Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-14
AMERICAN TROOPS CAPTURE
ONE THOUSAND GERMANS

be out OF II. and the Kaiser can 20 to
Hades, for all they care.
I was present when three Germa
officers were being questioned. An
American officer said t0 them:
You know, we Americans are noe
! fighting the German people; we are
hghtins the German Government"
| Instantly the three officers said in
unison:
| "Das ist zines"
One Of these officers before the war
had been a school teacher.
Boche Losse. 80 Per Cent
The manner In which the German reGi-
ments have been cut up IL shown BY the
| fact that among the members Of one
company were men wearing uniforms Of
six regiments. The men said the last
ten days losses in regiments in front OF
the Americans had heen SO per cent.
There was one mild-looking German
who. before the war. had been q ladies'
tailor In Berlin. He had evidently made
up his mind to be nsrcely angry. But
after his treatment by the Americans
he wen. ahead and told ali he knew. and
appeared most grateful when told. in
response to q question, that the Ameri-
cans did not intend to shoot him.
Another used to- be a waiter in a
London hotel. He said their officers told
them the Americans couldn't hght.
Now we know you can fight" he ex-
planned.
One youth took il upon himself to ex-
press gratitude at being captured by the
Americans. He said last fall recruiting
officers went to his home after him
when his mother said he was not nine
teen. but eighteen. Then he said his
father objected, when the German on
GERS told his mother she was lying.
whereupon the officers shot and killed
both his parents. 1t seems hard to be-
lieve such stupidity, but we have seen
enough boche treatment of human beings
to believe any story Of atrocities on the
part Of German officers
Although many men concurred in
saying the officers told them the Amerl-
cans took no prisoners. the interesting
fact is that two letters from German
mothers were found on them. advising
them to be captured by, Americans,
which would be better than throwing
away their lives vainly fighting to the
death for the Kaiser. The captured men
were very glad to fnd that their mothers
were right \
All the captured men seemed obsessed
with the idea that the war would end
this year The idea evidently has been
well drilled into them by their officers.
Get German Artillery
/. The four days victorious fight for
possession OF the important Bois de Bel
laau. northwest OF Chateau-Thierry. re-
suited in the capture, besides the pris-
oners mentioned, Of two German field
guns-77's-and thirty machine guns.
besides some small mortars This was
the first capture of artillery of the Ger
mans by Americans I'D.
believe that when the history Of the
war is written the American capture OF
the Bois de Belieau will be ranked
among the neatest pieces Of military |
work Of the conflict. -.
Five days ago. after the capture OF
the town Of Bouresches. the Americans
started the task of taking away the
Bois de Belleau from the Germans. In |
the rush at Bouresches they had been
unable to secure the rocky strongholds
in the woods and passed on. leaving
many nests Of machine guns there, which
afterward kept. up a harassing fire. The
Americans several times made big raids
into the woods. clearing out part Of the
Germans. but the nsxt day the Germaps
would reappear with a harassing hre.
Despite strong artillery work, the
Germans seemed able to stay there.
On Sunday rain of extra heavy
artillery fire began on the woods. This
was kept up all Sunday night and Mon
day. On Monday, night the fire was re-
doubled and the woods literally araRed
with lines Of shell FIRE.
At about 3 o'clock Monday morning
the marines started. as soon as the ar
tiliery Are was stopped. TO 60 through
those woods. At the nearer edge Of the
woods, devastated by our shell fire, they
encountered little opposition. A little
further on the Germans made small
stand, but were completely routed that
is, those who were not killed. BY this
time the marines were fairly started
on their way They swept forward,
clearing out machine-gurf nests with
rine fire. bayonets and hand srenades.
Turned Guns on Boehes
The Germans started in headlong
flight when the Americans seized two
machine guns and turned them on their
opponents with terrific effect The Ger
mans soon tired OF this. and those near
est the Americans began surrenderins
In the meanwhile the marines kept up
the chase.
While this was EoinG on the Amer
leans pretty much surrounded the woods,
and the Germans, fleeing from some Of
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