Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-07-16
Germans Vent Rage by Firing
On Villages and Red Cross
Annbulances
CONTROL OF AIR KEEPS
FRENCH WELL POSTED
After Hours Of Terrific Fight
ing Germans Qit--French
Hold Positions
BY Henry wood

1 AChAbtU = nos otuiA NOlACsIoudCGLJ
With the French Armies in the Field
July 16.-The most terrific lombard.
ment Germany has yet concentrated
against the French lines was massed
Saturday night in a desperate attempt
to force back General Petain troops
from new positions around Moronvil-
liers Brest, which they had won by a
new style of surprise attack.
Today, with the consultations of the
French lines effected in subsequent
| fighting, the French grip on Moronvil-
liers was tightening with wise like hold.
In fury for this enclosing pressure, the
Germans Saturday night shelled sew
eral villages in the Champagne, five or
six miles from the front. 1t seemed that
this fire was solely to vent German rage
at the French success. The shells fell
in many villages where Red Cross am
balances were stationed, including
section Of the American ambulance
corps waiting to 60 to the front for
wounded. All the Americans escaped un
harmed.
French Kept Informed
| The Champagne struggle began early
lin the week with extensive prepara-
tions for attack by the Germans. The
French defenders were fully apprised of
these preliminaries They saw construc-
| tion of a new trench from which the
1 German attack was destined to start.
They knew that three new divisions
approximately $4,000 menu including
the Seventy Fourth Hanover regiment
had been brought up in to line. The
Hanoverians were to bear the brunt Of
the assault. They knew these attacking
| troops had been rehearsed back of the
line for the part they were to play in
the struggle.
| Then the French began preparations
of their own for attack. For three days
the French artillery roared out prep
aratory fire. Late Saturday evening
| this preparation decreased. The French
lpurposely timed the slackening fire to
deceive the Germans into thinking an
attack was imminent. But the usual at
tacking hours passed. Along towards
l7:30 the Germans began to figure that
there ws no assault coming. The enemy
hauled down their observation sausage
balloons, apparently convinced that the
day was ending in tranquility.
Suddenly at 7:45 the French reopen
ed redoubled artillery bombardment.
Almost Immediately the French infan-
try leaped out of their trench.
Attack avs Surprise
| Across the line the Germans tried
hastily to shoot up their observation
+" sapsages' - in an endeavor to find out
what. was happening. But before the
balloons could reach heights sufficient
for observation, the French had won
bn1I ha nf
both Monts Teton and Haut-exaetly
the objectives planned for them. With
| in less than five minutes the Germans,
with the gigantic artillery concentra-
ton which they had massed for their
abortive attack, opened the most ter
rifle bombardmeut / have yet witness
ed anywhere along the French front.
The SUBMITS of both Haut and Teton
were quickly cnveloped in seething
smoke. The sides were a living furnace
of burning grenades, ineindiary shells,
exploding munitions caches and flam-
ing material generally.
Into this literal furnace the Germans
Launched their counter attacks. The des
perate character of the fighting which
ensued was apparent from the countless
rockets that famed in the skies, French
and German troops both sent them up,
signalling advances and retreats. calls
for lengthening or shortening of the
barrage fire, a change in artillery
ranges and other fluctuations Of the
battle. Night fell on this scene, but the
darkness was hardly noticed in the
flaming Of the rockets and the explo-
sions. It was as light as day.
The Germans finally gave it up. They
let the French hold on tight to their
gains. Before morning the poilus had
consolidated their new positions and
gripped still tighter their hold on the
lMoronvilliers crest, dominating the en-.
tire Champagne 'front.'