Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1918-09-21
AMERICAN Guns
SHELL METZ; z
TOWNS TAKEN
Gain on Four-Mile Front, Pene-
trate to Foes Third Bat
tie Line.
HUNS TO ATTACK IN VOSGES
Intense Artillery Activity and Extraor-
binary Amount of Signaling
Presages Blow Against
Yanks.

With the American Army in the
Vosges, Sept. 17-Artillery activity of
an intensity to suggest a possible at
! tack, or an expected attack, occurred
| in the Vosges. 1t was accompanied by
an extraordinary amount of signaling.
Enemy airplanes were unusually ac-
tive. Ten flew over st. Die and 20
over Gerardmer.
(The Vosges sectors lie approximate
| " 20 miles southeast of st. Mihiel on
| the Alsace front.)
U. S. Men Await Attack.
With the American Forces on the
Lorraine Front, Sept. 17.-Aside from
slightly increased activity during the
morning the day thus far has been
largely devoted TO patrolling by both
| sides.
The Germans seemingly are holding
the Hindenburg line. from which they
are sending out patrols, while the
Americans and French, encamped
few miles on this side, continue to
| feel out the line by the same method.
| (Today's Berlin statement places the
American line from west to east as
running through Fresnes, st. Htlaire,
| Houmont, Rembercourt, and Rappes
forest. This forest Is two miles south
west of Pagny, on the Moselle river)
German infantry has been observed
consolidating positions at La Chaus-
see as If in preparation fer counter
attack. but none so far has developed.
Near this point the enemy is occupy
Ing shell holes.
The German artillery fire is limited
chiefly to guns of the II and 100 milli-
meter caliber, but many of the shells
are 'duds."
The Germans also are active in con-
structing machine gun nests at va
rNous points of the line.
Intense aerial activity marked the
operations.
The Germans have not resisted
minor movements calculated TO consol-
idate the American line which now has
become firmly fixed.
Yanks Shell Metz.
Paris, Sept. 1.-THE battle in Lor-
raine has entered into it's second
phase, and thus began an entirely new
chapter of the whole war, chapter
which promises TO bring the fms of
the world holocaust measurably nearer.
1t is too early to say that Battle
of Metz" has begun. The great Ger
man Lorraine fortress has been, how
| nrAfrn
Smelling all day.
Straghtens Out Front.
The American right wing swung for
ward on a four-mile front, capturing
two import ant villages, Villecy and
Norroy, thus strengthening out the
front facing the German-Lorraine bor-
der. In the center the advance was be-
tween two and three miles on the 33-
mile front between the Cote de Lor-
raine and the Moselle. At some places
the Americans are in contact with the
Germans in the latter's third line bat
tie positions.
Crush Foe Attack
The American left smashed the first
German counter-attack attempted since
the offensive began. 1t was crushed
in its incipiency, despite the fury with
which the infantry flung itself against
the Yankee positions, and despite the
profusion of shells and gas that pre-
pared the thrust.
I'VE repulsed the attack before 1t
reached our lines" is the way the cor
respondent at the front puts ii.
In addition to the two villages. the
Americans cleared out two heavily-de-
Tended woods and captured the great
err part of another
French Make Gains.
Paris, Sept. 1.-THE town of Vailly
on the north bank of the Alsne east
of Scissors, has been captured by the
French, the war office announced.
The French have continued their
progress between the Disc and the
Aisne and captured Mont des Singes.
British Continue Advance.
With the British Forces in France,
Sept. 17-Field Marshal Haigs forces
continued their steady Improvement of
the British line at numerous point.
The most important gains recorded
were in the Ypres-Comines canal sec
tor, where an advance of about 1000
yards was achieved in the neghbor-
hood of the canal. and in the Havrin-
court zone. where posts were estab-
lished along the Canal du Nord, to the
east of Demiecourt, thereby giving
the aggressors a better position for
future operations should they be I'M
dertaken.
| The German artillery has main-
tanned a steady Commandment at Hav-
rincourt and in the surrounding terri
tory