The sun., 1918-09-17
Heavy Firing in the VOsges
Indicates Attack May BE
Made in AlSace.
FRENCH MAKE NEW GAIN
British Also Advance Their
Lines in Flanders and in
Cambria Region.

PAR1S, sept. IO.-l1e NilleTlCan
First Army operating in Lorraine ad-
vanced slowly today without fighting
over nearly all of the front across
the old st. Mihiel salient. There is
an intermediate region of some two
or three miles betweCS the American
and the German lines. and in this
area parties from both armies are
operating, each side endeavoring to
feel out and determine the dispoSl-
tiOns of the other. The Germans
have made no counter attack and the
Americans are cdging forward, i'm
proving their positions without moles-
tation.
In the afternoon there was more
artillery activity, by the Germans.
which by night became quite strong.
1t was returned in kind and in
double measure by the American
guns. 1t was noticed that an unusu-
ally large proportion of the German
shells were duds; that is, they failed
to explode.
Heavy Firing in Alsace.
At the same time there was unusually
heavy gun firing in the Nosges district.
far to the southeast. which finally
reached such an intensity. the AS
Sociated Press observer in that region
reports. as to suggest either an ap-
DrO1chinr ht ha
the fear Of an American attack. 1t
was accompanied by an extraordinary
amount of signalling and many air
planes appeared in the sky: ten flew
over st. Die. the observer says, and
twenty over another town.
Activity on the fronts In Picardy and
Flanders is increasing somewhat with
an Improvement in the weather, and
important gains were made both by
the French and the British. all OF a
kind that will be of material assistance
when the armies resume their active
advance.
Rhine Towns Are bombed.
The Associated Press correspondent
with the American army on the Lorraine
front says that British airplanes, which
are cooperating with American squad
rons on this front. flew far back of the
enemy lines to-day and bombed airdromes
at several places. Some OF the long dis
tance flyers passed over Karlsruhe and
Mainz. dropping Ave and half tons of
explosives.
Eleven tons OF bombs were dropped on
the airdromes at Longuyon, Boulay,
Marhange and Bohm.
French an Italian units cooperated
with American squadrons in carrying
out nine missions. In addition to which
patrollIng and Photographic work was
successfully conducted.
Enemy airplanes attacked points with
in the American lines last night. Bombs
mans used their machine guns against
that town. but with little effect.
Entire Artillery Park Captured.
Reports from different points along tho
line show that the number of guns and
the general material captured by the
Americans Is increasing. An entire arr
tillery park was captured at Jaulny.
Austrian prisoners captured by the
Americans are bitter in their denuncia-
tlon of the Germans. They accuse the
Germans OF leaving them in the lurch.
Austrian officers declare they were not
warned OF the American attack and that
repeated requests for ammunition were
ignored. The Germans. they add. gave
their entire attention to eXtricating
themselves from the salient
German infantry has been observed
consolidating positions at La Chaussee
as though in preparation for counter
attack. although none 80 far has de-
veloped. Near this point the enemy is
occupying shell holes
The German artillery Hre is limited
chiefly to guns OF IT and l05 milimeter
calibre. The Germans also are active
In constructing machine gun nests at
various points OF the line,
Knew salient CouIdn't Hold.
A German officer captured by the
Americans makes interesting revela-
tions concerning the st. Mihel salient
He says that its continued holding by
the Germans would have been and was a
piece OF unsoldierly pretentiousness
which was only persisted In from politi-
cal necessity.
He was very angry about II and as
serted that representations had been
made to the Great General Staff as to
! the impossibility of holding the salient
with the troops assigned TO 1t in the
face of the American concentration
which was known TO be taking place,
but at the time 1t was supposed that
! the occasion was not propitious for at
tacking the Germans. and any readjust-