Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-07-19

service co-ordinated as well as the skill with
which each performed its particular duties. French
observers speak of the cooperation between the
American artillerymen and machine gunners as
perfect" and English reports emphasize the cool
and iron steadness with which our men with
stood the Boche assaults. These are evidences
of that strength and suppleness of organization
on which so much depends in times of emergency
and great effort.
Every phase of the initial engagement bears
witness to the deadly effectiveness of the Ameri-
can fire Our held guns, the dispatches relate,
firing low the heads OF our men in advanced
position, great gaps in the close packed ranks
of the enemy AS for the machine gunners and
rifemen, They withheld their fire until they
could literally follow General Putnam's famous
order-'Dont fire until you see the whites of
their eyes Then at a signal they cut loose with
such tornado of steel that the foremost waves
of Boche infantry were torn to shreds." Equally
interesting is the account of the reception given
an escadrille of thrty-six enemy airplanes which
came swarming the lines to attack the Amer
leans with machine gun fire. Our doughboys'
quote again the correspondent at the front,
turned their automatic rifles skyward and ac-
tually shot down of the enemy machines;
the others were so badly strafed that they fed"
Infusing this efficiency of organization and
this accuracy OF fire personal prowess
which manifested ltSeI alike IN the SJdncH TeslsI-
ance and the swift aggressveness of our men.
For the most part, they held like walls of granite
against the furious onset and where for tactical
reasons they fell back, they subsequently regained
the ground, dealing terrific punishment to the foe.
particularly notable action of the kind occurred
between Dormans and Chateau Thierry where the
Huns penetrated the Franco-American positions
A French correspondent thus describes what en-
sued: 1.-The American counter attack came after
a brief pause and conducted with an almost
unbelievable ferocity. The Boches were caught
up in the cyclonic rush and great numbers OF
them were hurled bodily into the river" 1t Is
this fiery vigor that makes the American soldier
feared by the Kaiser's veterans, this personal
dash and resourcefulness, this mixture of facile
strength and iron resoluteness. 1.-The Boches
phrase tells the story and depicts the character
of the American thrust.
1t is indeed gratifying that in their first
gagement of truly great proportions boys
have borne themselves with a hardihood and
valor worthy of their heroic cause and of their
countrys most glorious traditions. Those who
are helping so effectively to stem the tide of this
latest, and perhaps last German offensive give
proof of the mettle of the hundreds of thousands
who stand eagerly in reserve lover there" and
of the legions who are training over here. To
those who labor at home, what finer inspiration
could there be than the chance to and
rifce for this shining army of their brothers and
sons fighting the noblest battles that the Lord
God of Hosts approved.
German officials now predict victory in October.