Bisbee daily review., 1917-11-04
u. s. TROOPS
CAPTURED BY
HUNS On THE
FRENCH LINE
First American Soldiers to Be
Captured Go to the Ger
mans AS a Result of Sur
prise on Allied Scouting
Party.
tBy Review Leased yvire)


WASHINGTON. Nov. 3.-Berlin's
terse announcement today that North
American" soldiers had been captured
by German patrols on the Rhine-Marne
canal on the French front. brought
the American people a step nearer
. to the heart of the great struggle.
i There was no doubt here that the
men referred 10 were members Of
General Parshing's force uandergoing
final training with French regiments
in front line trenches. Confirmation
from General Parshing was lacking.
but in due course he will transmit the
names of any men missing and this
may furnish some light
Scouting Party Surprised.
If. as is assumed. a small scouting
party was surprised by German pa
troll in No Mans Land and all cap
tured, details of the incident may new
er be fully told. since only captors and
captives would know what happened
in the encounter under cover OF dark
ness.
This is the first report received here
of any members of the American ex-
peditionary forces. but a number ci
naval gunners taken from American
armed ships sunk by submarines and
civilian members of the crews Of 9TH
er ships are held in German prison
camps.
Patrolling Imp ortant.
Night patrolling is a vitally import
ant part of the final training OF the
American forces, as il is on these pa
trolls that the commanding officers
rely for information of activity in the
enemy's front line.
Every night the scouts creep cut
with faces blackened against the keen
vision of enemy lookouts and swift.
deadly spurt from a machine gun.
They so creeping across the shelltOrn
ground up TO the enemy's entrench-
ments. crawling and listening. drop
ping flat down when a flare breaks
out in the air above them. sometimes
lying still for hours while rifles and
machine guns hammer above them.
Not a night passes on many parts
of the line but patrols encounter each
other Sometimes il results in fir
ing, but that seldom occurs.
Stalking Patrols.
Usually one patrol discovers the
other and stalks it stealthily A tirIe
comes when a surprise attack can
be made. II is swift. silent hand-tO-
hand work and rarely is a shot fired
The victor carries off his prisoners
and when morning comes a report goes
back on the other side of the line that
a patrol of so many men is missing.
This is all that is known. Officers
here believed that this was what hap
pened on the Freneh-American front
Had there been any firing or had mem-
bers of the patrol made their way back
TO the French-American trenches. Gen
eral Pershing probably would have r.
ported Immediately. As il was he
probably was waiting to make certain
that the missing men were not hiding
in a shell hole until dark came again
to give them opportunity to make their
way into their own line. 1t Was
agreed that the loss of the patrol
might have a Statutory effect or the
American troops in the front line.
They are young. in perfect physical
condition an fairly longing for chance
at the enemy. 1t has taken all the
authority of their officers 10 curb
their desire to go over and share IN
the daring work of trench raiding.
Men who have spent their lives in
the army know what the situation
must be. They are hopeful that the
lesson of caution will be brought home
to the men by the loss of this party>
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