the Brit
ish fire with great losses to the enemy.
On the Somme line bodies of German troops which had succeeded
in forcing their way across the river between Licourt and Brie, south
of Peronnf, were driven back to the easterly bank. On both sides of
the Bapaume the German attacks were resumed today.
The greatest danger point at present seems to be farther south,
where the Germans apparently have driven through the great width
of the region they devastated in retiring in 1917, as the Paris state
ment today reports heavy fighting in the region of Noyon. _ This
town ilfclf is some ten miles to the west of Chauny, in the region of
which Berlin yesterday reported the repulse, of Franco-American re
serves, but the German advance probably has been met considerably
The wedge driven fffto t?e*allied Use is evidently a deep one,
however, as the French troops are reported by Paris to be contest*
lag for the heights to the north of the Oise with important German
forces. The Oise on this part of the front runs southwest past Chauny
and palm to the south of Noyon.
Allies Begin Counter Thrust;
Barrage Fire Halts Drive
By the hamrimtfA Press.
LONDON, March 25.?The British this morning were counter
attacking between Nesle and Ham, Reuter's correspondent at British
headquarters reports. The French also were in action.
North of Bapaume, he states, the Germans were attacking in con
siderable force at dawn, but did not get through the British barrage.
The Germans, says the correspondent, are relying upon sheer
weight of numbers in their heavy attacks on the British lines, reliev
ing their tired troops by fresh divisions, which press forward without
waiting for artillery support.
The enemy all day yesterday and through the moonlight last night
kept up his hammering of the British positions, the message states,
jthe British troops resisting with valiant stubbornness.
The Germans are employing many small bodies of Uhlans, mainly
as scouting patrols, it is added.
The spearhead of the German effort is still directed against the
old Somme battleground. The British troops have been falling back
slowly upon new positions under tremendous pressure, destroying
everything which might be useful to the Germans.
Hostile airmen were active throughout the night, bombing the
British communications, but showing little inclination to compete
with our flying men after daylight -came.
American Engineers Aid
in Driving Boches Back
By tte Associated Press.
BRITISH ARMY HEADQUARTERS .IN FRANCE, March
25.?A further advance late yesterday by the Germans at some points
along the battle front is recorded.
American engineers have again been in the throes of fierce con
flict, in which they have done excellent work in transportation.
The presence of the American engineers on the battle front has
long been known. They were praised highly for their gallantry in
the battle of Cambrai last fall.
Early this morning the Germans again hurled great numbers of
infantry against the British line near Ervillers, but at the latest re
ports the onrushing troops had been unable to force their way
through the intense artillery barrage which the British maintained.
A heavy battle also has been proceeding today on the British
right flank, where the enemy had succeeded in forcing his way across
the Somme and the canal south of Ham. The allies were delivering
counter attacks with the purpose of pushing back the invaders across
the waterway.
There seems small doubt that the German attacking troops are
dog-weary, fighting under great strain; but this is mentioned merely
as an interesting sidelight, and not for the purpose of sounding a note
of optimism. Harder fighting than has yet occurred undoubtedly
will follow.
The British have been fighting with traditional stubbornness,
and at many points they have held the Germans back timf after
time although themselves greatly outnumbered.
Throughout the night there was fierce fighting north of w?p?n*n?,
along the Bapaume-Arras road, but except that Mory again changed
hands, the defenders held their own gallantly.
The Germans have been pushing forward by sheer weight of
numbers with the assistance of little artillery.
In Jhe region between Bapaume and Peronne die British feQ back
agaiiveomewhat in the fighting late Sunday. This ""H the
ruccess of die enemy, whose progress is being contested bitterly step
L-t. - * , ??
Hun Supergutt
Again Bombs
French Capital
Monster Creation Hurls Shells
on Paris, But Fails to
Stir Parisians.
By tie Associated Press.
PARIS. Uarek 25 Anctkfr tlr
raid alarm was aoHdeal ahortly
after 1 o'rleek this moralag. After
three-qaartrra of aa tour firemen's
bnglea aad ckixvk feelb aaaonneH
,fcat all waa clear and the Parialaaa
were able to retnra to tk?lr Ma.
PARIS, March 25.?The long
range bombardment of Paris was
resumed at 6:30 o'clock this
morning, but was interrupted
after the second shot.
