The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-08-30
CONTRASTING EVERY
FOOT OF GROUND
(Continued from page 1.l

| trench warfare the latter requiring
strong artillery preparation.
| Yesterdays operation carried the
French and Americans forward, but
the fighting is of far different
nature than that encountered In the
recent rush from the Marine, when the
Americans marched for miles without
encountering German.
Every foot of the Chavigny-Juvigny
region is contested. The famous
Prussian. seventh regiment is oppos.
| ing the Americans. Prisoners taken
are typically Prussian. Some are
unusually arrogant.
When one officer was asked where
he came from, he came to attention.
pulled himself to his full height and
answered deiantly, PRUSSIA"
| There are instances of a lone Amer.
lean picking up several Prussians. A
\ sergeant from Wisconsin ran upon
| four emplaced in shell hole. All
surrendered. The sergeant marched
them to the rear. One of them said
the German soldiers are being fairly
well fed, the physical condition of
.boys under q receiving special atten-
stion. They are given extra bread
lrations.
It was an ideal day for a battle yes
.terday. 1t was clear and cool, but
Eground haze obscured movements in
1.-THE early morning. Later the sun
penetrated the mist, unfolding re-
imarkable picture-a vast Held OF
moving men and war equipment.
| These plateaus are remarkable for q
constant. silhouette view given to
moving men, guns and horses. Sharp
ldips and rises here and there cause
- Aa ir,fn hos
relief, suggesting a series of living
Remington drawings. The Americans
enthusiastically praise the work of
| the tanks in cleaning up trenches and
machine gun nests and breaking
through wire entanglements. One
tank placed itself across a short
trench enfilading and driving out the
Boches. The doughboys said they
didn't see how the tank was going to
| get off, but it climbed on across with
out any trouble.
! When the Americans encountered
iseyeral strings of caves, into which
the Boche had burrowed, they used
great numbers of grenades with tell
ing effect. From the heights where
the Americans and French are fight
| ing, the spires of scissors cathedral
are visible.
! 1t is now permissible to describe
the arrival of the Americans in this
part of the battle front Throughout
Tuesday, Tuesday night and Wednes-
day, American men, guns and wagons.
wound up roads through valleys
which connected vast plateaus. They
passed over ground conquered by the
fiEst and second divisions when the
Americans first fought in the Sois-
sons region.
Late Wednesday, Just as the news
Of the repulse of "a German counter
attack came in, l saw an entire
American battery silhouetted against
the dark sky, the men flashing their
horses as they hurried up along the
very peak of long rise. Meantime
infantry and machine gunners were
moving along the road and across
the fields. The movement Wednes-
day in conjunction with the French
was carried out without great initial
resistance. The Americans advanced
their line slightly across a plateau
which was deeply pitted with shell
craters.
In a cage in the rear prisoners were
being gathered in an almost endless
stream.
have particularly distinguished them
selves. They We're moved from
distant area on short notice. The
artillery and other units travelled
night and day, arriving on scheduled
time. Abandoned Boche strongholds
have been encountered everywh ere.
They include deep dugouts, pill
boxes" and trench and wire systems.
The villages have been entirely wiped
out and no more than an occasional
skeleton of tree can be seen any
where on the shattered plateau.
Machine guns were found every
where. The wounded say that every
other Boche appeared to have ma
chine gun. The wounded are ex-
tremely cheerful They are cared for
in dressing stations safely located in
the depths OF caves. They said they
suffered more from the cold at
night, waiting for the attack, than
during the fighting.
The sky swarmed with aeroplanes
during the day. One Boche eluded
the French patrols and shot down
two observation balloons in rapid
succession. AS the sausages were
still falling in flames the Boche
darted back toward his lines, with
French planes in pursuit. But he
got away.
The artillery fire slackened in the
rear areas at midday and concen-
trated on the front lines, but last
night the entire front echoed to the
roaring and pounding of guns on
both sides. There were infantry COM
bats throughout the day. In many
instances American patrols pene-
trated beyond the main German line
and brought back prisoners. Organ
lied and individual expeditions hunt
ed up machine gun nests, and ex-
terminated them.
Tanks encountered stiff going in
some places. but continued to oper-
ate, even when many of their crews
were wounded.
German Deserters.
LBy Frank !. Taylor, United Press