The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-18
Men of Two Nations Are Fighting Together in
 Perfect Union
WORK IS HARD, BUT THERE IS NO MURMER
 AT TASKS AHEAD
Tell the People Back Home We Are Content, Is Tone of Messages
 Sent

ScIlL
 Grand Headquarters of the French Army in France, Feb ruary 16.-(By the Associated Press. )-American and French troops for several weeks back have been holding in unison the front trenches on one of the most important battlefields of the war, the name of which is well known. The main impress sion gained in conversation with both French and Ameri- cans facing the enemy side by side is that the unison is not only fighting forces, but of firm purpose to win victory by mu- tual aid.
 "There is only one criticism to be made in connection with the Ameri- cans" said a. distinguished French of ficer to the correspondent who spent a whole day among the Americans holding the line. "They are too anxious to get at grips with tho enemy"
 1 American officers confirmed this. de- claring that their chief trouble was to restrain their men.
 l It is inadvisable to designate the units confronting the Germans. but all the men are bending to their task, and they are anxious to have the people at home know that they are we'll satisfied and determined to perform to their utmost the duty before them. ! MEN ARE CONFIRMED
 "Tell the homefolks that we are happy to be fighting. The work is hard and trying. but that Is why we are here. Nothing could induce us to leave 1t un- | til the job is finished and the Germans are beaten"
 | Such, in substance, are the expressions of dozens of the American troops now "carrying on'' in the actual fighting lins. As to the health of the men. todays record showed that there were only three sick among the entire force. comprising several thousands, ana these are cases of minor importance.
 Every care is taken to provide ample rations, hot when possible, which. how- ever. is not always possible. owing to
 the exposed positions. The men arc fully content with this. and certainly appear fit and we'll. They have taken l to trench and dugout life as If born to 1t.
 SCARRED BATTLE SCENES l The correspondent, in approaching the center, passed again over ground which l had been the scene of many fearful bat I ties in the last year. Wild vegetarians. shows some of the wounds which have
 been inflicted upon the earth, but ruined l villages. disfigured roads and enormous pit-like holes still testify graphically to l the violence of the long drawn out strug- 1 gle which resulted in driving the Ger
 mans back.
 I In the American fighting zone were Ito be seen khaki-clad working parties and messengers intermingled with French soldiers in blue uniforms. The Americans
 were busily occupied immediately near
 the fighting line in creating and improv- ling the wire entanglements and the | trench systems. They had not much liked 1, this work while at the training camps.
 but now they see the absolute necessity ! of this trying labor of digging in and
 they are putting all their will and
 strength into the task.
 GERMANS ARE WATCHING l Occasionally. they are disturbed by the passage overhead of German air scouts, who today displayed great curiosity cor-
 corning what was proceeding behind the allied lines. These airmen were some 1 times very daring, and then the air would be filled with balls of smoke as the I allied shells burst along their paths.
 Mea nwhile the work went on, the Amer l then to observe the enemy airmen's er-
 forts to escape from the worrying anti- ;aircraft guns
 Several times in the course of the day
 salyo of shells from the German bat lteries came over amidst the workers, but ] no one was hurt. for the men had learned ! before reaching the front how to act in
 such circumstances. and their discipline was perfect.
 MEN ARE ALERT
 Farther along toward the front line the correspondent noticed an ever in-
 creasing alertness among thcs-Awsasi-- can troops and the actual front limo was reached after passage through an almost interminable. sinuous commu- nication trench. Here ali WAS acute l watchfulness and nothing could turn
 from his immediate duty any Ameri-
 can soldier in the line.
 ACROSS NO MANS LAND Across No Mans Land, where. skill- l fully hidden. were French and Amer ican detached posts, sentries and ma
 chine gunners kept a silent and tense lockout for any enemy movement, Iwhile specially selected observers re- corded the fall and explosion of Amer
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