The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-20
DESPERATE FIGHT
DEVELOPS ABOUT
CITY OF SCISSORS
Element of Surprise Has Now
Been Lost.
Fighting Is Now Man to Man
and Gun to Gun.
HUNS RUSHING UP ARTILLERY
The Americans Alone Have
Taken 5000 Prisoners.
Movie Man Went Ahead OF
Troops in One Charge.
Fighting Is Now Man to Man
and Gun to Gun.
HUNS RUSHING UP ARTILLERY
The Americans Alone Have
Taken 5000 Prisoners.
BY FRANK J. TAYLOR.

With tra Americans between the
Aisne and the Marne, July A9.-QO;15 !
n. m..-The Franco-American often |
sive is developing into desperate bat |
tie for possession of the all-important
highway from SCISSORS to chateau
Thierry-
cavalry. The Germans have been
strongly reinforced by reserve dIvl-
sions. The cler-ent OF surprise long
since wac lost to the FIR 'nch ana
Americans. The fighting is Low man
to man. and gun to gun; ;r.rv
south of scissors where it is raging
thru villages, woods and fleids OF
grain. one American brigade cap
tured more than 1880 boches In TINS
region. ...ut
The Germans are attempting TO rush
in artillery, men and supplies along
the whole front, under terrible shell
Gre concentrated on their lines OF
comnuni,.t son by the allied guns
A. the south end of the battle lne'
American units in conjunction Win
the French f.t.vanced nortnWest
chateau Thierry, capturing (deleted).
Iatest repo,t.; declared the lighting
was increasing in intensity east Oh
Courchamps. IF
Prisoners report withdrawal OF
German artillery and infantry concen-
trations north and northeast o. nc
teau Thierry to meet the franco
American threat northwest OF the CITY.
American alrnlen brought down Two
German planes this morning Witt
natroIling east of Chateau Ihierry.
Our aviators report there ar are hattie
lines they evidently having been WITH
drawn to other localities
An American unit notified the COM
mander of an escadrille today that
three German observation paliooia
near Chateau Thierry were seeing
Too nouch." Twenty minutes later all
three were blazing wrecks on the
ground.
Americans Alone Take 5000.
Incomplete figures today snow
that American units nave cap
more than 5000 Germans. including
numerous officers. Among the latter
were several majors and lieutenant
colonel The figures will be gfeaIy
augme nted when the count Is COM
pleted. Additional prisoners are con
stantIy being picked up. The areas
in the rear of the allied line are al
most as busy as the front. Unendine
streams of supplies, artillery and men
are rolling forward. while similar nnes
OF motor trucks are moving 10 tne rear,
carrying the wounded. Shells burst
ali about Trees are stripped until
thew resemble toothpicks, while sub
stantial buildings are reduced 70
shapeIess heaps of rubbish. Inc men
are excited at the prospect OF getting
into the fight. as they arrive at the
front, and are constantly cheering ana
singing.
Yanks Impatient.
The Americans who swept forward
with the French from three to 1lFe
kilometers on the first day near Cna-
teau Thierry are impatient because
they are holding the pivotal ~ector
| and must wait until their comrades
| farther north swing in, surrounding
| the Germans.
Allied airmen report heavy conges-
ton on the roads extending northWafd
| from Chateau Thierry. while prison.
e.s saw the Gerl are ha- lily re-
moving guns and materials in that re-
gion in an effort to save them. Every
prisoner expressed amazement at the
! rapidity and pnexpectedness or the
allied attack. The doughboys report
that most of the prisoners were taken
when the first wave caught the boches
asleep in thei: dugouts. Many rla-
chine guns were taken before the
Germans had time to remove The pro-
| tective cases from them.
The advance OF one American unit
is Preserved for posterity thru the
bravery Of mo man, an officer
He advanc~-- ahead of our lines be-
fore the infantry charged, coolly set
up his camera, and cl- -hed off a few
hundred feet of film as the men
stormed the German positions. One
scene shows our men attacking a ma
chine gun in church t.wer with the
boches. panic stricken, trying to get
their gun into action. The operators
| audacity was ANA Zing.
! ut wasn't anything" he said mod
estly. The folks back home ought
to be able to see Yankees whipping
| tie Germans"
| A chap known as "the homesick
doughboy" no longer is homesick. He
| says lie is happy anywhere now. He
4 went over with the first wave and
helped chase the Germans over three
hill tops. He got five himself. His
party was obliged to come back when
couriers were sent out to recall his
company. which was advancing too
! rapidly.
one unit attained its entire days OBJ
| jective ~ 10 O'Clock tn the morning.
| 1t started at s. One company stormed
Torcy and took the town in ten min
utes, holding a heavy counter attack.
The doughboys say the Germans won't
| fight with tbs tayonets, preferring to
surrender II 1t is impossible to ffsh
in mass formation behind guns and
bulwarks.
/ Workmanship of the American in
fantry exacte heavy toll among the
fleeing Germans. The Americans say
the boches are hard to catch on foot,
but that Trey can't out-run bullets.
Hills, trenches and villages, from
which the enemy attempted to flee, are
! filled with German dead.
\ American officers, detailed to ex-
anime prisoners. universally report the
Germans fill TO show any spunk.
Many OF the captured officers are OF
high intelligence. Some of them ad-
mitted the German cause is lost, ow-
ing to the army's lack OF confidence
in its leaders and the government
Captured copies of the Krieges Rei-
tung. the German army paper bia-