Evening star., 1918-05-22
Severe Punishment inflicted.
U. S. Forces Victors in
Lively Patro! Actions.
LIEUT.. TAYLOR WINS
FIERCE FIGHT IN AIR
Boche Dropped 5000 Meters-Capt
Peterson Sends Down Another.
Several Clashes Reported.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
FRANCE, Tuesday, May 21-The
American artillery northwest of Toul
launched a sudden and terrific local
gas attack upon the German positions
and cantonments within the Gere-
champ wood early today. Severe pun
ishment was inflicted upon the enemy
How great is not yet known. The
deluge of American shells fell in three
waves and within a half hour the
woods in which it is known many Ger
mans were sleeping had been drenched
with large quantity of poisonous gas
"In the course of reconnaissance
eombats, in Lorraine, we captured pris-
eners," says the official statement is
sued from American headquarters to-
night. 'Here and in the Woevre the
artillery of both sides showed consid-
cradle activity"
In lively patrol actions Monday
night and this morning east of Lune-
Vile German parties were twice de-
feated by the Americans, who captured
two prisoners
Germans Are Rushed.
An officer and twenty men while ex-
ploring the area northwest of Ancer-
villers. east of Luneville sighted four
enemy nafrols ana oSta hJ;shaa $4,000
with one of them. The enemy party.
numbering sixteen, took up a posi-
tion in an unused trench from which
they were driven by the rifle and
grenade firing of the Americans The
Germans were then rushed by the
Americans, who took two prisoners,
one so badly wounded that he died
iater: There were no casualties on
the American side.
Four hours later an enemy patrol
made q bold attempt to rush one of
our outposts, but was driven of. One
German was killed and his body was
brought back to the American lines
Tor Identification purposes.
Cut High-Tension Cable.
troll traversed the Apremont-Varne-
willie road and found high tension
cable used for charging the enemy
wire. They cut the cable and brought
back large section of it.
Another patrol came on a German
sharp fighting resulted. The Ameri-
cans used their pistols rifles and
hand grenades effectively and the
Germans were forced to retire
A corporal named Klick. from a
. New England state, carried on a per
sonal patrol late yesterday after
noon. He crawled to the enemy wire
to investigate what he thought was
periscope and saw German step
up to the firing trench Bullets were
exchanged, but the American returned
safely across no mans land.
Wins Desperate Air Battle.
Lieut.. William H Taylor of New
York chased a German bipiane from
the American lines to over Pagny-
sur -Moselle, north OF Ponta- a-Mousson,
today. and defeated the boche in a
desperate fight 5000 meters in the
air.
A bullet from the enemy machine
barely missed Lieut.. Taylor, and
punctured a wing of his airplane. A
second later the lieutenant saw one
of his tracer bullets penetrate the
fuselage of the enemy machine where
the observer was working a machine
gun, and there was no more fire from
the German.
Lieut.. Taylor continued to fire at
the German pilot, and after $50 shots
had been fired. most of them at about
seventy yards. the enemy machine
went spinning toward the earth in a
nose dive.
Several Other Fights.
In addition to Lieut.. Taylor's fight,
there were several others in the
bright sunny skies today. Two
American aviators chased the enemy
machines to Thiaucourt and there at
tackled them. One of the America N
pilots fired from directly under the
tail of German machine. which
went spinning toward the ground
from 1000 meters to 500 wnere il
was seen to straighten out and es-
cape.
Capt. Peterson's Feat.
Capt David Peterson, OF Eonesdale.
Pa. after long chase, sent down a
German two-seater airplane wabbIing
and diving to the ground in the
neighporhood of Chateau Salins to-
day. The aviator pursued the enemy
machine for forty kilometers along
the battle line. and then chased him
twelve kilometers behind the German
lines be1ore ne succeeded in attacking
him from beneath. The Germans dive
to the ground followed promptly.
Capt. Elall in Germany.
Capt. James Norman Hall, of CoIfax
Iowa, who has been missing since
May T. is wounded and a nrtsoner il,
a German hospital
Capt. Hall. who is attached to the
American aviation corps. disappeared
after an aerial engagement over the
German lines.