Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-14
Germans Easily
Made Prisoners
Continued from Page One

Continued from Page One
tives without great exertion. The
salient has been we'll trimmed down.
Our attack was made as follows:
One drive on the south side. of the
salient and a second drive south of
Fresnes eastward on the west side of
the salient, with the French following
up on the tip of the salient. The at
tack south of Fresnes met the only
serious resistance that the Germans
put up in the form Of counter.attacks,
the evident purpose Of which was to
protect tto withdrawal from the
salient. But In the meanwhile the
Americans on the south side of the
salient, where the strongest attack
was made, went ahead in great fash
ion, meeting only slight machine-gun
resistance. After taking breath the
Americans on thN southern side of
the salient started again early in the
afternoon.
Over a small plain our forces met
machine.gun fire from one town. In.
stead of rushing it frontally, as our
men did in the Marine salient, the
Americans proflted by experience and,
leaving a small force in front, sent
men to either side and surrounded the
town. 1t was here that the 1900 men
and eighty officers were taken.
Small Tanks Get Busy
At another town the Germans had
left machine.gun nests almost all
around the place. Here the tanks
which during the day had been unable
to work much on account of the mud,
went into action and made several
advances easy. These. tanks are small,
with a wide tread, and travel well in
soft ground.
We had some heavier tanks, but be.
cause of their narrow tread most of
them got stuck in the mud.
Under heavy fire our bombers did
some good work, despite the bad
weather, in harassing the German sup.
ply trains.
Thursday afternoon ! stood on
ground which had been held by the
Germans at o'clock in the morning
our guns were then being moved for.
ward. AS darkness settled our light
artillery occupied positions in some
cases seven kilometers north Of where
the German positions had been in the
morning.
During Thursday afternoon and
night large numbers>ef fires were seen
back of the German lines. 1nas
much as the flames started at q
time when our fire was much less than
at other times it is believed that the
Germans were burning their stores
despairing of getting them out of the
salient.
Complete Control in Air
In the air service we have complete
control. Only one German observa.
ton balloon was up along the salient
and that was brought down. The
Americans had fifteen to twenty in the
air all during the day as needed. Last
night the Germans did not attempt
the expected air raids. In fact, the
Germans seem to have lost their
nerve in this part of the line.
Is the German army playing some
sort of game or is 1t just beginning
to crack?
The reduction of the St. Mihiel
salient is not a great big thing in
itself. 1t is nothing like so important
as the clearing out Of the Marine
salient, with its menace to Paris. But
the reduction Of the St. Mihiel salient
Is important to Americans and to all
the. Allies because it Is the first work
performed as a real American show.
General Pershing, as commander OF
the First American Army, planned the
attempt and put 1t into execution. II
is the first operation our army has
attempted without tutelage and we are
making good on 1t.