Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-11-06
~HAND-TO4HAND FIGHT
AFTER GERMANS RUSH |
~OVER-PARAPET
Teuoons Protected By an Unus.al
Good BaxTage Fire.

Washington. Nov. 5.-American
troops of the overseas expeditionary
forces have experienced their first real
clash with the enemy.
In the early dawn of. Saturday q
German raiding party swept, over the
parapet of a trench occupied by an
American company and, after a brief
hand to hand encounter. retired to
their own earth with twelve prisoners.
General Pershing's' first dispatch. an
nounced at the war department early
today, reported three. Americans were
killed, five wounded and twelve cap
tured in the engagement.
Protected by Baxraee.
Protected by a heavy parrage Are
the Germans advanced across No
Mans Land and stormed the Ameri-
can salient
Cut OF from retnforcements by
the rain of German shells, it IS
thought the defenders were
superior In numbers. With The
exception Of ~ Gea IMAM ceptur.
ed, nothing is known Of the ex-
e n Of the enemy's losses.
n first fraSmentary details made
no mention of the location Of the
fight, but Berlin dispatches Indicate
that it was in the region Of the Khine-
Nu0I lS N01l01s al liz ESCSlOu uGLSn1GI
by the crown prince forces.
Departments Announcement.
The following announcement was
Raided BY Germans.
THE war department has received
a dispatch from the commanding gen.
eral of tie American expeditionarv
forces which states that before day
light November 3 a salient occupied
for instruction by a company Of Amer
lean infantry was raided by Germans.
The enemy put down a heavy 5arrage
fire. cutting OF the salient from rhe
three killed. five wounded au1 twelve
captured or missing. The eneniy's
losses are not known. One wonn.ied
German was taken prisoner"
Intimated Saturday.
That American troops receiving
training in the trenches had had their
first fight with the enemy was Indi-
mated on Saturday in a cryptic Off
cial statement from Berlin announc-
ing the capture Of North American
soldiers. Cable dispatches from the
American army headquarters in
France also served TO prepare the
American public for the Eews Of the
engagements though the annonnce-
ments at the artillery was somewhat
above normal, although not anything
neal as intense as on other parts of
the front.
The American troops captured
probably were trapped in their dug
outs and forced to surrender or be
blown to pieces with hand srenades
without a chance for their lives.
This is the only explanation Of army
officers today, lacking n details Of
the fight. The fact that one wound
ed German was captured. however,
indicated that the trench had been re-
occupied by the American forces.
Might Have Been Shell.
Whether the men killed and
wounded received their injuries in
hand to hand fighting with the raid
ing German infantrymen or were
struck down by shrapnel is not known.
A single shell, scoring a diract hit in
the trench, might have caused all the
casualties. That would no: explain,
however, the surrender OF the re-
naming twelve under anything shori
of positive orders. the twelve would
be expected to offer desperate re.
sistance. to the Germans crawling ur
through the darkness to jump into the
trench and there probably would have
been more than wounded German
left behind when the raiders retired