Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-22
HOW PERSHING'S TROOPS
HALTED GERMAN ADVANCE.
REGAINING LOST GROUND

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
FRANCE. April 21.-After the heavy
German attack of yesterday the Ameri.
can main positions remained intact, and
this morning after brief bombardment
the American troop* attacked and drove
the enemy out of the old outposts which
/ they had gained, thus breaking down
an offensive which it is believed was in
tended as the beginning of a German
plan to separate the Americans and
French.
There was comparative lull TODAY
along the sector northwest of Toul. The
Americans engaged in the terrific hand
to-hand hghting yesterday showed the
most daring bravery. stories of which
are already being recounted.
AS indicating the violence of the Of
fensive, French ambulance men. who
went through the famous battle Of Yer
dun. declared today that. comparatively
speaking the German artillery Are
against the Americans was heavier than
In any single engagement on the Yer
dun front at any time.
Germans Full of Bravado.
| The German attempt to hre.l
| through the American lines in the
Toul sector early Saturday continued
until late at night. The troops tina,
were hurled against the Americans
| came full of bravado and arrogance
waving their rifles and shouting like
! mad. but they found more than they
bargained for.
+, prey it was evidently in the belief
that the Americans had gone. but some
| of them remained scattered through
the village, and they attacked the Ger
mans with hand grenades, killing
| many of them. Furious hand-to-hand
hghtlng ensued in the village streets
| the Americans falling back only when
they were greatly outnumbered.
| Later the Germans were driven ou,
| of the village, but they had concealed
there boxes containing high explosives
to which they had attached wires
stretched across the streets. Some OF
the advance guard stepped on the
wires, causing explosions. but steps
were Immediately taken to clear ou1
these German traps.
Two low-flying German airplanes
were brought down Saturday by Ameri-
| can machine. gunners during the Ger
man attack in and about Seicheprey
northwest of Toul. The machine gun
| ners who bagged the Germans had
| been ordered to retire, but they re-
mained in their position and fought
| effectively against the enemy aviators
! Show Goodness Under Fire.
| During the engagement the Germans
| concentrated their artillery fire on the
American telephone and telegraph wires
which were cut many times. Couriers
| were forced to pass through two or
| three barrages in order to maintain
| communication. In the meantime the
men of the Signal Corps. many of them
smoking cigarettes. in face of heavy
bombardment, restored the wires al
| most as fast as the enemy shells dis
rupted them.
| Ambulance men ventured into nc
mans land during the thick of the fight
and did heroic work in gathering ur
| wounded. One German, who had Of
fered to surrender. attempted to ex-
plode bomb on the ground as three
| Americans approached him. Another
soldier. however, discovered the trick
and hurled a grenade at the German
Ore of the Germans legs was blown
off and he died later. a prisoner Of the
men he attempted to blow up
| A village near the front lines whicI
the correspondent visited today tells
mute tale Of Saturdays hghting. There
CONTINUED on Second Pags.l