After a brief interval two more
shots were fired. The bombard
ment was again suspended at
9:10 o'clock.
As was the case yesterday, the
people did not take to shelter.
Cellars which were filled on Sat
urday remained empty this morn
ing. Little interest was shown in
the bombardment.
Twenty-faur shells reached Paris on
Saturday and twenty-s<>T?n yesterday.
Tbo intervaf between Shifts tWls re
duced from ftffecrr or twenty minutes
on Saturday t, an ?*????
minutes yesterday.
On two occasion* then was an inter-'
val of. only one or t?o minutes. Shells
fell at 9:15 and 9:1S o'clock and at
9:45 aBd This was accepted as
WW? ell ^?e0rT tS,t " 'eMt *??
m2l*i !S?Vf of the 3heIlB 18 estl
mated at ten minutes at the least the
nVa?|em?~V<5KSf<itat 130 ml,es. and' tl)e
raHes >?el*ht attained at fifteen
the?flnitaiw '.I*7 were awakened by
to?tpeople were brought
t. windows toy the' rattling of
J?*"- Policemen circulated throunh
f?f ? <,narter of the city, introducing
MnJUIJ#tem 0 alarm- Which is dis
tinguished from the alarm in the case
of air raids. The police came in for a
great amount of chaffing, the people
being greatly amused at their lack of
!he drumstick,
lntere? T ih. ?.m?_rkJ thelr limit of
interest in the bombardment. Work
An^?hlS,J,n under normal conditions.
All the transportation line* -1.. .
oing. The streets were fun
whose sole subject of conversatJo^t?..
the new battle of the SobE^^Lk
generally compared Wit?"^a*hlCh 18
Parisians Calm Under Pfcre.
PARIS, March 24.?The German -mon
ster cannon," Which has been bombard
ing Paris, has been located in the forest
of St. Gobaia. west of Laon. and ex
W3 kilometers (approximately
seyenty-rtx miles) from the Paris cty
The gun bombarded Par la during the
greater part of Sunday. The day was
ushered by loud explosions from th.
ten-inch shells, and immediately \hl
alarm to take cover was soundedf This
occurred at 6:55 o'clock and many Der
0sf?"Kht shelter, but greatt?^
? kI? them appeared in the streets on
"?*ir ?ay to the churches, whi? werS
t'^55t a1 well filled as usual. The
women who sell palm leaves on Patm
Sundays did their usual thriving busl
For the benefit of that portion of th.
which had been led to believe
I f,*i ^erman* had broken through the
, line and were bombardinir Pari* fmm
| nearby positions a MmUoSSi" not?
) was issued during the day Thev
jpea-"mi.uce reports. againSt
French Front Intact.
"The French front is intact." said the
a?lte - "Any !L*sertion to the contrary is
The bombardment of the capital end
ed around 1 o'clock and as late as 3
o clock no explosions had been heard
Tor more than an hour. The "clear"
signal was sounded at S:J0 o'clock
I During the early hour. ?e fil
ing traffic in *k? the mom
.1, ? -i n the streets of Pari* ar>?
' shut down or curtailed w V.7
! both the 'subways ai* . before noon
| Kan running again in
| the streets of the" city Ik? afj<rnoon
animation. During the great
bers of persons unable to iJ rere num
! of transport to take tLm
'? tinations walked ?n their den
' might ^pWSi5S?^Kn??t tha?
Seek Befug* in Subways.
a~U"unTda' .;^e" n ?bef^sW3,,, t?
wa? ?d?Tbht 8helt'r "> ??.. sub!
*nd ,n basements of houses.
The government has d cided that In
as
of a bombardment b*
means, differing from the am?
Ings sent out in cases of ^K ."?*
Drums will be beaten a? r*'d?
will sound whistles.
The public service a. the im.. ?- .v
subways, the tramways ,n 'he
mobile buses will iv?nn^? the aqto
"rated normally.11 J?*" <?P
to be known as warning warnln* Is
sr^aLy S^v.!
CRUSH GERMAN LINE
WITH HUGE LOSS AS
HUNS CROSS SOMME
English Drive Back Enemy to
East Bank With Staggering
Fire at Peronne.
