Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-09-14
YANk ARMY WITHIN
FOUR MILES OF CITY
Attack Was Surprise to
Enemy and Forced Them
to Sacrifice Large Mum
bers of Men, Guns and
Supplies.

The American first army under
command OF General pershing is In
action against the Germans on a 90
mile front on the famous St. Mihiel
salient in Lorraine, which had stood
as a sharp wedge in the French line
southeast of Verdun since the COM
mencement Of the war.
In the preliminary thrust on Thurs
day ground was gained on both sides
of the triangle and also at its apex
at St. Mihiel and at last accounts
the Americans; with whom some
French troops are brigaded, were fast
sweeping across the salient In an ef-
fort to close the mouth of the big
pocket before the Germans can ex-
tricate themselves from the perilous
position they are In as result OF
the suddenness of the blow and the
element OF surprise II carried with 1t.
Although the advance OF the Am
ericans was swift and sure and gains
In excess of four miles on the south
ern side of the battle area were made,
the cavalry for ontstripped the tanks
and footmen and was last reported
operating along the railroad near
Vigneulles, almost In the center OF
the salient and some 10 miles north
east of st. Mihiel, and also northwest
OF Pont-a-Mousson,, through the
forests and along the railway line
running northward to Metz, the great
German outer Notifications of which
are less than 10 miles distant.
Thiaucourt, Bouillouville, Pannes
and several other towns in the south
were captured in the initial dash,
while on the west at the northern
edge OF the pocket the village of
Combres was captured and the en-
virons of Dommartin la Montague
were reached. To the south every
where the Americans penetrated into
the heights of the Meuse and the
French fought their way into the
outskirts of St Mihiel. Unofficial
reports are to the effect that the town
has been captured by the French.
The fighting front at the com
mencement of the battle aggregated
20 miles-eight miles on the western
side and IL miles on the southern
side. The fighting was preceded by
an extremely heavy artillery bonn
bardment and the troops and tanks
advanced under barrage which was
carried out with mathemati al pre-
cision. From the war maps 1t would
seem almost impossible for the Ger
mans to evacuate the salient as they
apparently are trying to do without
huge losses in men and material.
The first reports show that the Am
orleans took 700 prisoners In the
first stages of the battle and had suf-
fered remarkably small casualties.
The strategy of Marshal Foch in
the present maneuver cannot be fore
seem except that 1t has as the first
objective the leveling of the st.
Mihiel sector and the strengthening
of the allied line from the region OF
Verdun eastward The obliteratiol
of the salient would be possible.
Whether Marshal Foch has in view
up the Meuse valley or TO
Metz and the Moselle valley remains
to be seen.
In the north Field Marshal Haig
Is still hard after the Germans in
the region OF Cambrai Here he
again has advanced his front toward
the much desired German base; pene-
trated into the old British defense
line; crossed the Canal du Nord
north of Hayrincourt; taken Havrin-
,ourt and another section of the
line and sent 1000 Ger
mans into the British prison cages
In the rear The Germans fought
hard at Havrincourt to stay the
British, but all their counter attacks
we're beaten off,