The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1917-11-15
GERMANS KILL
8 AMERICANS
Five Are Wounded in Hand-to.
Hand Encounter.
ENEMY SUFFERED LOSS
Flight Hand-To-Hand With Foe
Until Overwhelmed BY
Numbers.

With the American Army in France
"A small detachment of American
infantrymen was attacked in the fr01t
line trenches early Saturday morning
by much superior force of German
shock troops. The Americans were
cut of from relief by the heavy bar.
rage In their rear. They fought gal
lantly until overwhelmed solely by
numbers.
The fighting in the trenches was
hand-to-hand. 1t was brief and fierce
in the extreme.
AS result of the encounter three
Americans were killed and four
wounded. A sergeant and corporal
and 10 men were taken prisoners.
Two French soldiers, who were in
the trenches, also were killed. The
enemy lost some men, but the number
is unknown, as their dead and wound.
ed were carried off by the retiring
Germans.
From the beginning OF the engage.
ment until the end the Americans
lived up to all the traditions of the
American army, the records showing
the bravery of the detachment and OF
individual members.
The German raid on the American
trench was carried out against mem.
bers Of the second contingent entering
the trenches for training. These men
had only been ina few days. Before
dawn Saturday the Germans began
shelling vigorously the barbed wire
front Of the trenches, dropping many
high explosives of large calibre. A
heavy artillery fire was then directed
so as to cover all the adjacent ter.
ritory, including the passage leading
up to the trenches, thereby forming a
most effective barrage in the rear as
well as in the front.
The young lieutenant who had
charge of the detachment of Ameri.
cans started back to the communicat.
ing trenches to his immediate superior
for orders. The barrage knocked him
down, but he picked himself up and
started off again He was knocked
down second time, but, determined
to reach his objective, got up again.
A third time he was knocked down
and badly shell-shocked, and was put
out of action.
Soon after that, Germans to the
number, according to the report, OF
21O, rushed through the breaches and
wire entanglements on each side of the
salient their general objective bar
rage in the forefeld having lifted for
a moment. The Germans went into
| the trenches at several points. They
met with stout resistance. Pistols,
grenades, knives and bayonet were
freely used
For many minutes there was consid.
cradle confusion In the trenches, tho
Germans stalking the Americans and
the Americans stalking the Germans.
In one section of the trench an Amerl,
can private engaged two Germans
with the bayonet. That was the lass
seen of him until after the raid, whea
a dead American was found on tho
spot. Another was killed by a blow
on the head with rifle butt fro,s
above.
Some Of the Americans apparently
at the beginning of the attack did not
realize just what was going on. Ons
OF the wounded, private, said:
II was standing in communicating
trench waiting for orders. | heard
noise back of ME and looked around
in time to see German fire in my
direction. felt bullet hit my arm"
The Germans left the trench as soon
as possible, taking their dead and
wounded with them.
An inspection showed, however, that
they had abandoned three rifles, Il
number of knives and helmets.
The raid evidently was carefully
planned, and American officers admit
that 1t was well executed. AS a raid.
however there was nothing unusual
about it. 1t was such as is happening
all along the line. There is reason for
believing that the Germans were
greatly surprised when they found
Americans in the trenches instead Of
the French.
The French general in command of
the division, of which the American
detachment formed a part, expressed
extreme satisfaction at the action of
the Americans, for they fought brave.
ly against numerically superior
enemy the handful of men fighting
until they were smothered.
The bodies of the American dead
were brought back to divisional head.
Quarters and buried with honors. The
| wounded ere at tho hasa hosnitoIo