BATTLE CONTINUES ON
ENTIRE WESTERN FRONT
Fresh Hostile Attacks Develop With
Great Violence, But Teutons Suc
ceed in Beaching Trenches
at Only One Point.
LONDON, March 25.?Fresh
attacks by the Germans have de
veloped northward and southward
of Bapaume, the war office an
nounces.
The British repulsed powerful
attacks yesterday afternoon north
ward of Bapaume.
The British drove back to the
eastern bank of the Somme bodies
of German troops which had
crossed the river between Licourt
and Brie, south of Peronne.
I'he statement follows:
"The battle continues with great
tti&MUce on the whole front. Powerful
iLttlcks delivered by the enemy yes
terday afternoon and evening north of
Bai aurae were heavily repulsed.
"Only at one point did the German
infoatry reach our trenches, whence
they were immediately thrown out.
Elsewhere the enemy's attacks were
?topped by rifle, machine gun and artil
lery fire in front of our positions and
his troops were driven back with great
loss.
"During the night 'and this morning
fresh hostile attacks have again de
veloped in this neighborhood and also
to the south of Bapaume,
"South of Peronne bodies of Germaji
troops who had crossed the river be
tween Licourt and Brie were driven
back to the east bank by our counter
attacks.*'
The British in their retreat defend
ed every hill, ridgre and fortification
with the greatest stubbornness, mes
sages from German war correspondents
on the western front say, according
to a Central News dispatch from
Amsterdam. The British artillery, it
is added, splendidly sacrificed itself in
covering the retreat, the batteries only
breaking up when the German storm
ing troops arrived within a few hun
dred yards of the positions. The
British gunners then fired their last
ammunition and retired.
German Official Statement.
BERLIN, March 25. British Admiralty,
per Wireless Press?The Germans are
' now standing to the north of the
Somme. in the middle of the former
Somme battlefield, says today's official
statement. Bapaume was captured in
night fighting.
In the evening Nesle was taken by
storm, the statement adds. British,
Americans and French were thrown
back through a pathless wooded
country.
Violent fighting developed for posses
sion of Combles and the heights west
of the town. The enemy was defeated,
the statement says.
More than 45,000 prisoners and more
than 600 guns have been captured, the
statement says.
Guiscard and Chauny were captured
in the evening.
Bapaume is on the northern part of
the battlefront, where the British line
for the most part has been held. It is
one of the larger towns on the fighting
front, from which a number of roads
radiate. The official German statement
on Sunday night said a gigantic strug
gle was taking place for the town. It
is thirteen miles below Arras.
Kaiser Visits Battle Front.
LONDON, Mar^h 25.?Emperor Wil
liam and Field Marshal von Hinden
burg visited Peronne Sunday evening,
according to Berlin advices for v-.rded
from Amsterdam by Exchange Teie
? graph.
j The German losses in the battle at
Bapaume are described as "compara
I tively heavy."
ilTALYWfOFACE
GERMANJFFENSIVE?
A formidable Austro-German offensive
In Italy as soon as natural conditions
permit is forecast in official dispatches
from Rome today, which say Austrian
divisions continue to arrive without in
terruption and are taking up positions
on the front. Austro-German artillery
ls receiving reinforcements daily, the
dispatches say, while new aviation
camps and additional ammunition de
posits are observed to be under con
struction.
The opinion prevails In military circles
at Rome that the German offensive will
break with extremp violence in two
great actions, namely on the Franco
British front, follnw.d by an immpdf 9 te
Austro-German offensive on the Italian
front. Germany has sent fresh contingents
of machine gunners to the Italian front,
together with several aerial squardrons.
Reports from Innsbruck. Austria, say
Qua. Boreevtc and Conrad have j"st
returned to the headquarters of the
supreme command after an Inspection
il (Am Trtntino pmatiooi*
? :
GERMAN BELIEF IN BRITISH
INFERIORITY DIRECTS DRIVE
Selection of Point of Attack Based on Hin
denburg's Stronger Position and Superior
Lines of Communication.
By FRANK H. SIMONDS,
Copyright, 191S, by" the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.
Such reports as have yet come through df the first twenty-four
hours of the German oifensiv? Jgptish front suggest the
similar period before Verdun two years ago, when the Germans,
despite incidental infantry operations, confined their real attention
to artillery preparation. It was not until the next day, February 22,
that the real infantry drive began, and once it had begun it was not
until February 26, when the French were in their last line, that it
was checked.
