The Washington herald., 1918-09-01

Front North of scissors, Aug. 81.
Fighting side by side with a
new model of light French tanks,
American forces attached to Gen.
Mangin's French Tenth Army
swept forward across Won Boehn's
deliberately constructed advanced
trench system and, fighting every
inch of the way forward, advanced
along the Juvigny Plateau, which
forms the extreme easterly end of
the heights of the Aisne, being the
key both to the Chemin des
Danes and to Laon.
Scorning the Germans newest
anti-tank weapon, which is>a huge
and powerful rifle, able to pene-
trate thirteen-sixteenths Of an inch
of steel at z2o yards, the French
two-passenger tanks leaped for
ward as soon as the sixty-hve-
mile preliminary bombardment
had ceased and the creeping bar
rage had started.
American infantrymen, crouch
ing in the trench which was the
principal German advanced posi-
tion before it was stormed the day
before leaped up simultaneously,
preceding the tanks and going for
ward in assaulting waves. The
tanks debouched from Vslpriez
Farm. operating smoothly across
the flat and treeless country, al
though the Krrpp batteries were
sprinkling the terrain wit. an I'M
eeasihg hail of 77-millimeter shells,
Our batteries Resister.
Meanwhile American batteries
were registering on the German ma
chine gun emplacements which were
spotted by aerial observers and our
long range guns began to tackle the
enemy cannon doing counter battery
work.
The principal American storming
columns worked eastward through
the Bots de la Domaine from Bag
neux, reaching Monteco1ve Farm
There they shot up signal rockets
demanding a barrage on their left
and sprinted across 800 yards OF the
bare open plateau. reaching the
shelter of the railway embankment
with the Germans on the other side
but ten feet away.
The Americans "infiltrated'
southwark on the west side of the
embankment, hurting hand grenades
! smong the enemy. who replied
actively. Meanwhile the tanks were
moving up to the support OF our
boys.
German Snlpers Busy.
b German snipers were busy on the
east side of the railway embankment
north OF Chavigny. and heavy machine
guns emplaced on the roof Of lone
building raked the terrain until the
house was literally blown to atoms
by. the concentrated fire Of our bat
terics.
Americans could see German sold
iers. horses. and machine guns blown
high into the air when our "heavies"
commenced pounding the lone strue-
ture.
Then the tanks clambered over the
embankment, squashing enemy re-
sistance on the east side, and forcing
the Germans to withdraw their ad-
vanced posts to the edge Of the wood
between Juvigny and Chavisny
American troops followed over. en-
counterins terrific machine gun fire.
Indicted Heavy Losses.
Our boys rescued the occupants OF
three French tanks which were ablale
as a result Of direct hits that smash
ed squareiy into the gasoline reser-
voirs.
Meanwhiithe American batteries
had caught two battalions of German
reinforcements along the Terny-Sorny
Juvigny road under their fire. The
fresh troops had been spotted" by
our aerial observers.
American batteries also register
ed q number of direct hits on en-
emy field guns.
Few prisoners were taken, OWNS
to the fact that the Germans re-
mained beyond the embankment
but heavy losses were inflicted or
them The aviators OF both sides
were extremely active throughout