Evening star., 1918-04-15
Their First Attack on Boches
Characterized by "Spring
of Tiger Cat"
Disperse the Enemy, Take
Prisoners and Bomb Dugouts
Before Returning.
BY HERBERT COREY.

Yesterday I had the greatest privilege
that can come to an American I saw
American soldiers "go over the top IN
the first attack made upon the boche by
our Army in France.
The attack was superbly successfui
Men who six months ago were green
soldiers and a year ago who had done
no more soldering than is involved in
the weekly drill up and down Main
street bore themselves like veterans Of
the somme and Verdun.
They laid and took it" for four hours
under a bombardment which at times
approached drum-fire in intensity and
which was at all times severe ana
abominably accurate. When they hop
ped over they had the spring of tiger
cats They wanted with all their fierce
young souls to get to close quarters
with the German.
I'VE have seen our dead was the
tight Tipped sentence Of the officer COM
manding.
But they did not lose one tiny fraction
of that frigid self-control which marks
the American soldier an battle. They
went Just fast enough and not TOO Iast.
They kept their noses in the barrage,
as the French say, but they did not go
| too far. As the curtain of shells ahead
of them lifted a triie they advanced
the length of that trthe.
So they took their objectives-three
in number. They disposed of the Ger
mans that had waited to greet them.
They took some prisoners. They bomb
ed the dugouts and dynamited the
strong points. Then they returned, ac-
into the fire trench. They were wrought
up, exhilar rated, their nerves strung to
concert pitch, and their comments were
typically American:
Happy in the Fight.
This is the life. Hey. Boz" said the
man nearest me to the trench at large.
Il was scared to death for FEAR d get
my breeches hooked in that wire. was
the confession of another. But HE'LL
There wasn't no more wire.
I'VE coulda gone farther IL weeda had
orders said third. "Ain't 1t damn
shame?'
l have said that this was the first at
tack made by our men upon the boche
in France This is literally true. There
have been small raids and fights on the
wire and artillery engagements in the
and episode nature. Our men have
been active from the moment they
reached the first line. whenever opper-
tunity offered.
delivered attack, made in concert with
the French, at three points on the line
It was preceded by an artillery bonn
bardment in which American guns were
supported by the French, ana IN Wn!cn
for the time 1t lasted heavier metal
was thrown into the enemy lines than
ever before in the history of the Amer
icen Army.
am not excepting any battle Of the
civil war in making TINS sta1enen.,
hour at one of the three points, and
am not permitted to tell now many
shells or of what caliber were nred IN
that period. But, the increased power
of modern guns being considered, It is
entirely safe to abide by the statement
The attack marks the completion Of
one phase of the training OF certain
In this the French and American artii-
leries worked together with the prsei-
sion of parts of the same great ma
chine During the latter part OF the
engagement the they cs were guluso giars why by haS I
taken command of the air over the Ger
man lines. The French and American
troops who took the German positions
met at the agreed upon point at the
agreed upon second.
Move Like Veterans in Action.
nerb," declared the French veterans
who directed the action Of the joint
forces. This was no mere lip service.
They were shaken out of their habitual
quality Of the Americans. SO that they
Kept repeating their praises during tho
evening following the fight. I'VE have
seen no better men in the training"
It may be assumed that the next tt
will involve the conduct Of an tnde-
pendent action under wholly Amsrt-
can leadership. That is wholly as
sumption on my part. however. ana is
not : suggsstien that know the plans
logical to conclude that this will follow
when the other American units have
| reached this phase In their training.
| ship pit it is I'm impossible to exactly designate
the organization which took part IN this
| fight It may be said, however that it is
| composed of men from many states and
that the men who took the German
places, are from the middle west. Prac-
| tically every man In this organization has
had training in the National Guard at
were on the border last year.
| The plan OF battle involved attacks in
three places upon the German line. Two
tof these, however, may be considered as
| one The troops engaged were under or
ders to cut off the two ends of a salient in
the German line. The salient itself was
to be "fattened" by artillery fire. The
| third attack was at Homo QlSlAnCe ITOfIl
| the first pair. 1t was to be delivered by
| way Of distraction to the German mind
coinctdentally with the principal attack
upon the salient referred to. In each case
| the troops were ordered to go to the third
line of German trenches bomb the dug
| outs thoroughly, dynamite the strong
places, mop up tho trenches generally
and return. They did these things. There
was no intention of retaining q foot of
the ground taken
Watching the Tide Of Battle.
Under modern conditions no observer
can possibly see more than a slight
fraction of a battle. On this occasion
/ was in touch with the three separate
attacks, for after having witnessed the
capture of the salient motored back
to the third position in time to hear the
complete reports of what had happened
there. To the best of my belief no
correspondent has been given similar
opportunity to see a battle upon the
western front. had been in touch
with the plans of battle for days be-
ing a part of the fight l was in the
post of command of one unit.
Shells from both the allied and the
German artilleries arched constantly
over this post fer four hours preced-
ing the hop-over. The French and
American guns were hidden well in the
rear, SO that they fired over us. The
German shells passed over our heads
in their ceaseless hunt for the guns
that were battering out their positions.