New-York tribune., 1918-08-07
Denies Flattery
Caused u. S. Troops
To Sacrifice Lives
French Commissioner Re-
pudiates Statement Printed
in Berlin "Vorwaerts"
Especial Dispatch to The T,1bmnc)

Especial Dispatch to The Tr1bunc)
WASHINGTON, Aug 6.-Denial of the
assertion by war spondent of
the Berlin "Norwaerts" that the Amer-
cans had been driven to throw away
their lives in reckless assaults through
French fattery, was made to-day by
+, de BILLY, Deputy French High Com
missioner to the United States. The
correspondents article, which has been
published before, in part said:
"The consensus of opinion among
our front troops is that the fighting
value of the American soldiers should
in no wise be underrated. Boastful OF
their American superiority and in high
spirits, owing to the fulsome fattery
of the French public, they rush into
the fire with naive recklessness, but
as yet they have not learned to fight
in extended order and how to protect
themselves skilfully from artillery fire
Their losses arc immensely heavier
than the Others"
"After denying the possibility of
Americas making her weight felt in
the war, for lack of tonnage, instruc-
ton and commissioned and non-com-
missioncd officers to form tte backbone
of the army, the Germans are COM
PEELED to-day to capltulate before the
evidence,' said NJ. de Billy's state
mcnt. "The American troops sprang up
suddenly in the midst of the French
army, and their first appearance in an
imposing body on the battlefield of the
Marine was crowned with success.
at was in the order of things that
the Germ p~ess, alway prompted by
the imperial government, should en-
deavor to depreciate before the Ger
man public tbs value and consequence
of the Americar success"
After quoting the "Vorwa.rts" dis
patch he continued:
"Without induiginc in any supposi-
tion concerning either the American
losses, which we do not know, or the
lesson to be derived from the present
operations. we wish to set the Ameri-
can public on its guard against the
false insinuation of the 'Vorwaerts.'
IF we believe that paper, the flat
l.
alive in the American army the ex-
elusive practice of serried divisions,
thus causing excessive loss. Nothing
is more groundlcss. To be certain, the
French peoplc-and not only the peo-
pie, but the French army and its chiefs
have chccrcd the Americans with all
their hearts for those first successes.
They highly appreciate the American
offensive spirit and courage. But
never have those whose mission was
TO collaborate in the instruction Of the
American army in the United States
and Fr@ce endangered the results of
that instruction by any reprehensive
tlattcry.
"Never have the French officers con.
cealed from their American comrades
what they had to learn to obtain sue
ccsscs without heavy loss. They have
repeatedly shown them, for example
the scientific side Of modern warfare
its perpetual evolution and the abso
Lutte necessity for the newcomers, what
ever their worth, to listen to the ad
vice of veterans with the experience
Of four years of fighting.
"Thc German paper speaks of the
extended order the only one compati
bic with the power Of modern fire
arms. We know how much training !,
wanted for such an instruction. Tho
Germans cannot believe that the Amer
leans have yet been able to adopt it
The American staff asked the French
and English instructors TO help it will
this training and to bring to thei
American comrades the result of theil
experience of four years of war"