Republican farmer., 1918-10-25
HEROISM SHOWN BY TANKS WHO
 TOOK GRANDPRE
Waded River Without Ar.
 tillery Barrage and Sur prised Foe.

With the American Army Northwest of Verdun, Oct 1S.---When it was seen Wednesday night that the Germans had effected a concentration in Ban theville Wood for a counter attack on the Cote de Chatillon, which the Americans had captured, the Ameri- can artillery opened up heavily. The pounding resulted in keeping the Ger mans in their trenches.
 Rainy weather continues to inter- fere with the operations on this front.
 The capture of Grandpre by Gen. Pershing's forces was accomplished under terrific hardships and with a heroism not hinted at in the brief of- ficial announcement of the taking of this stronghold of the Germans north of the Argonne forest.
 The Americans took the town pri- marily by outwitting the enemy---by attacking without artillery prepara- ton, which the Germans had expect ed, by wading the River Aire at four points instead of building bridges, by struggling through almost impossible mud step by step until suddenly on top of the amazed Germans and by driving them into a retreat after hand to hand fighting.
 The Americans had moved to a point within a short distance of Grandpre and the Germans had de- stroyed the bridges over the shallow Aire as they retreated. The enemy obviously expected an artillery fire to preface any further attack, for his surprise was unfeigned when the IAmericans smashed into his positions. The American attack began at six o'clock in the morning. The men moved forward in the shelter of the i forest, reaching the Aire at four points agreed upon where the stream could be forded.
 | Without attracting the attention of the Germans the Americans then reached to their waists and higher, and pushed across the stream. On the northern bank they found broad mud flats, into which they sank | half way to their knees. The Ger mans by this time had discovered their approach and opened bitter machine gun fire, but the Americans pushed steadily on. Beyond the mud banks, which they crossed slowly and with the greatest difficulty, the Amer jeans found the Germans and closed with them in a desperate bayonet hand to hand fight. Rifles often were used as clubs and each man struggled d with individual opponents.
 At il o'clock the Americans had completely overcome the enemy, had driven him into the woods north of Grandpre and were in possession of the important raiIhead
 In complete control of the Cote Cha tilon, the Americans now hold the key to the great stretches to the north and northeast.
 i In it's successful advance north of the Argonne forest Wednesday the American First Army reached Cham pignnelle, one mile noth of St. Juvin. A little farther east toward tho Mouse they gained possession of the Cote-de- Chatillon.
 i East of the Mouse the Americans moved forward in the Bois de la Grande Montague, the summit ot which they now hold. After having captured Grand Pre-, the Americans advanced their lines to the eastward and occupied Moulin-les-Pas. They surged forward until they had taken control of Loges Wood, one and a half miles north of Checieres.
 The American advance everywhere was desperately contested, especially during the crossing of the Aire river but they pressed on.
 A part of yesterdays work consisted in the consolidation of positions or
 
 | American artillery was active all day and the German guns responded free. ly. Infantry fighting, however, was limited to the left flank of this sector
 Additional evidence has been re.
 cetved from prisoners that the Ger.
 mans are putting in the best divisions
 they have in the effort to check the
 American advance.