Evening star., 1918-07-28

american Soldiers
Hold Lines Along the
Marne-S;steen Days
and Nights Of Attack
and Counter Attack.
Scenes at Chateau
Th;erry.
By GEORGE H. sELDEs,
ciai Correspondence of The Star.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY

cial Correspondence Of The Star
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY,
MARINE FRONT, July is.
~ CR men stand on the Marne.
They have fought In the
They have gone through
hell on the Marine. Not
since Gettysburg have
Americans fought like this
/ They have beaten the Germans at
their own game of open warfare.
They have thrown a Saxon division
into confusion. They have decimated
Prussian division. They have shown
our brave allies the heroic stuff Of
which an American soldier is made.
They have for the first time taught
the Germans to fear America.
Some of our men I have seen in
their battery positions in wrecked
villages and dark green woods; some
1 have found in a little town church
which has been occupied by an am,
bulance company as a field hospital.
) and others were resting in billets
; behind the line after sixteen days and
nights of attack and counter attack.
days Of fierce sunshine and fercer
flame of cannon. sleepiess nights roar
ing with guns and laden with poison
gas.
They have shown me their wounds
and they have told me tales of splen-
dor. Some of them have done things
far beyond their country's power to
Jhonor by ribbons and medals. but all
of them. every one of many thousands,
fought through a year of war in the
tragic and glorious two weeks on tho
Marne.
Z The day this is written our men are
till In Chateau Thierry. One of our
/ machine guns Is placed In the bed
| room Of wealthy house. and the
p, powder puffs and the rouge and the
perfume bottles are stfll on the dress
Ing table, rattling. while the Hotch-
kiss spits fire. Other of our ma chine
guns are in other parts of the city.
That is part Of the game of open
warfare.
Daily our men swim the Marne and
prowl the woods. They squirm through
the wheat field near the Bois de Bellau,
into the valley which is filed with gas,
and scout the German positions. Others
penetrate the woods themselves, for
there are still German strong points
within our lines. That Is part Of the
game Of open warfare.
They hide in trees and they dig indi-
vidual holes in the root-hardened soil
Broken walls afford them some protec.
ffns5 GrIlIovu nd Hrtad ho1o 81 Of
hilloeks, and especially the fringes of
forests form the line, but line itself
there is none. To attack they cross the
fields To defend. they hold every ele-
provided They risk more. they pay
more. they have gained more and their
chance Of victory is more. That, too. Ii
part. Of the game Of open warfare.
Not far from the Bots de Bellau
found a unit Of ereen-clad soldiers rest
ing. Their uniforms were torn and their
hands were smudged with dirt and pow
der and their eyes were the eyes OF men
who have endured much and were very,
tired. Among them was captain who
his men and arranging for their food
supply and a few blankets to put on the
stumpy ground. -s--..z,
-.sHls name is. Capt p Wilmer Of Phila-
Aeiphia. and the clothes he had on. the
underwear and his shoes. had been on
He was planning toiget pail Of water
all for himself that night and bathe his
feet. He was hoping he would get
enough water to wash himself entirely,
but, he wasn't quite sure II that much
could be brought up and spared. And,
besides, there was always the proba-
bility that a renewed attack would call
him and his men back into line.
~ >.
A year ago he was in the brokerage,
business in .Ppiladelphia. Yesterday he
. told me something about the fight for
Be1lau woods and Yourselves, which is
. in the typical style Of open warfare.
r. The Germans overnowed into the
woods. While their artillery was be-
ngbrought up to continue the advance
into the plains and on toward Paris,
they. sent their machine gunners by
the hundreds into the crest OF their
movement The gunners climbed trees
and nxed up dominating positions.
They Fortified hillocks. They cut
niaces In the wheat field adjoining and
buiif nests Of five or ten Maxims.
oar artillery replied by shrapnel
and hieh explosive. We sent our lead
and steel ringing through the foreSts.