Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-03-04
Attack Launched Is Known to
Have Been Carefully Re-
hearSed Before Huns Came
Over the Top.
PRISONERS BELIEVE
KAISER CANNOT WIN
Glad They Have Fallen Into
Hands of Pershing'S Men,
Expect to Receive Good
Treatment,


With the American Army in France,
Saturday, March 2.--(By the Asso-
ciated Press.)--A plan of attack, in
Guiding a map of the American pos
itions, indicating every dugout, which
was removed from the body of the
Prussian captain who led the recent
assault upon the sector northwest OF
Toul, shows how completely the Ger
mans prepare their raids-if, in fact
this was but simple raid not hav-
ing as it's ultimate object the reten-
ton of a portion of the salient.
The map goes into such detail as
to show every machine gun emplace-
ment, every trench and every depres-
sion in the ground within the Ameri-
can lines. At the bottom there is
simply a line drawn, labeled "our
front line" Along this line are five
shaded portions each marked nest
Attack Well Rehcarsed
Four rehearsals were held for the
attack and the troops who made it
were specially picked from new ar
rivals of fresh troops in the sector.
They were told that the Americans
were in front of them.
After the artillery had nearly lev
elled the American position the Ger
mans started out from their nests,
each of which contained forty infan-
trymen, one lieutenant and three
pioneers to precede the infantry and
five to follow it. The two groups
upon the American extreme right
went around this flank and the group
Upon the extreme left carried out a
similar movement there.
Forced to Change Plans.
The two groups in the center had
planned to attack directly, but the
American defense changed all the
plans. When they were met by the
heavy machine gun fire from the AM
erican lines they saw it would be inn
possible to gain footing there,
changed their direction and followed
the other groups around the, flank.
The duty of the pioneers preceding
the infantry was to clear up any wire
that had not been broken by the ar
tillery, while the pioneers who follow
ed carried large quantities of explo
sives for the purpose of cleaning upl
the dugouts.
Official reports of the interroga !
ton of the prisoners taken by the
Americans show that all of them did
not believe Germany would win thel
war. One of the men told the intel |
'ligence officers he presumed that
the Americans, like the Germans, did
not want to fight but had to. The Of
ficers quickly changed the German ST
viewpoint by informing him that all
of the troops in the attacked positions
were volunteers.
Offensive is Coming.
One prisoner, whose home is inl
German Lorraine, said he thought the
fatherland would lose the war, butt
he hoped not. He knew nothing
about Americans except that they
were in the war, the German news
papers not printing much upon the
subject, he said, and being slow in
reaching the front lines because of
mail congestion.
This prisoner said he was convinc-
ed that the recent strikes in Germany
were caused by a desire for peace,
adding that all Germany wanted the
war to end. He was certain that an
offensive was coming, but he did not
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