Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-10
BY THOMAS NJ. JOHNSON.
DOWNRIGHT, 1918. All rights reserved.)


'The Americans?" replied the Ger
mans. Never would we desert to the
Americans: Their infantry inf crryx are ofuhA
That probably reflects the OPINION OF
at.good many boches who have raced
the new enemy. but it is really CON, com
Dliment. What they mean Is that wher-
ever they &C the Americans turn
quiet sector where comfortable MD
de aged Germans were wont to repose
peacefully in the trenches a INTO p phe;e
time in dugouts lodging sneIs L.Ua
the artillery or bullets from machine
gums or snipers' rifles.
They cannot understand II, SO tney
think tie Americans must be crazy.
As a matter of fact the reasons are
the rather obvious ones that nrst, II
we are. going to peat pc LII the .n D9G second.
that we as a race have always liked 10
see soaaething doing.
Call Us "Nice Boys"
), II is very interesting to try to find out
tust what the enemy thinks OF us. some
OF his newspapers nave puomsneu . ath sav'
ing that the Americans are atnletlc
youngsters who cannot stand shell nre !:
H. short, nice boys, but no soldiers. Inat
is for home consumption. OF course. anu;
like all other German propaganda, snoulo
be taken with several grains OF SAT-. FER
ksps a little better indication of how the
Americans impress German soldiers VINO
have faced them is the statement OF some
other German prisoners
They were taken by little party OF
Americans that simply walked over to q
German front line trench one night ana
kidnapped them without any fuss what
ooever. ,,
sfrWhat do you think of the Americana"
the interrogating officer asked
t''Starker kerle" (husky boys), replied
the Germans almost in unison Part OF
their opinion had been formed from direct
contact with the Americans in the So
called German trench raid" Of March
I, when the raiders lost twice as many
men as the troops they were "raiding."
There is every indication that the
fighting the Americans. Every time
American troops have Faided German
trenches either thu" Germans had van
ished or started to; vanish hotfoot as
ing for them through the smoke OF the
In fact. even when the boche tried
his raid on March l he seemed to want
Americans" the Germans shouted down
into the dugouts. AS every one knows
the Americans came out-shoot!ng. UP
on the Chemin des Danes the Germans
hung on their barbed wire signs read
ing, Hello. Yanks."
Told OF throat cutting.
It is likely that the enemy's reluc-
lance to surrender to the Americans will
be overcome. If indeed it is not now
the German soldiers have been told
that the Americans would cut their
threats II they surrendered. They are
finding that the reverse 10 the case.
It was positively amusing to see the
relieved expression on the face Of one
shivering. muddy boche prisoner who
was taken into an American colonefs
eugout and instead Of being stretched
Eiven q big aluminium coffee cup full
Sf!steaming real coffee, with condensed
milk and sugar in 1t, and q great slab
the intelligence ONCE got a good three
6ngers Of coenac. Both those pris-
oners literally talked their heads off.
hack into the German trenches. They
know over there about those men. and
about others who have been given good
Iobs working for the "Amerikaner at
i dollar a day. with such food as they
have not known in years. There are
various ways Of letting the others
know what happens to these men, Of
which some Of the best known are
shooting bundles of them over from
little mortars in the front line trenches
OF course the big battle changes the
somethins to ponder. German troops
facing the Americans in Lorraine
oever know when they will be taken
gut of the line there and sent up
ao,sh s.14e hs Ameqea an as
Il is infinitely preferable to the in
eerno in Picardy and Flanders. The
Germans do not want to go there.
Perhaps some Of them will come over
coffee and white bread.
German Majors Curious.
It IL q safe bet that there are two
oermans majors who would like to
rome over to the American lines for
Eho.e two majors would doubtless be
willing to swear upon the Bible that
he deserters in the first paragraph
we're quite right and the American
They were in command of two bat
alions facing the Americans north of
FOUL early in March. On March n the
Americans made two raids into the
handed by one major. the other in a
sector commanded by the second.
It Is the events of a few nights be-
lore that those German majors would
IKE to have explained.
On that night. or at I o'clock in the
morning. to be exact. there came a
Iudden and violent fire from American
Satteries. machine guns and one
bou00St0. FOr ten minutes the guns
foared. heavily barraging the two very
blaces where days later the American
Aiders entered. The fire shifted from
front line to support line. and then to
he boz barrage that always accom-
banies q raid. but then 1t died down
Ind after few minutes stopped. No
Infantry had come over. There had
leen all the symptoms Of a raid but
ne raiders.
A. q matter Of fact. 1t was q re-
kearsal Of the barraRe for the raids
hat actually were made in those two
Slaces on March II. But the Germans
couldn't understand 1t. What was 1t
or? What was 1t all about? The gem
.ral commanding the sector demanded
explanations. which were not forth
coming. That Is what those two ma
ors would like to know even now
fou see, their general sent them to
he rear in disgrace because they
= couldn't explain what that crazy
american artillery was UP to.
At sighty-one years Of age DR.. Laria