Present Attack Expected.
The present German attack baa been
directed against precisely those sectors
in which the British were expecting to
be attacked, and the offensive has come
with real punctuality, both with re
gard to the rccent German time table
and to late allied expectation. For the
first time the Germans have paid little
regard to secrecy, for plainly we have
here no such surprise as won the bat
tle of the Dunajec and almost sufficed
to carry the Germans into Verdun, at
one bound. The reason is simple: Given
allied strength in the air, British
strength in this case, the enemy can
have no real secrets, least of all in a
matter requiring such obvious and
enormous preparations as a major of
| fensive.
Now the first question that will be
asked is why the Germans attacked the
British and not the French? Before
attempting to answer it, tht precau
. tionary statement should be made that
Ian attack upon the French is still to
! be expected "and is expected by the
: French on the Rheims front, where the
stillest sort of artillery firing has been
going on for many months.
Believe British Inferior.
The Germans have chosen to attack
the British because they have long
believed and frequently asserted that
the British army is tactically inferior
to their ovn?that is, that the volun
teer forces of Britain, led in the main
by officers coming from civil life, are
? no match for German armies led by
i j>rofessional soldiers, for whom war is
a trade. This disparity between the
two armies does not show, or even
exist, in trench warfare, as the Ger
| mans readily concede, but they believe j
| that if the fighting ever returned to
the open theii superiority in maneu- j
l vering would give them the decisive j
| advantage and lead to a real victory.
{ On the other hand, the Marne j
"GERMAN LOSS:
100,000 A DAY"
Members of the allied
military missions said j
today that in the nature !
of the fighting on the !
west front the Germans j
must be losing at least
100,000 men a day. They
made this deduction
from the Germans' plan
of massed attack, the
number of troops they
are employing and the
strength of the allied re
sistance.
The allied losses, it
was declared, would be
far less than those of
the Germans, because
they ar e fighting on the
defensive.
demonstrated that the Germans pos
sessed no sueh advantage as they
claim over the British, and the German
has therefore, in his later military
comment, forecast victories over the
British rather than the French. In
support of these forecasts he has ad
duced the records of British failures at
Neuve Chape He, Loose, and more re
cently at Cambrai, where supreme op
portunities were missed by bad staff
work.
Seeks Fight in Open.
We may say, then, that the present
attack upon the British is predicated
upon the German conviction that, if he
can pierce the British line and drive
the British into the open he will be
a^le to win a far more considerable
success than would be possible, should
he win. a similar success in his first
attacks upon the French. In addition,
tj>e experience of Verdun is a strong
argument against the^likelihood of win
ning even the preliminary success
which would break the trench deadlock.
The next question is: Why have the
Germans selected the front between the
Scarpe and th Oise for their main at
tack. granting that what we are now
seeing is. in fact, the opening of the
grand assault? The answer is clear.
On the front where the German is at
tacking, his lines of communication are
best and the lines of communication
and the defensive positions of his enemy
are poorest. The reason for these con
ditions is. found in the fact that the
British, between the valley of the
Scarpe and of the Oise, between Cro?
silles and the environs of La Fere, are
occupying ground taken during the
great retreat of last year, while behind
them lies the desert created by the Ger
mans when they withdrew after the
battle of the Somme.
Positions of Two Forces.
Elsewhere along the whole British
front from the sea to the Oise the Brit
ish occupy the high ground won in the
battles of the four earlier campaigns, won j
chiefly in the battles of Arras and of third i
Ypres last year. But between the Scarpe
valley and the Oise the Germans are in
positions which they selected and pre
pared before they began their retreat,
and the British are holding the ground
their foes expected them to hold. Only '
south of Cambrai has there been any ?
real change in the front since the end j
of the German retreat, just a year a#o,
and here it is slight, for the British
lost most of all they temporarily oc
cupied in the unlucky battle of Cam
brai last autumn.
Thus on the sectors which are now
active the Germans possess the hiph ?
ground best suited for observation, the
gun positions, which they selected more
than a year ago, and in their immedi
ate rear are several great trunk line f
railroads coming down out of Belgium
and crossed by admirable lateral lines.
