The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1918-10-30
AMERICANS CLEAR
l66 SQUARE: MILES
Advance Ten Miles and Liberate Over
As Villages
IN LESS THAN ONE MONTH
Results of First Major Ope, alton of
Troops From the United
States

With the American Army, North
west Of Verdun, Oct. 26.-In its first
major operation against the Germans,
onsidering the clearing out of St.
II Mihiels' salient as q local affair, the
American army in a few days less
than month has liberated more than
forty-five villages and advanced to an
average depth of ten miles, freeing
165 square miles Of territory. In the
offensive the Americans have cap
tured more than 10000 prisoners.
The Americans attacked on front
of twenty miles, from the Argonne to
the Meuse, and the advance has been
made in the face of almost insur-
mountable difficulty, due particularly
to the nature of the ground, which is
covered with hills, deep ravines and
woods. In addition, the Americans had
fronting them four organized systems
of trenches-the Hindenburg line, the
Hagen, position, the Velker position
and the Kriemhilde position. They
have forced their way through all
these lines.
Just Ahead OF Them
| Ahead of them lies the Freya posi-
ton, which has beenr cached at one
point in the region OF the Bantheville
| wood. The advance has been particu-
! larly difficult because the Germans
have stubbornly resisted every food of
the way and have used more than
thirty-three divisions on the twenty
mile front. The enemy continues to
make formidable effort to hold this
! front in order to protect his great
lateral lir of communication running
! through Firson, Mexiercs, Sedan,
! Montmedy and Longuyon. This line
! L ch hp
Germans lose it, they will lose their
main line Of communication from Ger
many into occupied France.
Many Guns Taken
! In addition to prisoners, Gen. Per-
! shing'S men have taken more than l37
guns of rather large caliber, numerous
! mcahine guns and anti-tank guns, a
! great store of ammunition and much
war material, including locomotives
and railway cars.
| Since September 26 the Americans
have fired more than 100000 shells,
! the number at times reaching as high
as 10000 daily. The guns used in
clude great number Of heavy ones,
! and also some captured from tn
} enemy.
| Work of Air Forces
| American aviators and anti-air
craft guns in the period since Sep.
tember 27, have brought down 230
enemy machines and twenty three en-
emy balloons, despite adverse flying
conditions, and bad weather at times.
Bombing airplanes dropped more than
40, 900 kilograms of explosives on rail-
road ccntcrs, troop concentrations and
other points behind the enemy lines.
From the view of the engineer, the
most difficult task faced has been the
repairing Of roads and the movement
Of supplies, men and ammunition and
food to the front. More than 100000
engineer troops are employed day and
night rebuilding shell shattered roads,
using, where possible, crushed rock
from the villages destroyed by the
German shells.
Work of Engineers
! In the Argonne hundreds of yards
Of German barbed wire entanglcmentS
fastened from tree to tree at various
heights had to be bridged, as it was
impossible to cut them. In addition,
many roads in the Argonne were Of
black loan, which became morass
in rainy weather. The engineers we're
compelled to virtually build bridges
over many miles of these roads.
The crossing Of Forgcs brook was
accomplished in the first day Of the
advance under heavy fire. The brook
runs through marshy lands and in
order to bridge it the engineers had
to lay bundles Of faggots on both
sides Of the stream. The crossing was
made in record time, and then began
the battle of the Argonnc, which
lasted for more than two weeks.
Compilations made by army officers
show that Of the more than 165 square
miles taken from the enemy since Sep
tembcr 2G, almost one-half were hcav-
lily wooded and machine gun ifnested.
The Americans had to take by storm
159 hills and high crests, most OF
which were heavily wooded and de-
Tended by strong machine gun de-
tachmcnts.
OF the hills, 14l were west of the
Meusc and eighteen east of the river
The Germans also had to be driven
from 430 ravincs, all defended by ma
chine guns and nearly as hard to take
as the hills.
Gen. Pershing's men have had to
advance against the pick of the Ger
man army, fighting desperately to
hold this important front. Their diff
ficulties are understood more easily
when the number Of hills, woods and
ravincs they have had to take is con
sidored.
-W-S-S-
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