Evening star., 1917-11-21
AMERICANS ALERT
ON FRENCH FRONT
Soldiers Cough Warns Ger
man Patrol of Surprise
Planned One Night.
ADOPT ARMY LIFE EASILY

ADOPT ARMY LIFE EASILY
By the Associated Press.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
FRANCE. Tuesday. November 2o-Only
the fact that the Germans failed to
venture into no mans land on re-
cent night saved them from an Amerf-
can surprise. One hundred and sixty
men of the first battalions to enter the
trenches for a week were given special
training and. after being transported to
the front. crawled across no man $
land and took positions in front of
and in the German wire entanglements
at a point where 1t had been discov-
cred the enemy came out every night.
Each man had been trained in spe-
cial task and the entire unit had re-
hearsed the part 1t had intended TO
play under conditions similar TO those
in front of the German lines. The
Americans reached the position soon
after dark and remained in waiting all
night. but not one German appeared
either thereon, as far as is known, at
any place in no mans land.
The plan was to allow several groups
OF ten to fifteen Germans to emerge and
meet at rendezvous. Then the Amer
leans would fall upon the enemy and
repay them fully for recent trench
raids.
A cold which soldier caught in the
trenches brought him wound in the
hand and gave warning to a German
patrol of an ambuscade on another
night. An American patrol had ar
ranged an ambush near shell-ruined
farmhouse in no mans land. Several
of the Americans had colds and coughs.
but managed TO control them. Finally
when the shadowy forms of an enemy
patrol were seen approaching one of
the Americans coughed. The enemy
patrol promptly disappeared toward its
own lines from which there soon after
ward came a hail of machine gun
coughed.
Officers Have Narrow Escape.
Two staff officers recently had a mar
row escape while walking along a road
in the rear of the lines. They heard the
whizz of an enemy shell and jumped,
thinking it was close by, when the pro-
jectile came down in the center of the
road along which they were walking
The first American regiInental colors to
be carried on the battle front in France
have been returned to regimental head
quarters Written on it in ink. over the
square of the French commander is
certihcation- that this was the first flag
ny at the front. as no flags are exhibited
there. 1t actually was carried, however,
to a dugour in the rear of the second line
remaining there several days
Changing Germans Into Casualties.
The American artillery and infantry at
Having ceased for several days.
Inc correspondents visiting the i'm
mediate front, through the courtesy of
the French staff. found that the Ameri-
cans hadf taken advantage of the rainless
weather and were devoting all their ener-
g1es to changing, as they put it, Germans
into casualties" They are on their toes
opportunity slip to drop a shell or to send
machine gun and rife bullets where the
enemy IS seem or where he even is sus-
pected OF being. There is no doubt that
the men ike the life they are living. They
are as cool and nlethodical as if they mad
neen doing nothing else than fighting
Throughout their lives
? Tne nne group in the frst-line
mon sandwiches and coffee when they
Jumped up and cut loose with their
automatic rides at Germans who were
11Scoge1ea %,rs e. hanging banging ont clothes on a
the enemy dive for cover like rabbits,
ana then they went on with their meal
n q nothing had happened.
fnis particular section Of Frances
absorb water like q sponge, as in some
other localities There has been no rain
1or three days, SO the ground Is fairly
ory: The uniforms of the men show
Sgioence OF where mud once had been,
but that Is all.
. Dog Quits Boches for Americans.
From the first-line trenches. which
are on hill, the German first line can
De seen clearly between 500 and 1000
yards away There was something in
.he GERMAN nrst line once which will
woolly dog which deserted the enemy
crossed no mans land and bounded into
an American trench one dark night re-
centiy; cen II neked the hand Of an Ameri-
can ooughboy and was promptly fed
with q piece of white bread and a hand
1ul OF Columbia river salmon. He was.
tnereupon. adopted. and now roams III
aouno the trenches and even walks
barbed wire entanglements as IL there
were no war
This pup" said one of the sold,ers
rs naturaIized American, and there is
forgotten all his boche connections
kaiser" ee the
AS the correspondents approached the
Iehch lines over the shell-pitted ground
the enemy started breaking shrannai
over the first line. This firing Iasted
put brief time. stopping as suddenIv
as II began. Immediately afterward
game can detonations from the rear and
the whiz of shells overhead AZ the
american batteries got into act,on
Inen smoke puffs suddenly began an
pear1ng over the German trenches III a
dnfantrymen looked cautiously over no
mans land while the firing was going
on. but as soon as it was over IheS
appeared to forget all about it.
"Trench Feet" and Colds.
had not even heard the racket. Their
principal worry seemed to be rats
one occupant of the dugout expIained
that there was sleeping room in il for
thfrty-eight men, and that twelve cats
were kept in it, Cats were EVERYWHERE
some sleeping on folded bIankets and
some prowling in dark corners or stalk
ing their prey.
The men all appeared to be in tbe
best of health. although during the wet
and cold weather of previous days sew
eral men in this unit had contracted
trench feet and cold.
While the sun was going down be-
hind the hills and the darkness was
coming on swiftly. scarcely a shot was
nred. Just as the sun passed below
the horizon. however the GerYnan h.t