Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-10-01
7YANEHAVEHARD'
|TAcr,l'N ,l'N BATTLE
m M r. ARGONNE.
s Undaunted by the
cDle Difficulties in
le' Dense Maze
ican Headquarters i'm France,

icbn IteauQuarterS IN france,
Apo0, Fighting along
1 Sephew front northwest of Verdua
the settled down TO the dreary busi-
has to which the machine gun has
Induced modern warfare. Progress
r being measured by the ,laborious
reduction of small points which are
1 held by small groups of men able
TO paralyze force out of all propor-
tion to their lighting value.
From n dramatic viewpoint the
greatest fighting has taken place in
the Argonne forest. where it has re-
sembled duel fought to the finish
in dark room. The density of the
forest is complicated by the strange
ness of the ground, which resembles
nothing so much as the backbone
and ribs of a fat fish, with the ribs
on one side shortened to half their
! length ana the backbone running
north and south. These ribs repre-
sent series Of ridges and ravines
which are almost perilously steep on
the eastern sl6e but less abrupt and
longer further west. The ravines
follow each other in ceaseless success
sion along the backbone for about
twenty-five miles. To force such q
position would be sufficiently difficult
If ii had been in the enemy hands
only short time, but much harder
since he has been in possession OF it
for years.
Terrific Front to Attack
When the enemy had built series
of stone mansions beneath the hill
sides and constructed approaches of
stone-lined trenches. the formidable
character of the task may be under
stood. But even more formidable
than the dugcuts and trenches is the
u-irn nnd1aceI1r tIa
trees. Hundreds upon hundreds of
miles of wire has been strung there
since two years ago. Through it have
grown weeds and grasses more than
three feet high, making the obstacle
more serious by concealment.
Through such a country the
Americans have been fighting their
way foot by foot. Young in years,
young in experience and in depress-
ing darkness, where death may be
ambushed behind any of the myriad
trunks of trees and where the rattle
of machine guns is multiplied and
magnified by the forest into a reafen-
ing snarl OF. thunder, every man
knows how small his chances are of
being seen by friendly eyes If he
should fall. Even when the indie
fatigable stretcher- bearers find him,
the task of getting him out from
tneSe mallSn surroundings Is one or
daunting magnitude. How the
wounded are being rescued even their
saviors scarcely know, but their
work. although exhausting, is being
magnifcently performed and is win
ming fervent tributes.
Did Not Daunt Yankees
Notwithstanding everything, the
troops have gone through the forest
almost as steadily as their COM
rades outside. Even the Germans are
not completely at home in the be-
wildering complication of raviues
and ridges. Some Americans have
actually been captured twice, and
each time havt been retaken with
their captors.
The headway the Americans have
been making is evidently Disagree
able shock to the enemy. During
yesterday men belonging to a reserve
division were captured after being
rushed back at top speed to meet
the expected British attack.
Among the other troops captured
yesterday were men from the Fifth
Guards division. This organization
had a taste of American fighting
capacity at Belleau wood, and re-
Gently fought in Flanders. Men of
another reserve division which had
been rushed hither from Mulhausen
also were taken.