As bases for the great offensive the
Cambrai and St. Quentin regions con
tain all that the enemy could desire,
both in the matter of the road and of
railway resource*.
British Are Handicapped.
The British, on the other hand, have
behind them only the roads and rail
ways which they have constructed
since the great German retreat from
the Somme, during which every road,
bridge, railway line was wiped out
systematically. Unquestionably the
British have accomplished much in re
construction the last year, but certain
ly their communications are not as
good here as they are to the north,
back of Arras or Ypres. where they' have
had two years to get them in shape. In
any event the British communications
are not as good as the German between
Cambrai and St. Quentin.
In addition, if .the Germans break the
British lines between the Scarpe val
ley and St. Quentin they will enter that
devastated sone of the retreat of last
J
DRIVE BY GERMANS
CAUSES NO WORRY
TO U. S. OFFICIALS
Absence of Pessimism Evident
at the White House gng
War Department
ARMY MEN NOW BELIEVE
APEX HAS BEEN REACHED
Militarists Fail to See Advantage to
Germany in Effort Unless It Is to
Boost Morale of Enemy Troops.
Absence of pemimian was eridett to
day st the White House mud War De
partment about the outcome of Ger
many's massed drive.
Intense interest in press^ reports dis
played by President Wilson himself in
dicated that official information was
meager. The Associated Press dis
patches were transmitted to him last
evening.
Army officers do sot share the
anxiety of some civilians about the
outcome of the drive. One who is in
closest touch with the meager offi
cial reports, as well as news dispatches,
pointed out today that there Is every
reason to believe the ermana havGe
penetrated as far as they are likely
to and that they are not as near Paris
as they were in 1914.
Either side could do what the Ger
mans have done, one officer explained,
if it were willing to pay the price.
The British were more successful in
their Cambrai offensive, and the French
sought the same sort of effect in April
of last year in the Champagne drive,
though they did not pursue that effort
long, because It was soon seen that
the losses would be too great.
i The theory of the German offensive, it
I was explained, develops nothing new,
in that it simply masses troops against
one portion of a line which the defense
mu3t maintain along its whole course,
and naturally the point attacked must
recede' at the initial impact. But with
out a break, of which there is no indi
cation. there is the certainty of a coun
ter attack, from more- strongly forti
fied positions in the rear lines of the
defense, and the ensuing losses are
likely to prove costly. In this case the
gain of a few miles is especially negli
gible, it was asserted, because it is
made in territory of no military value
which has been fought over for many
months.
The theory advanced this morning by
American Army officers that the Ger
man drive bad reached its apex and a
counter attack was impending, was!
justified a few hours later by the news
that the British had begun their
counter attack.
It is considered probable that the
British and French themselves are less
stirred by the drive -than Americans,
to whom this first seeming reverse
since the active participation of Amer
ican troops came as a new experi
ence, whereas the British and French
have become accustomed to the oper
ation of similar maneuvers.
Fail to See Reasons.
Officers are at a loss to know the
military reasons for the German effort,
but its blatant press agent featuring
leads to the belief that it was made
with a view to strengthening the Ger
man morale arid for adverse effects on
the American state of mind. If the
latter aim was in the Teuton mind the
general impression is that the Germans
misjudged the psychology of the Amer
ican people as badly as -they did that
of the Italians, when they hoped to
disintegrate the Italian morale as they
did that of the Russians, but only
succeeded in cementing the Italian re
sistance to a point where that nation
now is holding her own effectively, and
promises to be a genuine long run as
set tp the allies.
Instead of discouraging the United
States it was indicated that even in the
first hours of pessimism the Germans
tCantlmmrt an gsnaH Sag,.
- * ? '
U. S. BIG GUNS AT
TOUL KEEP UP FIRE
ON HUNTRENCHES
Photographs Taken in Air
planes Show Damage Done
by American Artillery.
GERMANS' GAS ATTACK
CONTINUES THIRD DAY
Letter From Berlin Found on Plte*
oner?Distingniihed Service Croat
el for Nine IT, S. Soldier*.
. By the AMorlated Prot.
