The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-03-23

my who wages the same war against
women and children as against sol
diers. Aerial raids on towns, which
are counterpart Of the pitiless subma-
rine war and the attack against Ameri-
can rights, are the verysexplanation of
| the reason why America entered the
war. We are sending our soldiers to
Europe to fight until the world Is de-
livered from these horrors"
While no official announcement has
been made, the general impression
prevails that new plans of the Ameri-
can war department call for the dis
patch Of American troops to France
much more rapidly than was proposed
in the earlier plans. The indications
| are that an effort will be made to
| bring the American expeditionary
force up to a strength, of approximate
ly 100000 men by the middle of the
summer, instead of 100000 men as
was contemplated by the original plans
of the war department The dispatch
of many National army units is expec
ed soon, in accordance with the plan
that has been adopted Of forming an
army corps out of two divisions Of the
regular army, two divisions of the Nj
tional Guard and two divisions of tta
National army. AS many units of the
National Guard are already overseas,
with the larger number of regular army
, divisions, 1t is expected that the move
ment Of several divisions of the NJ
+, tional army will follow soon.
That the movement of troops WI Z
be more rapid than was at first b.
lfeved possible Is indicated by the a D.
i nouncement of the war departmet {
I that the second draft, which will be
made as soon as needed legislation
can be secured from congress, will CO u
out approximately 100000 men. Only
The rapid movement Of many divisions
now In environments In this country
could. make room for this large NUN
Der of new draft men. In this conneC.
lion 1t is predicted abroad that Gen
ral Pershing's men will be holding
100 miles Of front by the closing days
of 1918 longer front than was held
w the British armies two years after
the war began.
-T-
Americans at home continue to be
electrified by reports of the exploits
Of Pershlng's troops In the sectors
which are now held by the Americans.
Successful raids have been made re-
Deatedly by the American troops while
the American artillery has won many
1uels with Ithe big guns of the enemy.
One raid on the new United States
front In Lorraine was declared to be
the most successful encounter In which
American soldiers have engaged dur
ing the war In this raid, infantry
units penetrated the enemy lines to 3
depth of between 400 and 900 yards a
some points. The raid followed bonn
bardment by American guns which
lasted four hours and which wrecked
the enemy's front trenches and barbed
wire entanglements. Three successive
raids at different points on this sector
all proved highly successful, the Amer.
leans capturing number Of prisoners
and returning to their own trenches
with small casualties. In raid ON
the Toul sector, the American soldiers
penetrated the German trenches to
depth of 300 yards. After some hand
to-hand fighting in which number of
the enemy were killed and wounded,
the raiders returned to their lines with
much material and information, al
though they captured no prisoners. II
was reported that every American who
left the front line on this raid re-
turned.
The American troops In the Toul
sector have been subjected to q terrific
artillery fire, the German apparently
having concentrated strong forces Of
artillery on this sector. It was re-
ported that In some places the bonn
bardment reduced the first line
trenches to ruins but the Americans
at those points continued to hold their
positions In shell craters. The Ameri-
can artillery also has been active on
all sectors held by Pershings men,
bombarding towns and roads in the
rear Of the German lines
-Ea-
The first permanent advance Of the
American troops was made on the
Luneville sector, where Pershings men
occupied enemy trenches which they
had forced the Germans to abandon
through recent raids and heavy artil-
lery fire. The trenches were CONSOLE
dated with our own, enabling the Amer
leans and French to operate from high
er ground than before. Attempts made
by the Germans to retake the position
were repulsed.
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