Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-09-24
YANKS ADVANCE
/ NEARER TO THE
GERMAN BORDER
Patrols Push Toward Wanderers
Only Mile From Line.
ENEMY is BURNING TOWNS
Huns Apply Torch to Villages Along
the MoseIIe River and at Other
Places Which Would Fall
Into the Hands of
Americans.

raine, Sept 1S.-Chief activity during
the day centered on the west bank of
the Moselle below Pagny, where our
forces pushed their combat patrols in
the direction of Wanderers.
Wanderers is on the Moselle mile
west of the German border and half
way between Pont-a-Mousson and
Pagny)
The American line at this cabling,
runs as follows: RonxauxManheul-
les-Pintheville-St Hilaire-DoncOurt-
l-Haumont-between Jaulny and
Rembercourt-north of Wanderers,
south of Champey-Po nt-a- MOusson.
Enemy Burning Towns.
American Army Headquarters in
Lorraine, Sept. 1S.-In addition to the
towns along the Moselle which would
fall into American hands should the
enemy withdraw behind the linden
burg line and which he is burning,
other fires have been started by the
Germans.
The towns of Dommartin-la-Chaus-
see and La Chaussee, both on the Hin
denburg line, are In flames.
Twenty Divisions Disorganized.
One hundred and eight German in
fantry battalions, equivalent to 20 di-
visions, have been disbanded, it is
learned, to fill the gap made by the
past years fighting.
Women and boys are being called
to the auxiliary service to replace men.
Five thousand women have been mo-
bilized for this purpose, and boys of
fourteen are being utilized.
Captured officers said Germany is
very tired Of the war and no longer
hopes to do more than keep it's own.
German Planes Suffer.
Enemy aerial activity has shown a
decided slowing up in the past "A
hours, partly because of the agrees
siveness of American flyers and partly
because all the airdromes behind the
German lines have been greatly dam
aged in the persistent bombardment
they have undergone.
The fighting on the new American
front in Lorraine was featured by the
gallant action of an American stair
officer.
Leads Men In Charge.
When the officer saw there was
danger of part of. his advancing
forces being outfanked by German
machine gunnerS, he personally led
his men In a charge against the guns.
He captured one gun himself and his
men took the others. The officer
was wounded, probably mortally.
The officers troops belonged to the
division operating on the eastern
wing of the American offensive sec
tor. They had taken the village Of
Norroy and were pressing onward in
the face of opposition from machine
gun nests.
The IRREGULAR advance suddenly eX-
posed one unit to a flanking fire and
the officer forgot he, as a staff Off
Ger, was supposed to stay away from
the fighting, and rushed in. 1t is I'M
derstood he has been recommended
for recognition of his bravery.
Airmen Magnificent
Magnificent work of American avi-
ators under most difficult weather
conditions must not be forgotten in
telling the story of the ST. Mihiel vic
tory To them We're intrusted every
kind of mission, but the task in which
they distinguished themselves most,
perhaps, was harassing the enemys
withdrawal from the deepest part of
the salient.
A careful study had been made of
the roads by which the German trans
port must move ard these observa-
tons turned out to be striking
w accurate, showing the Germans
had thought out quite as carefully as
the Americans the exact SPOT which
would remain open longest.
Fly Low, Bomb Lorries.
1t thus happened the American air
men found the transport trains exact
ly where they expected to find them
and their attempts to enforce delay
were most daring.
Owing to weather conditions the
ceiling" to use the airman's techni-
cal term, was little more than a
thousand feet high and the dense
rain occasionally made everything
Invisible few yards away, but not
one of the selected roads was left
unattached.
The aviators swoOped down into
the Woodland roads, flying only forty
feet from the ground to make sure
of their targets. Lorry after lorry
was wrecked and wagon teams torn
TO pieces by skillfully dropped bombs
or machlne gun fire.