The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-11-07
GO THROUGH HUN LINE
LIKE HARVARD BACKS

: lac zero Efpuf. al IL AftI i1uI sAp-
pointed fer the infantry TO move in
d big atrack--for the kick Off
! They employ a lot of football terms
; in the army. Toe H hour was
scarcely ave minutes memory this
morning before General Hunter Lag
gets veteran American troops were
going through the German line like
a bunch OF seasoned Harvard backs
going through prep schools
icieVen.
! They were the lean and dusty foot
soldiers OF the American First army.
They hit on twcuty-miie tron Be
fore the morning mist had gully lifted
from The fields, gray lines of bedrab-
bled German prisoners We're Flooding
back down the roads, with American
bayonets at their hips.
! Reports on the attack from various
parts of the long front came sitting
into headquarters IN fragmentary
fashion all day. like election returns,
but by niehtfall the tabGlators trium-
: phantIy reported three thousand pris-
oners with several districts yet to be
heard lrum.
/ In ter; tories the Americans gather
ed in aoout four and al half miles,
which includes batch of important
villages and other strong defensive
points The Germans fought back
iflerceiy, keeping curtain Of machine
gun, rifle and artillery fire hung in
( front Of the advancing Americans,
but they couldn't stop the Yankee
rush.
! This attack was the continuation of
1.-THE attack begun September 20.
}"operation' is the army name for
any fighting, In this particular con-
nection il is a mild. off-hand charac-
terization Of the greatest and longest
battle in the history of American
arms. There have been phases in
| this affair. First was the beginning.
| Second was the advance which started
! October 5.
! Picked Fine Morning.
Today's smash WAS The third phase
They picked a gorgeous morning. 1t
WAS SO pretty ii seemed a pity TO mar
! it with bloodshed The sun came out
while our troops were slugging the
way over the flatlands up The gentle
slopes of the French countryside.
The warm sun rays were feathering
I the world with silver.
In the little towns behind the lines
within sound of the guns lhe people
were out early in their best buds.
They were observing the "fete DIES
morris" which is equivalent to our
memorial day. small procession of
women and children moved through
inc Streets bbuHd LOT GnuIGHt oAe
town evon mustered a drum corps of
boys who win presently be soldiers of
France
French civilians and soldiers gath
cred in little knots at the corners
read newspapers bearing the latest
news of the peace situation, while
great trucks bearing supplies for the
fighting forces. crammed with grimy
American and French infantry being
shifted from one point to another
flowed past,
Soon In the afternoon. however, the
street was fully darkened by white
fog cloud over the fields The all
grew cold.
All this time Liggett's men were
driving ahead. They attacked in con
junction with the French fourth OF
their left. The American line ex
tended from the northeast OF the chat
tered village of Grand IRE beyond thu
Argonne forest eastward to the Meus'
river.
General Gourauds French troop.
moved ten kiIometer tsix and
half miles, front 1t was a sort oi
general Franco American shove. l
had been planned to start some days
ago, but 1t was held up for one rcA,
son or another. That the Germans
would make desperate resistance Wa.
, | expected. ! They must hold The Ar
fEGnnS IF0Hts BECAUSE on thAt depend!
, the retreat Of the German army in tn,
north,
Used Crack Divisions.
Il To prevent their army from beinl
| annihilatcd, they threw nine of thei
| crack divisions into the line, will
several divisions held in reserve. Al
this sounds technical. but it mean
| that the enemy fought today 70
| mighty big stakes.
II Al RIO this pOrptpr CerYna n
| got formal notice that the American
| were coming, Ii WAS in the form o
| ii titantic artillery bombardment Flo
| nearly two hours and a half the Van
| kee guns thumped in chorus. tossin,
| enough metal into the German line
| to make a good sized smelter sla,
| dump.
| Jerry" had dug himself In fairl
| well, but even mother earth hersel
| can't afford much protection agains
| that sort of thing.
| Then the machipe guns began un
| folding blankets OF steel and lead
| under cover OF which the foot soldier
moved out as the H hour arrived.
| Overhead buzzed numerous Yanke
airplanes serving as eyes OF the army
| kumbling along with the infantr
were some ungainly tanks.
The army report. evidently com
| posed by a man who has an under
standing OF sport. says il was "perfec
| team play" And so it was. Anon,
| the first prisoners taken by the Amer
| .cans was woman. according to re
| port sent in from one OUTFIT.
1t appears TO be authentic, al
though war correspondents have com
| menced TO look askance at such re
ports They have tales of German
women serving in the army befor'
which failed TO pan out" In this an
stance there is much detail. Tn,
prisoner was dressed in mans clothes
Throughout their advance the Yam
KEGS were facing relentless machine
Kan fire The Germans have fairil
dyaped themselves with machine gun,
as they fall back. Their machine gun,
ners hang on pretty we'll. toe, ever
when the German infantry is fading
into the disc behind them
Every objective was reached by the
Americans today. Tonight they bivouat
on terrain that up to the II hour thi,
morning was "bichevllie."