Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-05-30
GERMAN MORALE Is
BADLY SHATTERED.

days; nothing like what they were at
Ypres in 1916" said a private of the
Canadian Expeditionary Force recent
ly returned from the front in France.
Zone of them we captured along with
a party that was making a real Hind
enburg advance to the rear in double
time said to me:
This war no good at all. We fin
ished. Why not stop
81 told him his whole machine had
to be smashed right up before there
would be any stop, so far as we were
concerned.
After that we went into Ger
man dugout that turned out to be A
combined trench-mortar emplacement
and munitions store. 1t was very deep,
and had hardly been damaged at all. y
sloping passage led up to the emplace-
ment, and down below there were piles
OF mortar shells. We found the whole
crew of the mortar hiding behind one
of these piles, and they surrendered at
once. They could easily have blown us
all to kingdom come"
Other men wounded on the Arras
battlefield tell similar incidents. A
corporal of the Devons who was SHIPPED
ON outpost duty when the Germans
were being driven from village near
Croiselles, said:
Il think their snipers are about the
best men they've got left, now, anu
even they throw up their hands direct
" you get near them, and will only
fight at rifle range, never with a chance
Of testing the bayonet. saw the cav
airy attacking that village; one OF the
finest sights I've seen. They came
over a rise of ground, and galloped
!, clean through a screen of whizz-bangs.
They were great 1t was fine to see
them sweep through. Our boys got up
in time to take the prisoners"
+, A Canadian bomber, who was nit
after several days of very strenuous
fighting, said. Just under the crest
of Vimy Ridge, Fritz had lot OF ma
chine guns that he'd never used before.
He had kept their placements very
carefully hidden They held us up for
little bit, but it wasn't for long. That
was where our rife grenadiers came
rr, 1olho5 1,oy,ohc oil over those
Emma Gee emplacements for a bit, and
then a Canadian battalion went right
through them and over; and that was
the end of the Fritzes on the crest.
After I was hit and sent back, l fell
in with party that was clearing dug
orts. and stayed bit with them. One
queer thing l saw going back was four
German machine-guns in one place, all
uudamaged. and the four crews OF
the guns all stone dead, killed by our
!. 'shrap.' When l got to the dressing
station at last, / found Fritz doctor
in charge. with his whole staff, work
irg away on our wounded like good
'uns'"
Another Canadian, told of double
dug-out which must have been elther
a battalion or a company headquarters
In the smaller division were four ono
ers. with two orderlies making coffee
for them; in the larger division open
irg out of it, thirty-five officers and
men. Not one of the whole lot were
wounded, and all, including the four
officers. surrendered without a MUIR
mur.
Making coffee, mind you!" said the
Canadian. MY officer laughed.
There's a war outside, gentlemen he
said; but those Boche officers they only
scowled: not a smile of a word from
the bunch"
i The adjutant of London regiment,
whose shoulder had been broken, SAID
THE men were splendid in this show.
But they have been from start to mn
, ish; couldn't be better. But thihK
think they are more highly skilled now
than they ever were before. AparT
from that, the two things that struck
one most were the magnificent gun
merry. and the fine staff work. hau
only been out five weeks, when this
show began. was wounded last
July. And was immensely struck d.
our progress in tactics. staff work. and
cooperation between the different arms.
If really is a wonderful machine now.
The accuracy and precision ofait all i''
amazing"