The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-08
GERMANS MAGNIFY
U.S.PATROL CLASHES
Small Encounters With Amer
leans Described Officially
as Attacks.
ENTIRE FRONT Is QUIET
Work of Tanks in Hamel At
tack Made Task of Infantry
Much Easier.


battlefront in France and not many Of
those. The Germans either have adopted
n systematic course OF fals'fication or
else are getting a case OF nerves. Tor
in the Berlin statements recently every
patrol clash Is magnihed into an impor-
tant operation, In practically all or
which the Germans are said TO nave
been successful.
Berlin reports to-day that in spite of
repeated failures west OF Chateau
Thierry. French and American troops
attacked again with strong forces. but
after bitter hand to hand fighting, which
continued until nightfall. the attacks
broke down with very heavy losses TO
the attackers.
All this Is imaginary: no such at
tack took place. The systematic ex-
aggeration and talsincation by the Ger
mans has. attracted the attention OF
correspondents at the front. One OF
them. the representative Of the Assoc
ciated Press with the American Army IN
France. takes the trouble to deny this
wild tale. He cables to-day:
THE American sectors along the
front remain quiet. with intermittent
artillery FIRE. occasional raids and the
usual patrolling operations
slight Clashes Magniaed.
The enemy wireless reports give inn
portance to local actions which does not
appear from close examination on this
side. For instance. the Germans trans
formed an Insignificant contact OF
patrols In the Toul sector into raid by
their troops.
"A raid in which the Americans took
prisoners in the upper Nosges sector
they interpreted as an attack which
they repulsed No American attack has
been repulsed anywhere and there have
been no raids except those carried out
by the Americans during the past two
DAYS"
The Associated Press correspondent
with the British army in France
says no further attempt by the Germans
to retake the ground wrested from them
Thursday by the combined Australian
American attack has been reported to-
day Not satisfied with the positions
acquired from the enemy in the initial
attack the Australians drove forward
Friday night just south of Vaire Wood
and damned the Boche back some four
hundred yards more along front Of
1000 yards.
and has made the new line much
stronger.
Splendid Work Of Tanks.
Details are now available concerning
the work of the large fleet OF tanks
which participated IN Thursdays attack.
The tanks rendered Invaluable assistance
to the attacking infantry. Officers say
that this was one of the most economi-
cal assaults ever undertaken on the
| British front owing to the fact that the
tanks saved casualties among the in
| fantry by hopping up machine gun posts
and strong points in advance. In nu-
merous instances whole machine gun
| crews with the rapid f1rers were literally
ground into the earth by the tanks
which swept over the enemy posts like
steam rollers.
One group of tanks alone destroyed
or captured more than thirty machine
i guns and brought about the surrender OF
at least two hundred Germans. In addi-
ton many Germans were slain by these
! great engines.
Enemy Thrown Into Panic.
| Other tanks were doing similar work.
| Taken as whole the Boche infantry
surrendered or bolted on the approach
OF these monsters. the appearance OF
which in itself is terrifying. The Ger
| man machines kuflneTS, however, 1OuRnt
| to the last in many instances.
Numerous times the Australian and
American infantrymen communicated
with the tank crews and gave them the
! direction from which hostile machine
gun Are was coming. In every case the
tank was able to deal with the rapid
firera and thus allow the infantry to
| advance. One tank. which was 200 yards
in front OF the allied infantry, de-
stroyed a nest OF six machine guns by
running over it after the gun crews re-
fused to surrender.
Another tank crushed three rapid
firers. but a fourth machine gun con-
| tinued firing at a distance OF Ave or
| six yards This gun, in turn, was run
over and destroyed. together with Its
crew.
Forty Surrender at Once.
At one point a tank moved agains,
mound which seemed a likely place
for a machine gun. No sign of the
| enemy was to be seen at first. but
after the tank had clrcled the mound
once about forty Germans came out
OF a camouflaged trench and ran toward
the allied infantry to surrender
During the consolidation OF the new
lines the tanks patrolled the front fol
nearly half an hour for protection. Or
one sector. when snipers in cornhelt
were making things uncomfortable fol
the men at work on the defences. 8
tank advanced across No Mans Lane
and fired several shells into the corn
With the explosions many OF the enemy
Jumped up In various parts OF the fielt
and all were killed by the fire from tn,
tank.
Several officers have said since the
capture of Hamel that the prospect!
for victory never seemed so bright al
now. The latest work of the tanks hat
really opened their eyes to the posi-
bilites of causing the Germans heav!
defeats. with slight casualties to tn,
attacking infantry.
Importance of Victory.
The ease with which the Australian
and Americans carried out their attacl
Thursday should be a matter for re
fection, according to Reuters CORE
spondent at British Headquarters.
Commenting upon the double victor,
of the Australians in the Villers Breton
neux region, where their latest advanc
has given them a good view Of the vale
Immediately in front of them. the cor
respondent says the new line enables tn
British to command for some 500
yards a series of long gentle slopes
the south OF the Somme. To achiev
such an extremely easy success In
bit OF country for which the German
fought SO fiercely, he adds, must obv
ously arouse suspicion.
Even granting the perfect plannin
OF our attack andlts admirable perform
ance." he contends more resista nc
should have been met and the defet
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