The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-03-06
RAID ON AMERICANS.
MAP OF POSITIONS FOUND ON
BODY OF GERMAN CAPTAIN
WHO LED ATTACK.
Prisoners Talk Frecly-SOme Expect
Germany to LOse-One is Certain
TcutCns Will Start Attack Soon.

With the American Army in
France, March 2.-(Saturday. by the
Associated Press) A plan of at
tack, including map of the .Ameri-
Can positions, indicating every dug
hody of the Prussiap captain who led
tho recent assault on the sector north
west of Toul, shows how completely
the Germans prepare their raids-if,
in fact. this was but simple raid not
having rs it's ultimate object the re-
tention of portion of the salient.
The map goes into such detail as
TO show every machine gun emplace-
rient, every trench and every depres-
sion in the ground within the Ameri-
can lines; at the bottom there is sim
line" Along this line are five shaded
portions, each marked nest"
Four rehearsals were held for the
attack and the troops who made it
rivals of fresh troops in the Sectors.
They were told that the Americans
were in front of them.
After the artillery had carefully
lcve!led the American position the
Germans started out from their nest.
each of which contained forty infan-
trymen, one lieutenant and three
pioneers to precede the infantry and
Eve 30 follow it. The two groups upon
the American extreme right went
the extreme left carried out similar
! movement there
The two groups in the center had
! planned to attack directly, but the
American defense changed all the
plans. When they were met by the
heavy machine gun fire from the
American lines they saw it would be
impossible to gain footing there and
changed their direction and followed
the other groups around the flank.
The duty of the pioneers preceding
the Infantry was 80 clear up any wire
that had not been broken by the ar
tillery and the pioneers who follow
ed carried large quantities of explo-
sives for the purpose of cleaning UP
ihe .dugouts.
O9.ci2l reports Of the interrogation
of the prisoners taken by the Ameri-
c2ns show that all Of them did not
believe Germany would win the war.
J one Of the men told the intelligence
officers he presumed that the Ameri-
cans, like the Germans, did not want
to fifht, but had to. The officers
/ quickly CHANGED the Germans view
point by informing him that all of
The troops in the attacked positions
were volunteers.
One prisoner, whose hor,c is i'm
4 German Lorraine. said he thought
The 'fathcrland" would lose the war;
but he hoped not. He knew nothing
about the Americans except that they
were in the war, the German news
papers not printing much on the sub
ject, he SAID, and being slow in reach
ing the front lines because of mail
congestion.
This prisoner said he was convinc-
ed That the recent strikes in Ger
many were caused by Il desire for
peace, adding that all Germany want
cd the war to end. He was certain
that an offensive was coming. but did
not believe it would be launched be-
fore April l.
None of the prisoners had seen any
German tanks, they said All of them
added 9 they were glad to have been
taken prisoner, especially b. he
Americans because they believed ..ley
would be well treated
The prisoners accounts showed
that the sector opposite the American
position was commanded by Gen.
Stalzmann.