WITH THE AMERICAN ABUT Df
FRANCE, March 25.?On the Tool front
there was considerable artillery activity
doing the night. American gona 1
shelled tbs German front-lino
Enemy batteries replied, using
gas shells. letter photographs vera
taken from airplane* of the ilsiane in
flicted by the Americans.
The lieutenant who, as previously re
corded. took a prisoner in a lislealt
post in the Tool sector, is from Charles
ton, a C. He and all the men in the
patrol have been given ten days' leave
in recognition of their services.
"wrna' the ^aicerican armt V
FRANCE, Sunday March !t-i
artillery on the Tool sector
today to shell effectively enemy
IIbs and communication
town of St. Baussant an
dumps north of Boqu
the American shells have fallen lib tte
German trenches, aad the
lines In at least one place have
virtually abandoned.
One American patrol freely <
this point in the enemy line slllwil
molests ttos m night and tu? mmm
la?U anil wsaalnsd there several it?*
There have Itia ri or1****
the iaCastry during the last
Third Day of Qaa Attack.
Fto the third suoi'ieselTu day 1
| artfllery today bombarded heavily vttk
s shalla a certain town wlthte fks
American lines. Today's bomhaetaaat
was made in two periods, each a half
hour in length. Many gas shells ast a
few high explosive sheila fell ea the
American positions.
An enemy au p.ane early this BSM
teg cot off Its engines at a great height
over the American lines north westef
Tool and planed down. When close to
the ground it dropped a quantity of
bombs. Some were of a new variety,
which explode In midair with a bluish -
red flash and give off a cloud at mse
ta rd gas. Being heavier than the air.
the mustard gas quickly deseisM
toward some of our battery posttlnM
and road.
After the machine disappeared the
German gas shell bombardment begaa.
Another enemy airplane hovered over
the town while the bombardment ?th
gas shells was in progress.
The weather was especially siillshls
today for aerial work aad the Germaae
took advantage of It. On one portion
of the sector fourteen enemy ai "
LIU?ia between noon aad six arc
the evening while four friendly am
over the American lines In the
period. One group of seven enemy sea
chine?. apparently on a bombing ex
pedition. was discovered at midnight
and driven off by the rapid flro of
American anti-aircraft guns.
Iietter From Berlin Found. .
An American patrol has brought. 11
quantities of valuable papers from the
bodies of Ave Germans killed in a shell
| hole by American artillery lire a fair
'days ago. Among the papers taken
from an elderly soldier was a letter
from his daughter in Berlin saying:
"We are being told now that psaee
will surely come in July or August.
Everybody was highly elated when the
news of the Russian peace was recetv4
ed."
The entire American front, from gen*
erals to privates, eagerly awaita news
| from the British front. All are con
i fident that the Germans eventually will
be defeated severely, even if they
should strike hard at the outset. The
German offensive is the sole topio of
I discussion on the American sectdr.
Official communications are eaught-ty
wireless operators and newspapers are
circulating rapidly along the front. ,
Thrilling Experience for Patrol,
Bj the Anorttri Pres.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMT IX
FRANCE. Saturday. March 21?'The
experiences of a patrol of four Ameri
cans. who, after crawling nearly a
mile, surprised a German listening post
and brought back a prisoner, were
quite thrilling. The patrol was Itt
command of a lieutenant. The lieu
tenant jumped on the German, who
was so deeply engrossed in his duties
of listening that he had not heard,
the approach of the Americans, while
the others of the patrol went into the
post.
The lieutenant and the German rolled
Into a trench fill'd with three feet of
?.rar Ji. second German attempted To
shoot the lieutenant, but an Amertaaa
corporal drove his bayonet through
him. ^
The patrol brought their prlsmsr
back over the route they had taken to
the post and when he came to describe
his capture the German said woadsr
lngly: "The first thing I knew a Mr
American was on top of my threat,
and next I was being hauled aesM*
no man's land."
Get News From Prisoner. ...
The intelligence offloer* gleaned (raw
the prisoner that his comrades in arqpL
were inclined to regard the Americans
as good soldiers, whp were flgkttng esk
thuslastlcally. as they entered the WJW
later. The food supplied to the German!
soldiers was poor, he Siid. and I""
morale was for the most part bad.
division came to this front from S)
wtna. "SSS
Airplanes, with Americans at the;
guns, took part in a number of on-.
gTg?~"". today aad numerous German
A