Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-31
AMERICANS GAIN
SCISSORS AREA
With French Comrades Ad-
vance on Plateau Despite
Savage Attacks
BEAT PRUSSIAN CHARGE
Germans Make Desperate Ef.
forts to Gust u. S. Troops
From Fismette
By EDWIN L. JAMES

Special Cable to Evening Public Ledger
Copyright, 1918. bv Netc YORK Times Co.
With the American Army, Aug. 81.
The American troops. fighting side
by side with the French north of
lS~oissoi1s, are maintaining constant and
telling pressure against the army Of
General o Boehm. Rushed into the
battle three hours after getting into
the sector, in an hour and a half they
had made a good advance. reaching
the narrow gauge railroad running
from Chavigny, northwest Of Juvigny.
Their presence there brought savage
counter-attacks by the Seventh Ger
man Division of Prussians. Despite
these attacks the Americans main.
tanned good gains. Our guns are
constantly pounding the German posi-.
lions. and for miles in front Of our
lines can be seen black smoke arising
from many points within the German
lines.
Interrogation Of prisoners shows
h a the American appearance in the
line was a complete surprise to the
Germans. Among the Americans
fighting in this sector is a unit which
the French have christened (deleted
ny censor) and the Americans are
proud of the title.
Meanwhile local fighting of an in
tense nature continues along the
Vesle. The Germans in the last
t~wenty.four hours have taken the
initiative and hurled several attacks
against our positions north of. the
river, including a strong attempt at
F'ismette, lying north of Irismes. The
Germans claim, in last nights COM
munique, to hold it. Their object,
it is known, was to put the Americans
back across the river, but today our
line still lies north Of the river at the
points where the Germans attacked,
md our positions have undergone no
ing to watch to see who holds Fismes
and Fismette next week.
With the American Army, Aug. 20
delayed.
Leaping into a new attack three
hours after reaching their sector, a
small unit of American troops at
tackled the Germans this morning in
n local operation north of Scissors.
The fighting is continuing. The at
lacking Americans were a complete
surprise to the Germans. who had
the French opposed to them at mid.
night. and seven hours later found
our doughboys.
The Americans are fighting with
General Mangin's Tenth French
Army. with which other American
troops fought so successfully n short
distance away to the south OF Sois.
sons in the attack starting July IS.
The Americans who hit the Ger
mans this morning were brought from
Under cover of the dense darkness
last night they were taken to the
front line to relieve the French troops.
The relief was completed at 4:10
o'clock, and at 7 o'clock the Ameri.
cans attacked with the French on
either side. Our troops were sand.
wiched between two famous French
shock units.
Our men took prisoners fifteen
minutes after they started. BY 9
o'clock more than $50 prisoners had
been counted and more were coming
in. There were officers among the
prisoners, who expressed h greatest
surprise that the Americans had at.
tackled them, This is the first time
this German division--the Seventh d.
vision of Prussians-has been against
Americans. and they said that at first
they thought them to be British.
One officer said ne had been in Ber-
lin ten days ago and that the people
were very much discounted over the
turn the war has taken. He himself
believed the war would now end in
negotiation. The German prisoners,
as a whole. are above the average.
German Artillery Negligible
The attack in which the Americans
took part was preceded by twelve hours
Of artillery preparation. During all this
Smelling very few'boche shells came over.
In fact, the German artillery work was
negligible, indicating that their guns had
been Withdrawn. The Americans were
assisted in the attack by small tanks,
both male and female, which did great
work tearing up machine-gun nests. A
German lieutenant commanding machine
gun detachments, which were captured
entirely, said the first thing he knew
the Americans swarmed over the en-
! bankment on both sides of his position
opd tbere was nothing for him IN do