Republican farmer., 1918-08-02
AMERICANS HELD SERVICES AFTER
 TERRIFIC FIGHT Fierce Uproar Grows Silent As Hand-to- Hand Crap
 pies Follow. ONLY DEAD GERMANS
 LEFT IN VILLAGE Final Capture of Town De- scribed As Especially
 Creditable.

London Aug. 1.-Yesterday was a day of sheer. hard in and out fighting on the American front, telegraphs Reuters correspondent on the front north of the Marne He says that the final capture of Seringes by the Americans was an especially credita- ble achievement.
 Since the Americans took the vii, lage on Monday the Germans made no infantry attack On the place, but kept up a constant artillery and machine gun fire to drive them out This con- tinued all day on Tuesday and toward evening the enemy seemed to think that the spirit of the defenders might possibly be broken, and then they began to emerge from the Nesles for est in a way that seemed to forecast fresh attempt to take the village. Of the fighting which ensued, the cor respondent writes:
 ''The Americans after three days of to and fro fighting through villages had learned subtlety, and were deter mined to have a real fight to a finish They consequently withdrew as if re- tiring from Seringes and the Germans crept down from the high ground, convinced that they had their oppon- ents beaten. Additional German troops came pouring in until the town was occupied as it never had been before.
 But as the new occupants began to organize their defenses they found that bullets appeared to be coming in from three sides of the village and it was not long before they discovereA that the Americans while withdraw ing from the front of the town, had commenced an encircling movement on both sides, thus forming a ring al most completely around it.
 'Then came tragic fighting. The P1'ussian Guard had voted not to sur render and their" opponents were just as anxious to see the thing through. ! It was an affair of small arms, but the Americans proved to be better shots and slowly picked off men here 1 and there.
 1 Then the Americans began to ad- vance slowly their encircling ring closed about the village. The defend CTS saw their doom approaching. they | redoubled their fire, but still the 1 Americans came on unfalteringly. i "When the Americans reached the l precincts of the village their fire ceas- | ed and with one wild yell they closed with the foe. The fierce uproar sud denly gave place to strange silence as | man grappled with man. Only the clash of steel on steel and the groans l of the stricken could be heard. iY 1 this kind of fighting the American is more than equal to any Prussian 1 guardsman, and in a little more than 10 minutes all was over. Except for a few German prisoners every Ger man in the village was killed. During the night the enemy twice 1 attempted to %retake Sergy, but each | time he was repulsed with heavy | losses. Then he made fierce assault on Meurcy farm, east of Seringes, | which was piled with dead which he had left there the day before, when every man defending it died at his l post. There again the enemy was unsuccessful Heaps of German dead were doubled.
 | Subsequently the fighting extended still farther eastward and in every case the Germans who attacked were l annihilated. Later came the alta ok on Seringes and an attempt at the same time to drive the Allies from hill 1S7, west of Seringes. There for the first time since the Allies crossed the Ourcq the Germans may be said to have definitely taken the offensive. "AIl through the days fighting the enemy's aerop1anes attempted in the most daring manner to assist in the | battle Early in the morning six enemy planes succeeded in petrating as far as La Croix Blanche farm, near La Fere forest, firing on Allied troops, l Members of the Prussian guard who were taken prisoner say that their orders were to hold the line at all costs. All three of their battalions apparently were in the line on this memorial day, which ended every where in victory for the Allies, al- though there was no great gain of | ground.
 'i During the following night ground near Cierges was captured by the Americans This advance will make it possible for the troops in this sector to join hands with the conquerors of Sergy and Seringes.''
 The Soviet Government at Moscow