Middletown transcript., 1918-02-09
AMERICAN FORCES
IN BIG GUN DUEL
:.
On Their Own Battle Front in
France. +
WRECK ENEMY DUG OUTS
Their Aviators Baked In At
tempt To Get Behind
The Line.

American Army in France.-A Ger
man barrage fire at shutdown Saturday
night opened the heaviest lombard
ment of many days along the Amer
lean sector, the American artillery re-
plying shell for shell as the firing OF
the heavy guns spread along several
kilometres of front.
| Two Americans were killed and nine
wounded during the bombardment,
and one suffered shell shock.
The American gunners wrecked sew
eral of the enemy dugouts and so
badly damaged the first-line positions
that at one point the Germans were
unable to occupy them.
| When the bonbardment had reached
its greatest intensity, the Germans
suddenly conc: ntrated their fire at two
points, throwing about $50 shells into
a town in which the headquarters of
a certain regiment are located, and
which heretofore had been immune to
enemy fire.
After the bombardment, wounded
American soldier was discovered in a
position where it was necessary to
carry him over trench top to field
dressing station. A Medical Corps man
displayed the Red Cross, and the Ger
mans cceased firing until the man was
removed.
Early in the day an American was
wounded by sniper.
American Army in France.-Ameri-
can troops now are occupying sector
of the Lorraine front in France. T is
announcement is permitted by the
military censor.
The whole American sector is re-
sounding with the boom of guns. Air
men became exceedingly active along
the American front Oh Saturday.
Enemy shippers wounded two Ameri-
cans.
A shift of the wind cleared away
the mist which has hindered aerial
operations and other activities for sew
eral days. A number of battles in the
air were fought by patrolling planes.
In one instance the French aviators
defeated an attempt of German fliers
to cross behind the American trenches.
The artillery and snipers also have
become increasingly active. American
75s are harrassing traffic behind the
enemy trenches. The Germans are
combining their fire largely to the
American trenches.
Throughout Friday night machine
guns ratified ceaselessly from German
positions.
The French commander Of sausage
balloon squadron, who was an artillery
officer at Verdun during the heaviest
fighting and who also participated in
tie Somme offensive, declared that the
work Of certain American batteries at
the front was almost perfect" He
was particularly pleased with the work
done by American guns in firing on a
German position in a wood. which he
u
The fact that American troops were
in the trenches in Lorraine was re-
vealed by the German War Office three
months ago. At that time, according
to an official German announcement,
the Americans were on the front at
the Rhine4Marne canal, which inter
sects the battle line near the German
border, due east of Nancy. This an
nouncement was made in the official
report from Berlin of the first Ger
man raid on the American positions,
in which three Americans were killed,
five wounded and twelve captured.
The eastern end of the battle line
in France and Belgium runs through
French and German Lorraine. French
Lorraine, in which Is the American
sector, is included in the Departments
Of Meuse, the capital Of which is Yer
dun; Meurthe-et-Moselle, whose cap
ital of Nancy, and Vosges, with the
capital at Epinal. The length of the
front in French Lorraine is about $50
miles.
This section of the battle line ex-
tends into the Meuse from the Marine
near St. Monehould, and runs east
ward to the north of Verdun, south
Of St. Mihiel and east to the German
border. There it turns to the south
east. and almost parallels the border
to the vicinity of Leintry. Below
Leintry it cuts across section of
French soil, past Badonviller and
Senones and to the east of st. Die,
and again crosses the German border
at a point west of Colmar. The re-
mainder of the line to the Swiss boun-
Diary is in Germany.
Since the battle of Verdun there has
been no fighting of great Importance
along this front For the most part it
runs through high and broken country.
Since the present battle line was
established early in the war there has
been comparatively little activity on
the front to the east of the Verdun
sector, the nature of the country max
ing large operations impracticable.
FINED FOR PRoFITEERlNG.