The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-07-20
fighting is now man to man, and gun

fighting Is now man to man, and gun
to gun.
The battle is particularly sanguin-
airy south OF scissors, where it is rag
ing through villages, woods and fields
OF grain. One American brigade cap
tured more than $500 Boches in this
region.
The Germans are attempting to rush
in artillery, men and supplies along
the whole front, under terrible shell
fire concentrated on their lines Of COM
munication by the allied guns.
At the south end of the battle line.
American units, in conjunction with
the French advanced northwest of
Chateau-Thierry, capturing (deleted).
Latest reports declared the lighting
was increasing in intensity east of
Courchamps.
Between C1rateau-Thierry and
Rheims, especially in the vicinity of
Dormans, American units are helping
to hold back the waning efforts OF the
Germans to push ahead. According
to the latest advices, the fighting there
lis now purely local in character, on a
scale hardly larger than raiding. The
enemy efforts there have been grow
ing lighter and lighter in the last four
days.
Prisoners report withdrawal of Ger
man artillery and infantry concentra-
tons north and northeast Of Chateau
Thierry to meet the Franco-American
threat northwest of the city.
American airmen brought down two
more German planes this morning,
while Datrolling east Of Chateau
Thierry. Our aviators report there
or .r1yf y,a
battle lines, they evidently having
been withdrawn to other localities.
An American unit notified the COM
mander of an escadrille today that
three German observation balloons
near Chateau-Thierry were seeing
too much" Twenty min tes later all
three were blazing wrecks on the
ground
Incomplete figures today show that
American units have captured more
than 5000 Germans, including numer-
Gus officers. Among the latter were
several majors and lieutenant-col-
onel The figures will be greatly aug
mented when the count is completed
Additional prisoners are constantly
being picked up.
The areas in the rear of the allied
line are almost as busy as the front
unGoding streams of supplies, artil-l
lery and men are rolling forward,
while similar lines OF motor trucks
are moving to the rear, carrying
wounded. Shells burst all about.
Trees are stripped until they resemble
toothpicks while substantial buildings
are reduced to shapeless heaps of rub
bish. The men are excited at the
prospect of getting into the fight, as
they arrive at the front, and are con-
stantIy cheering and singing.
The Americans v, % swept forward
with the French from three to five
kilometers on the first day near Cha
teau-Thierry are impatient because
they are holding the pivotal sector and
must wait until their comrades farth- !
er north swing in, surrounding the
Germans.
Allied airmen report heavy conges-
ton on the roads extending northward
from Chateau-Thierry. while prisoners
saw the Germans are hastily removing
all guns and materials in that region
in an effort to save them. Every pris- !
oner expressed amaZement at the
rapidity and unexpectedness of the al !
lied attack The doughboys report
that most of the prisoners were taken
when the first wave caught the Boches
asleep in their dugouts. Many machine |
guns we're taken before the Germans
had time to remove the protective
cases from them.
An advance of one American unit
is preserved for posterity through the !
bravery of movie man-an officer
He advanced ahead of our line before |
the infantry charged, coolly set up his
camera and clicked off a few hundred |
feet of film as the men stormed the
German positions. One scene shows |
DUR men attacking machine gun in /
a church tower with the Boches, panic I
stricken trying to get their gun into
action. The operators audacity was
amazing.
at wasn't anything" he said mod
astIy. "The folks back home ought to
be able to see Yankees whipping the
Germans"
A cEap known as The Homesick
no longer Is homesick. !,
He saws he is happy anywhere now.
lie went over with the first wave and L
helped chase the Germans over three
1ilI tops. He got five himself. His
,arty was obliged to come back when
curriers' were sent out to recall his
company. which was advancing too
.apidly.
One unit attained its entire days
detectives by 10 O'Clock in the morn