Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-22
AMERICANS. DRIVE
/. HUNSFROMFRONT
AND SECOND LINES
Part of Sector East of Lune-
vile Destroyed by Artillery
Fire From U. S. Gunners.
PATROL LATER FINDS THAT
GERMANS ARE WIPED OUT
Enemy Group Deserts on Part of
Line Near Toul, Giving Ameri-
cans Much Information.

By the Associated Press,

By the Associated Press
WITH THE. AMERICAN ARMY IN
FRANCE, Thursday, March el-Enemy
first and second line positions on part
Of the sector east of Luneville have-been
destroyed completely by American ar
tillery fire. After the raid into the
tGerman positions last night the Ameri-
can gunners shelled the positions heavily
all night and this morning.
| Today a patrol, without assistance
from the artillery, crossed no man's-land
and found that the first and. second lines
had been wiped out The patrol also
obtained additional information and re-
turned without casualties, the Germans
apparently having decided not to molest
them
Artillery firing by, both. sides on this
sector continued all day.
On the sector northwest of Toul
| number of Germans deserted last night
and SURRENDERED to an American patrol
in a certain wood The Germans ap-
preached the Americans shouting:
Don't shoot," The prisoners were
turned oyer to the French.
Much Information OF value was OBJ
tanned from, the deserters, who said
tthey were fed up with the war and
decided they would rather be prisoners.
Included in the information obtained
from the men was the statement that
the American lines February 81 900 pro-
| jectors were employed. One-half the
pro5ectiles fired fell. within the German
lines and the gas overcame many of the
| the deserters, eleven Germans were
killed and thirty wounded while taking
out the dead.
Doubt Truth Of Story.
American intelligence officers are in.
clined to doubt the story regarding 900
projectors. American INFORMATION is
that only seventy five were used.
| An American patrol last night enter
ed the enemy first line and remained
| there six hours, but did not see any of
the enemy. 1t is reported that the Ger
! mans recently had constructed trenches
! side.
| Great activity continues behind the
i enemy lines. Within the last four days
number of rock crushers and concrete
| are signs that the Germans intend to
construct number of new pill boxes
| opposite the American front.
Several trains OF material have ar
| rived at towns in the German lines dur
| ing the last twenty-feur hours.
! Today's reports. say that three Ger-
4 man airplanes few over various parts
OF the American front line at daybreak
and fired their machine~guns on our
positions. Their efforts. however, were
! without result.
/ Raid During Darkness.
/. The raid into the German position
east of Luneville last night by Ameri-
can and French troops was carried out
under cover Of darkness and as a misty
haze began to roll in over the hills
facing the American lines on that par
ticular portion OF the sector.
From an observation station high in
a treetop the correspondent watched
| the artillery preparation. II began soon
after dusk. orange bursts OF flame
she wing in certain places In the wood
| round about. From the 1lillsides across
the valley the German guns retaIiated.
/ For more than half an hour the bril-
liant blush white fash of, their guns
was IKE jumping electric spark here
i and there. Soon the reports Of the ex-
p19 pdo1sa92ns s became deafening roar which
far anc ssor came into action. This
1 was the time for the barrage. From
the spot where the shells fell q con-
stsnt red glow. showed through the
darkness. At the same time the Ger
! map guns increased their fire
AS the barrage lifted, the roar be-
came quiet just at the moment the
Americans and French went over the
top: Soon nearly all the firing ceased
and almost Immediately tina staccato
rattle OF machine guns and automatic
| rifles began. Occasionally rifle fire broke
| in and then all was fairly quiet for
nearly half an hour except for oc-
casional bursts of rifle fire and short
bursts OF automatic riffes-
4 The first members of the raidin1
party to return to the American first
line were the stretcher bearers.
Dugouts Are Blown Up.
When all the raiders had returned
dull explosions sounded from within
the enemy lines. and occasionally there
I were bursts of rian,e, Showing whore
dugouts were being blown up. 80
4 The rafding party -canfst back mud
stained, and some were smeared with
blood. They reported they had secured
4 no prisoners because the Germans had
fed as the Americans and French
the Germans were shot while they
4 were trying to get away and others
| were killed by the American shells
OnerGerman who had placed himself
between the first and second lines with
an automatic rihe was, discovered by
him. The German turned to draw =
ireyolvers The American, whose home
Is in New York, pfemptly killed hirn
apd vent on farther into the enemy
- p.trol Est much insor1pIitloa 1 .ad.