Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-10-04
YANKEE BOYS
GO OVER TOP
AFTER BOCHE
Only Make Believe War But
Looks Like Real Trench
Fighting,
- tha Associated press.l


American training quarters i'm
France. Wednesday. Oct 3.-Maj0r
General Pershing today watched Il
battalion of Major General Sibert'S
command as il st0rmed and took
three supposed enemy trenches.
which had been named Wilson,
Taft and Roosevelt for fine occas-
ion. The exercise WAS part Of a
program of battalion problems
which is being carried out daily
and will he developed gradually
into reEimeHtal, brigade and diTis-
i0naI attacks.
Tn addition to General Persbing. sew
cral French officers Witnessed today's
maneuvers. after which they were
criticized by American and French OBJ
servers and by the general himself.
He said that in taking the three
trenches the soldiers. he noticed. did
mot use their rifles. This be thought
was mistake.
You must not forget that the rife is
distinctly an American weapon" said
the general Fl want TO see it en-
pioyed- There surely viii be plenty of
opportunities for its use. and II you
are unfamiliar with the weapon you
viii lose those opportunities Bayou
cts and bombs are all right and very
ia modern war"
Shoot I'm 0B the Wing
The general said he had heard Of
soldiers In this war who had been
chasing Germans hundred yards or
more for an opportunity 10 bomb or
bayonet them If they had thought
they might have stopped ana shot
them easily with the rife. Some time
ago the American army authorities
here decided to devote much atten-
tiou TO musketry, but neither the
French nor the British instructors are
inclined to spend much time on that
phase ~of warfare, having become &C.
Cust0med to the tactics Of attacking
solely with bombs, bayonets and ma
chine guns. American soldiers always
have been fine marksmeu, however.
and the officers still believe in rife
fire for both offensive and defensive
purposes.
The practice attacks today We're
made under theoretical creeping bar
RACES with time to move forward al
given pace. The men used live bombs
as they advanced. The Wilson trench
proved very easy. only six casualties
being cleared from the field during its
occupation. 4 green rocket an
uOuuced success and then the attack
ers rushed forward against the TAFT
trench Here again success was
achieved quickly. being sigusljed 10y
red rocket.
Le8p-Fr0g Tactics.
ers. vino "Ieap-frogEed" over the
troops holding the Taft trench. TO take
the Roosevelt trench and the two re-
doubts fianking this final objective. A
three-starred rocket announced the
fact that the Roosevelt trench had
fallen and that the position had been
consolidated with machine guns In
straJegical positions fo fanking fire
to beat of counter attacks. The opera
ton required just an hour
To carry on for the next xix
months or q year with the best that
the French and British have evolved
as d result OF their three years war
experience. and to do our own expert
menting entirely on the side" is the
gist at the policy which has been
largely adopted by the American army
now in France and recommended To
Washington This policy applies to
material and various instruments Of
warfare as well as to tactics and meth
DDS Of handling men in the trenches.
While many of the more serious
students Of war among the American
officers believe. beneficial improve
ments can be worked out By American
ingenuity - inventors and resourcef Il
ness. they realize the most important
problem just now is 20 get on with the
war They believe America can most
quickly become a striking force in the
war By taking the best of what the
British and French have proved to be
useful and effective and basing ali
building programs OF the near future
thereon.