Daily Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1918-191?, 1918-08-18
THE BATTLE
AT X|VRAY
PLACE WHERE THE AMERICANS
FIRST oPEHED THE EYES
OF THE KAISER.

NieH hAh'sseeh AAScpo iu TNauttf
Aug. i7.-(Correspondence Of Asso-
eiated Press.)-Though the Ameri-
can troops have had three engage
ments in the Toul sector during the
past three months men in the divis-
sion say, "there has been just one
fight"
The big raid on Apremont in April
they call "the Apremont affair"
they refer to the attack on Seiche-
prey, ten days later as "the Seiche-
prey thing;" but, the morning Of
June l6 at xivray." they say, "there
was a fight"
This distinction does no wrong to
the defenders Of Apremont and Seich
epry. The men did their best there,
and that best was good as could be
expected under the circumstances,
but their best then was not so good
as their best at Xivray This is the
significance given to the distinction
by French officers. They say that
it was at xivray the men holding the
sector showed that they had learned
to do what had to be done on the
front line.
Xivray has a similar meaning to
Germans in that sector IL the evi-
dence Of prisoners may be trusted.
The men captured there show in
creased respect for the fighting quail
tiles Of the Americans and betray a
deeper awe OF the American machine
gun.
II Is no disparagement Of the work
the ordinary rife did there to say
that the quick-frers decided the is
sue. Two companies Of infantry.
without dugouts to shelter them held
their grounds on the right Of the po-
sition a heavy artillery preparation
and kept the enemy from bringing
up reinforcements throughout the
fight. Meanwhile, in the center at
Xivrsy and on the left, the machine
gunners did the rest.
The cnemy's plan according to pris
oners. was to force the village, de-
stroy the defense works. make the
place untenable and take prisoners.
The effort was well organized and
might have succeeded but for the
work Of the quick-frers.
Six thousand men advanced to the
attack in no less than dozen differ
ent columns. led by two hundred pick
ed Bavarian storming troops. They
came up to the right flank. on the left
and on the center under cover Of
smoke. making a drak night still
darker They crept up the ravines
and slipped through the hollows. The
sharp ears Of sentries alone prevented
a total surprise.
Their guns had laid down heavy
box barrage that prevented the rein.
forcing OF the front line. One pla-
toon. led by Lieut.. Doan. from Maine
got through the first curtain Of FIRE.
Doan even went through the seeoud
with some volunteers. but that was
all the help that could be sent to the
225 men that were holding the line
attacked. They were only one To
three but they fought in way to sur
prise and dismay the six hundred Ger.
mans.
One machine gun. section in the viii
lage was reduced TO two men. Mon
fort Wyekof and John Flynn. 1helr
gun jammed and Flynn kept the Ger
mans of with his revolver. Two 9th
er men unable TO get a sight at the
Germans from their trench climbed
the parapet and stood there erect
fighting with their automaties from
the shoulder. Two infantrymen
crawled out Of a shell to get a better
aim.
The Germans had lost a third OF
their 800 men when growing day
light impaired the effectiveness Of
their smoke screen and they began to
retire. The fifty odd unwounded
Americans left out Of the 226 went
over the top afser them.
Two hundred Is a conservative es-
innate Of the German losses for our
men buried forty-seven Of them on
the field and there we're more eorpses
! IN the tall grass facing the position
! out of reach. Thus the Germans loss
nearly as msny men % they had fac
ing them during The Ashs