Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-10
AMERICANS SWEEP
EVERYTHING IN PATH"
Nobody Can Stand Against
Them" Says German Officers
Letter TO Father.

Washington, Aug Persbing reports
the situation along the Vesie as un-
changed In report he quotes from
letter found on the battlefield. IL was
written by a German lieutenant, who
later was killed, To his father. IL tells
the writer's experience in the Chateau
Thierry sector.
The general, in his report, says:
"a letter written by German lieu
tenant 10 his father has been found in
the Bois-de- La Journal, southwest of
Fere-en- -Tnrdcnois This wood was the
scene Of sharp fighting from July "a to
26, in the course Of which the officer
was killed The writer describes in the
following paragraphs his experiences in
the Chateau-Thierry sector during the
opening days Of the Franco-Amerioan
counter offensive:
WHOLE LIME mr.,
At O'Clock in the afternoon artillc ry
fire started which lasted about an hour
and half We were expecting then
that something was going to happen IN
front of us Suddenly the fire ceased
and Immediately runners came toward us
that the Americans were attacking on
the entire line Never have ! seen giich
a thing Nobody could hive withstoOd
them The enemy was six or eight times
as strong as We were We were dis
seminated over the advance zone IN
checker formation by groups OF eight
men every 200 or 200 metres, and the
Americans were arriving by regiments
4" In this case the decision imposed by
hand-to-hand fighting played a most i'm
portant role Many of tho enemy fell,
but others took their places II was
like killing a few bees from a swarm.
WE SIMPLY NAN
F." What could We do ourselves, very
inferior in number, especially when the
enemy fire was so terrible II seemed
best tn run when we could not hold, take
another position, resume the fight, and
gradually retire.
Those who could not run have fallen
into tho hands of the enemy Many of
them had that fate There also we're
large numbers of killed and wounded
Those who arc not too severely wounded
are tho lucky The country receives them
in her arms and they arc ont Of an nnludky
situation
| did not participate in that fight
which lasted until late into the night
At nightfaIl ! went 10 sec the command
ers of the company 10 give orders Tor the
future.
DISTURBED HUNS REST
" The French and the Americans hav-
ing attacked and advanced more 10 the
north, VIC have been obliged 10 abandon
he position, and VIC went several kIIO-
metres toward the north Yesterday
morning they put zig at rest in a wood
but the wicked enemy 1as there IN front
Of ns Other troops who are just as
tired as We are had stopped them for 2
while Last night We were engaged
again, but my battalion was IN reserve
for the reason that we had seriously melt
ed in numbers But any minute We ex-
pect TO be engaged to repulse new at
tack, az the French, with renewed cour-
age, are attacking constantly
" The battle continually sways back
and forth The village changes hands
frequently With the exception of a
few points of minor Importance We hold
the positions occupied yesterday.
"BLorKHyAps" USED TANKS
. The blockheads attacked with several
tanks today; according TO reports the
also is engaged.
There is terrible noise here. Our
own and enemy shells are passing con-
stantly over or heads and bursting some
time close to us Before Us the machine
guns are cracking, which IS proof that
the enemy are engaged. Let's hope they
will not pass
Summing it all up | think We have
Foch and his reserves and
the Americans. | have a pre-
sentiment | shall lose my skin also. |
Wish il were tomorrow.