Arizona republican., 1918-09-30
MONTFAUCON JAP TURED DESPITE
 STEEL AND CONCRETE PYRAMIDS

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY NORTHWEST OF NERDUN, Sept. 29. --tBy the Associated Press)-Thc cap turc of Moutfaucon by the Americans was am achievement accompanied by such stupcndous difficulties that the credit que the troops can hardly be ap prrciatcd without personal inspection of The heights they had to storm and the roads over which they had 10 march, thc strtegica disadvantages with which they were opposed and the mini mHm support df artillery.
 The claim of the Germans that they uHd evacuated Moutfaucon because of iHr danger of being surrounded, per hIp-. is technically true. since thNS were in danger of cnvelopment. The foWu itself lies on a height. lt is a rcItall lc fortress and it had been .trCu-thcncd by the Germans until it seemed almost imprcgnablc.
 Crush Steel and Concrete Defenses
 con the outskirts of the town. block iu- every entrance. tho Americans fumd great pyramids of steel and con- crete. constructed as obstacles to the dreaded American and French tanks. A larec portion of the seven kilometers over which the Americans passed con sisted of % devastated No Mans land hat dcfics description.
 The impression the Germans seek to give that the town was given up with uut fight is entirely erroneous since they resisted bitterly and put the Amer ipau- uu their mcttlc. They really were driven out after 30 long and strenuous nght iu which their machine gun nests played a notable part. Montfaucon lies
 tN..a. .I of NN~f court. the nearest point to the old lines. Tho south side of the town had been made into machine gun forts of tre- mcndous strength.
 Nature Assists German Position
 When The preliminary artillery had concluded the Americans rushed the first German positions without great difficulty or. for that matter a great resistance. What the Germans did not oppose in the way of difficulties along this sector of the line. however, nature iu the past four years of the war did Tho Americans found the terrain all thc way north from Avocourt. Bethin court and ChattancourJ torn into ar unrccoEnizable parody of the peaceful countryside it once had been. Roads that had once been among Frances best were gouged by shells until pass age over them was all but impossible.
 The country all along this sector i! rolling and uncultivated. 1t once wa: wooded. until the artillery of both side! destroyed the trees, so that only thei -tumps protrude from the ground Aross this drcary waste the American! fought their way dislodging German machine summers from their nests be hind rocks, from shell craters anC from among Clumps of trees.
 Engineers Perform Vaianty
 lt was perhaps fortunate that the -round is so rocky, for it served wei Inc purpose of the engineers who had to be on the scene almost before the infantry, preparing the way for sup plies. ammunition trains and artillery Hardly had the first wave proceeded tu the wake of the retreating Germans than thousands of men were on hand digging fcvershly and re-ballastini The roads. The engineers like the in fantry quickly accomplished tho seemingly impossible in making Ou nf solid belt of devastation nearly five miles wide. at least a passabl, road. over which anything from z mule cart to a five ton truck nigh pass. carrying support to the fighting men ahead.