The Washington herald., 1918-08-02
French and Yanks Continue
Rate Of Progress with
| Fere as Pivot.
AMERICANS CONTINUE
SWF'MINc THE OURCQ
Ford River by Only Way
Possible with Bridges
'''eavily Shelled.
"PRUSSIANS FIGHT HARD
BUT DIRTY" SERGT SAYS
Machine Gunners Wearing Red
Cross Brassards Garry Weapons
on Stretchers.

With the Americans on the
Ourcq, Aug. I.-Americans fight
ing their way northward continue
fording and swimming the Ourcq.
1t is the only way to cross the
stream Sust at present, since every
bridge is under continuous Ger
man shellhre and constantly at
tackled by swarms of German air
planes.
I'VE get across all right" said
a young lieutenant from Des
Moines; don't worry about food
or ammunition. We have captur-
ed enough from the Germans in
the way of rations, machine guns
and cartridge belts to keep US 60
ing for quite a while.
In spite of determined efforts
on the part of the enemy to pre-
veut the development of our sue
cesses north of the Ourcq, the
French and Americans are main
tanning their rate of progress.
Fere-en-Tardenois is now their
pivot.
Reach Nesles Forest.
To the east Of Seringes-et-Nesles.
the Americans have reached the
southern edge OF the forest Of Nesjes,
which n bristnns with German held
and machine guns. .-.
Northeast Of sergy. they have taken
a foothold on Hills 212 and 20. which
dominate the Nesies Plateau.
The Prussian foot guards fought
hard. but dirty" said a sergeant from
Grand Rapids. Their machine gun
ners wore Red Cross brassards and
carried stretchers through the wheat
fields. When they reached L shell
hole. they would pull out light
machine guns from the stretchers and
open fire on US. TLen. when we
broke through and got to close quar-
ters with them they wanted to throw
up their hands and pull the 'kamerad'
stun"
A captain from Fonduiac. Wis. led
platoon straight into the teeth OF
the splitting machine guns. killing or
capturing the crews. The platoon
took a battery of field guns and
scores Of heavy machine guns.
Prussian Guardman's story.
A Prussian guardsman who de-
! serted into the American lines north
of Sergy this morning was pepper
| ed with machine gun bullets by his
lieutenant. but the Americans drag
ged the deserter into a shell hole
and later sent him to a hospital
! There he asserted that his battalion
had been rushed to Laon by train
then to Fismes in motor trucks, In
order to take the offensive against
| the Americans" He didn't learr
until his arrival that it was a de-
| fensive action in which he was tc
take part. The prisoner said he had
| been wounded at Arras. Though
sick, he had been sent to the Rus
sian front and then for two year:
he was furlough examiner at a Ber-
lin railway station. until last June
he was sent to the West front.
"Our whole army is learning that
/ the Americans can fight even though
they are inexperienced" said the
prisoner Everybody is tired Of the
war" He said French, British and
American prisoners are being forced
1 to reorganize and reconstruct the old
French trenches between the present
! line and the Aisne.
An American general visited a big
| hospital this afternoon. AS he en-
tered the ward of the seriously wound
! ed. nearly all of the occupants, in
cluding two dying French soldiers,
squirmed into a sitting posture on
their cots and saluted.
CrIe. ~ Notched Rifle.
A dangerously wounded American
was taken out Of an ambulance. He
demanded his rifle. The stretcher
bearers thought him delirious and
offered him another weapon. He
refused to take it, insisting on his
own. Finally his rifle was discov-
cred on the ambulance floor. He
grasped it eagerly. then tucked II
beside him in the stretcher.
1t had five newly carved notches
and eight old ones. Hes the best
/ sniper in the company, said the
platoon commander. who. although
wounded, lay on the cot nearby and
watched the scene.