Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1917-10-26
lI.IENIch,I OFFICERS TAKE PART IN
ATTACK O.! CROWN PRINCES FORCES
Form Actual Part Of the French Fighting Units That Took
German Positions After They Had Been Puvezed by Ar
tnary Fre-Athough Men Dropped on Every
Side Not American Was Hit

Paris-ruitod States army officers
assisted in the recent French drive
against The crown prince to the north
Of Vordun when positions along Il r.
mile front ON both sides of the Mouse
were wrcsted from the Germans.
This WIS the first action in which
Americans. as part Of the United
States army. figured. ana the brilliant.
smashing. rapid success of General
Pctain'S forces in this section is re-
Cardod as u happy au"ury of future
activities Of the American army.
The officers who were engaged
were more than obServerS-thc United
States army has had representatives,
with the various forces Ina the field
ever since the war started. The
American officers formed an actual
part of the French fighting units that
bounded over the >hell-Shattcred
parapotS ten minutes after dawn
broke. and STROBE slowly forward TO-
ward the pulvcrizcd German posi-
tionS. in the wake Of the celebrated
tiFtIililE ilsll lfSt' W al NiliNia NV.
Steel helmets on their heads, re-
volvcrs in hand. their field glasses
Slung around their neckS. gas masks
handy. and their uniforms stripped of
all marks dcnoting rank. the Ameri-
can officers accompanied the French
platoon md battalion leaders. learn
ing mt first sight and directly under
fire how crack "ehock troops" are led
into action in modern offensive.
Although French soldiers fell dead
ana dying al around them, AMI a
number of French officers were hit
also. not one American was even
wounded. They advanced from the
original French positions south of the
Mort IlOmme. on the left bank Of the
MeuSc ana south of Hill 34i, on the
right bank. clear up 10 the most ad-
vanced trenches captured by the won
derful French infantry.
Order Comes to Charge.
At half past four o'clock in the
morning. after waiting all night in
the front line positions. they heard
the word passed along the trenches
by the under officers for the men 70
get ready They saw the war-cal-
louSed French soldiers shake them
selves from slumher in the deep dug
outs-sometlmeS 20 feet underground
whore they had been sleeping, I'M
mindful of the hjdcouS uproar occa-
stoned both 10y their own and the en-
envy artillery. They SAW the "poiluS'
adjust their long. slender bayoncts to
their rifles ana gingerly feel the hand
gyenadcs in the belts around their
waists. And then they saw them line
up along the firing step of the trench.
At quarter to. five the shrill whis-
ties of the subOfiicerS announced that
the infantry attack was on-that the
soldiers-mere flesh and blood-had
started to finish and clinch the work
perfor med by the thousands of giant
guns in the rear.
Almost the first thing the Americans
learned was that nowadays troops do
quick time" In the first place, the
condition of the ground over which
the troops must advance is such that
they cannot move rapidly. Pitted with
shell qraters. one to thirty feet deep,
gouged with pits caused when mon
strouS mines were exploded, and knee
deep in the most clinging mud in the
world, the ground offers every obsta-
Gle 20 rapid moving.