Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-02-15
German Observation Points Are
MethodicaIIy Taken in Dar-
ing Attacks.
HEROIC WORK OF BLUE Devils
First Spygass Seizure Is Credited to
Chasseurs Who, in Sensational At
tack, Wipe Out Powerfully
Fortified Salient by Surprise.

With the French Armies in the Field.
French troops are methOdically TAX
ing away the German spyglasses.
one by one, enemy observation
points or advantageous positions have
been carefully spotted by the French
command and effectively eliminated.
Enough French official communicates
issued have registered merely local ac-
uons, these have had for the main OBJ
Jective that of snatching the binocu-
lars from the Teuton eyes.
A brief artillery preparation,
snrlll whistle in the first-line trench.
and the Poilus have bounded "over
the top in actions of signal impor-
rance In Alsace, north of the Chemin
Des DANES and north Of Verdun at
Hill 344. Nearly 1,4OO prisoners and
variable war material is the "by-prod-
uct OF these local, strategical drives.
Won by Blue Devils.
The first "spyglass" seizure was
that of the "Schonholz," a powerful
fortified German salient jutting into
the French lines in Alsace, serving the
double purpose of German observation
OF the French organizations and pre-
venting the French seeing in the direc-
uon of Altkirch. On the afternoon Of
november Z, after brief but violent
artillery preparation, three companies
of the French Chasseurs-Blue Devils
attacked the Schonholz, completely
wlplng out the salient in fierce fight
lasting into the night
Inc enemy desperately cOunter-at-
tackled, but failed, leaving in all 12O
prisoners, including six officers, in the
hands Of the Blue Devils. Complete
German losses, high because of their
nerce effort to retain a position which
they knew to be of extreme value, were
estimated at at least 600 men.
The following day French general
pinned military medals on the blue
tunics of two adjutants and cor
poral for exceptional valor. Though
there were no such medals in the dis
trict the general sent a fast automo-
bile to find them, wherever possible
and the little presentation ceremony
In an Alsacian village was a hapnv
aftermath Of victory that took from
the Germans priceless observations
which had bothered the French for
two years.
The French command next decided
that the Germans were seeing too
much north Of the Chemin Des Danes
Consequently following a brief artil.
lery deluge, four companies of Poilus
passed to the attack against the enemy
lines forming salient between the
small River Misotte and the route Of
the German-held village of Jouvin-
court as far as the village Of Ville-au-
Bots. Here the enemy held valuable
observation posts overlooking Jouvin-
court and ground each of the Mi.
cite.
Under low-lying clouds and in
'pea-soup' fog. the former prevent.
Ing all aerial work and the latter pre.
venting enemy observation of the ad.
vance, the French infantrymen. in less
than an hour swept over positions on
front of 1900 yards and penetrated
to depth of over half a mile. They
wiped out the salient. took all the oh
servatories and captured AS prison.
ers-a number almost equal to half Of
the entire attacking force Six Ger.
man officers and As under officers fol,
into the net.
Inc third and most important
French action Of November was in a
region where constant hellish fighting
mas been the daily routine-Hill 344
on the right bank Of the Mouse, north
OF Verdun. Here drumlike artillery
roar has never ceased, night and day.