The sun., 1918-08-08
GERMANS PIN HOPE
ON MACHINE GUNS
Americans Show Desperate
Courage in Cleaning
Out Nests.
EXCEL IN HAND TO HAND
Single Soldiers Charge Into
Face Of Masked Fire and
Rout Crews.

PsJHc Ledger.
Copyright. 1918; oil rights rcscrred.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE,
Aug. 7.--Machine guns, which have
practically supplanted rifles with the
Germans. are undoubtedly the bane of
cur soldiers, yet the Americans throw
themselves against this pernicious
weapon with almost superhuman au-
dac.ty.
These "Kugeispitzh" set up in rocky
nests, clunrs OF bushes. clusters OF trees
! or along ridges commanding fields of un-
cut grpin and handled by experienced
gunners who retain their presence OF
mind offer the most desperate type OF
resistance before their opponents can
come to hand to hand conflicts, where
the superiority OF our fresh, well fed
troops always manifests itself.
/ have come across countless instances
where our boys have tossed aside tho
! traditions Of warfare by rushing the
venomous machine guns without there
having been any previous artillery prep
arat!on. Lieut.. Harry Yagle OF Dundee.
H., while dggtng in with his men be-
fore reaching his Anal objective was
caught by enfilading fire Of machine
guns in a sunken road $50 yards away.
with Sergeant Krank Kotjune OF Chi
caGo and two Frenchmen he charged the
machine gun position. capturing the
guns and eight prisoners.
Corporal Henry Zyburt and Private
Justin Swerebel. both from Illinois. wan
dered alone into machine gun nests and
| after disposing of the handlers gained
possession Of the enemy weapon. Cor
poral Albert Painesipp of Batavia. ILL.,.
! singlehanded attacked a machine gun
was turned point blank at him he made
| lunge for 1t. upsettiny 1t. Without
losing his nerve he changed tactics. hurl-
| ing hand grenades among the crew, scat
tering and killing the Germans and saw
ing our advancing lines from heavy
| thanking fire.
Corporal John Desmidt. Chicago. find
F, ing his platoon under demoralxing fire.
crept forward through the grass and
alone located and seized a rasping ma
chine gun. He forced the surviving
Germans to carry their gun into our
| lines.
Private Fred p. wiliRs OF Casper,
Wyo.. unaided bombed an enemy ma
chine gun crew who were firing upon our
| troops and captured the gun.
Corporal Thomas A. Pope of Illinois
| was ordered to restore one OF our adj
vanced posts after the enemy had cap
tured It, He rushed a hostile machine
gun alone. and after getting into the
| German nest ne fought the entire crew
with his bayonet, and a minute later
when help arrived he was in full posses
sion, with the Germans dead or
| wounded.
Tank vs.. Gun Nest.
Sergeant Andrew J. Erhardt OF lii
| nos when his line was held up earned
a unique distinction by crossing a shell
swept field to an armored tank. Acting
In conjunction with our troops he drove
| the tank over to machine gun nest
that had been holding up our advance
and cleaned II out
| Corporal Andrew Schabinger Of Chill
Gothic. Ill. mopped UP a town we hat
entered. leading his platoon into tn
second floors OF houses from which
enemy machine guns were firing. Cor
poral Raymond Powell OF Joliet III,
gained distinction by leading his platoon
against an enemy machine gun position