New-York tribune., 1918-09-09
Foes Shells Fall Behind
Doughboys, Own in
Front of Them
Grenades Break Up
German Gun Nests
Enemy Adds Treachery to
Retreat by Planting
Death Traps
By Wilbur Forrest
Especial Gable to The Tribuncl


WITH THE AMERICAN FORCES,
Sept. SHIELDING to the steady press
urc of Mangin's army from the north
west, the Germans rapidly are evacuat-
ing the region Immediately north of the
Aisne. Their main forces already have
withdrawn beyond the Chemin des
Danes and taken up their old positions
below in the valley of the Ailette.
Light forces and machine gunners,
however, to-day still are doggedly stick
ing along the Aisne Canal, and the
region beyond the river and the canal
was studded here and there with ma,
chine gun nests firing from behind the
temporary security of the two narrow
waterways.
| saw heavy wagons again to- day
crawling up over, the heights beyond
the Aisne. Powerful glasses showed
that it was Boche moving day.
Franco American light forces now
have reached the Aisne where they are
encountering shellfire from the guns on
the opposite side of the Chemin des
Danes and heavy machine gun fire
from rearguards.
Advance Between Barrages
Friday afternoon the American ar
tillery placed barrage ahead of our
troops, who were advancing on the viii
lage of Glennes, where the enemy had
taken advantage of small wood near
the village to place considerable num-
Der of machine guns.
German observers across the Aisne,
evidently believing it was a serious at
tempt to cross the river, directed their
cannon, light and heavy, to place bar
rage on the American columns which
were advancing in open order The
doughboys had the unique experience
Of advancing inclosed in two barrages,
their own in front of them and the en-
emy's falling behind them.
When Glennes was reached the ma
chine guns not knocked out by our fire
were rounded up with doughboys' gren-
AIDES. Several prisoners were taken.
saw the doughboys going forward at a
slow walk behind our barragc, and then
they got cut off from my view by the
enemy's fire curtain, which proved to be
more spectacular than harmful.
Death Traps Planted
The retreating Germans have not for
gotten to add treachery to their re-
treats. Many common death traps have
been found. learned in Bazoches to-
day that German helmet was found
lying conspicuously in the main road
way attached by wires to heavy mines
buried in the ground.
Another new and more ingenious trap
was found in a dugout in hill above
the town. nicely upholstered sofa, a
table neatly covered with tapestry
cloth, on which stood a vase of arti
fetal flowers; a few chairs and a carpet
on the floor were the furnishings of
this underground home, which appar-
emily had been occupied by some Ger
man officer. A place arranged 80 daint-
lily aroused suspicion. An Investigation
revealed that contact wires inside Of
the sofa would have detonated explo-
sives powerful enough to tear out the
side of the hill if some one had Welded
10 the temptation to sit down.
Shovels propped against the walls If
houses also were found to be connected
with explosives. American troops arc
s. h i
ing an advance until it has been marked
"Safe" by American engineers, whose
business is to deal with death traps.