American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-03-05

MAP OF AMERICAN LINE
FOUND on GERMAN OFFICER
Every DugOut. Machine Gun. and 9th
er Defenses Mapped Before Attack
Was Made,

A plan Of attack. including a map
OF the American positions. indicating
every dugout, which wfas removed
from the body Of the Prussian captain
who led the recent assault upon the
sector northwest Of Toul. shows how
completely the Germans prepare their
raids-if. in fact, this was but a simple
raid not having as its ultimate object
the retention of a portion of the sa-
lient
The map goes into such detail as 10
show every machine gun emplacement,
every trench and every depression in
the ground within the American lines.
At the bottom there is simply a line
drawn. labeled our front line" Along
this line are five shaded portions. each
marked nest"
Four rehearsals were held for the
attack and the troops who made it
we're specially picked from new ar
rivals Of fresh troops in the sector.
| They were told that the Americans
were in front of them.
After the artillery had nearly leveled
/ the American positions. the Germans
started out from their nests. each Of
which contained forty infantrymen
one lieutenant and three pioneers 10
precede the infantry and five 10 follow
IT, The two groups upon the American
extreme right went around this flank
and the group upon the extreme left
carried out a similar movement there.
The two groups in the center had
planned to attack directly, but the
American defense changed all the
plans When they we're met By the
heavy machine gun 1re from the
American lines they saw il would be
impossible 10 gain a footing there.
changed their direction and followed
the other groups around the flank.
The duty of the pioneers preceding
the infantry was 10 clean up any wire
that had not been broken by the ar
tillery. while the pioneers who fol-
lowed carried large quantities of ex-
plosives for the purpose Of cleaning
up the dugouts.
Official reports of the interrogation
o. the prisoners taken by the Ameri-
cans show that all of them did not be-
lieve Germany would win the war. One
OF the men told the intelligence Off
GERS he presumed that the Americans
Ike the Germans. did not want tC
. night. but had 10. The officers quick
J ly changed the Germans viewpoint b!
: informing him that all of the troops
> in the attacked positions were volun
! toers.
2 One prisoner whose home is in Ger
E nan Lorraine. said he thought tn
- fatherland would lose the war. but h
hoped not. He knew nothing abOu
e Americans, except that they were Il
{ the war, the German newspapers nc
printing much upon the subject b
! said. and being slow in reaching III
{ front lines because of mail congestion
f This prisoner said he was convince
that the recent strikes in German
:. were caused by a desire for peace. aC
d ding that all Germany wanted wa
=, for the war TO end He was certai
that an offensive was coming. but di
not believe it would be launched b,
fore April 1.
None Of the prisoners had seen an
II German tanks. they said. All of thel
added they were glad TO have bee
taken prisoner, especially by th
J. Americans. because they believed the
h would be well treated.
( The prisoners accounts showed III.
n the sector opposite the American p'
IS sition was commanded by Geuer'
.g Stalzmann.