Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-21
Big AIR BATTLE
IS NOW AWAITED
Meantime American Boys
Amuse Themselves by
"Potting Sausages"
LUKE GETS TWO MORE
By CAMERON MACKENZIE
Special Cable TO Erening Public Ledger
Copyright. 1913. bv Nerr York Times Co.
With the American Army. Sent 21

Special Gable to Euening Public Ledger
Copyright. 1918. bv Nerr York Times Co.
with the American Army, Sept. 81.
Overclouded, rai9-laden days continue
to impede aerial activity along the st.
Mihiel front. There are encounters
sharp and vicious fights of the sky
even as below there are raids and small
attacks and counter-attacks But one
watches in vain for that great battle
Of the air which the flying legions
secreted here behind both the American
and German lines would make possible.
and meanwhile the irrepressible boys of
the United States flying force are
working off their animal spirits by such
diversions. as sausage" potting.
Thursday n young American. Lieuten-
ant Luke. brought down two enemy
balloOns.t which made his total eleven
for four days Jolly good :" exclaimed
one of his Yankee friends. which hints
at one type of result that the co-opera-
ticn Of the British Independent air force
with the Americans is having
As for the military situation IL seems
to have resolved itself in this i'm
mediate sector into a sort Of slow back
ward craving movement by the enemy
from his immediate permanent posi-
tions Just in front of the Hindenburg
line up toward the line itself There is
plenty of sound opinion that declares
that at this point. too. the Germans
are likely to 60 behind their ancient
system Of defenses All that can really
he said is that they have not yet done
go
In the interim the actual warfare on
this front is being conducted by op-
,f ha ,,Ly cd nj
The guns keep necessarily A. it--hig
guns and little guns--wth the great
nreponderance of fire coming from the
American side
Much Of the American fire is in the
direction 1f Metz. that immemorially
fortified town. the capital Of German
Lorraine The city itself has not been
hombarded. but the ffteenmile girdle of
fortified town. the capital OF German
has the network of railroads leading
into il and an important bridge which
used to span the MoseIle near the city
The bridge is now gone.
It was for several days the chief tar
get for the Americans and has COL
Iapsed within twenty-four hours.
The return fire from the enemy has
not been particularly vigorous. Once a
heavy battery opened up from within
one of the forts. but under the torrential
American Counter-fire ii became silent
within twenty minutes and remained like
some lmpudert child that has been
harshly reproved. meek and entirely
QuieScent ever since
Many and strange are the things dis
covered in the cd curiosity shop of the
ST. Mihel pocket camoufaged stove
pipes have been found mounted in for
mer German positions and pointing to-
ward what had been the American lines
Papier-mache mortars have been hauled
out Of the old intrenchments.
Other evidences of the enemys dire
impoNeriShment of materials have been
brought to light, but none more bizarre
than kind Of trojan horse of the west
ern front. II is a wooden tank equipped
inside with nothing save eight handle
bars by which it could be propelled. 1t
was found abandoned no great distance
from 'rriauCourt.
American shell fire had sadly ruined
IT, hut. nevertheless. 1t was still an elo-
quent witness to what it must have
meant to the Germans to give up the
vast supplies Of every kind that they
were compelled by the Americans in the
course of recent operations to surrender