Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-10-29
AMERICAN ARMY ACTIVITIES.
Since August They Have Made Won.
derful Showing.


In the first major operation against
the Germans. considering the clearing
out of the st. Mihiel salient as local
affair, the American army in few
days less than a month has liberated
more than 45 villages and advanced to
an average depth OF 10 miles. freeing
lies miles Of territory. In the offen-
sive the Americans have captured
more than 10000 prisoners.
The Americans attacked on u front
Of 20 miles from the Argonne to the
Meuse and the advance has been made
in the face of almost insurmountablc
difficulty. due particularly to the ma
ture Of the ground, which is covered
with hills, deep ravines and woods In
addition the Americans had fronting
them four organized systems Of trench
es-the Hindenburg line, the Hagen
position, the Volker position and the
Kriemhilde position. They have fore
ed their way through all thrs" lines
Ahead Of them lies the Freya posi-
ton, which has been reached ut one
point in the region Of the Bantheville
wood.
The advance has been particularly
difficult because the Germans have
stubbornly resisted every foot OF the
way and have used more than SO diri-
sions on the 20-mile front. The enemy
continues to make a formidable effort
to hold their front in order to protect
his great lateran line Of communica-
ton running through Herson, MeZl-
81. Nd
This line Is already threatened and
should the Germans lose II, they will
lose their main line Of communication
| from Germany into occupied France.
In addition TO the prisoners, Cen
eral Pershing's men have taken more
than 1877 guns, Of large calibcr, nu-
merous machine guns and anti-tank
guns, a great store of ammunition and
much war material, including locono-
tives and railway cars.
Since September 20 the Americans
have fired more than 100000 shells.
the number ut times reaching as high
AS 10000 daily. The guns used In
cluded great number OF heavy ones.
and also some captured from the en-
cmy.
American aviators and anti-aircraft
guns in the period since September "a
have brought down 23O enemy ma
chimes and % enemy balloons de
spite adverse flying conditions and bad
weather at times. Bombing airplanes
dropped more than 10000 Kilograms
of explosives on railroad ccnters. troop
concentrations and other points be-
hind the enemy lines.
From the view of the engineer, the
most difficult task faced has been the
repairing of roads and the movement
OF supplies. men. ammunition and food
to the front. More than 10000 en-
gineer troops are employed day and
night rebuilding shell-shattered roads.
using where possible. crushed rock
from villages destroyed by the German
shells.
In the Argonne. hundreds Of yards
Of German barbed wire entanglements
fastened from tree to tree at various
heights. had to he bridgcd as II
was impossible to cut them. In addi-
ton, many Of the roads in the Argonne
were OF black loan which became
morass in rainy weather. The cngi-
neers were compelled to virtually
build bridges over many miles OF these
roads. The crossing of Forgcs brook
was accomplished in the first day Of
the advance under a heavy fire. The
brook runs through the marshy lands
and in order to bridge II the engineers
had to lay bundles Of faggots on both
sides OF the stream. The crossing
was made in record time and then be-
gan the battle OF the Nrgonnc which
lasted for more than two weeks.