The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-07-22
FEAR ADVANCE
ALLIES TO AISNE
Huns Use Discretion as Better
Part of VaIor and Move
Heavy Artillery.
AMERICANS PLAY BIG PART
Sweep Calamity Up Slope OF
Hill In Face of German
Machine Gun Fire.

With the American Army on TIL
Aisne Front. July 2l.-(3 p.m.)-Whil'
the Germans continue to pour in rein
forcements, which necessarily slow III
our advance to some extent south oi
scissors, at the same time they are
prudently Withdrawing supplies and
heavy artillery from the southern part
Of the Aisne- Marine salient northward
to n point clear past scissors.
The bochcs evidently fear an allied
advance to the Aisne.
The Americans participated to q
large extent in the capture Of German
guns. our men taking the eight-inch
pieces mentioned in dispatches from
French headquarters.
There has been terrific fighting in
the area southw6 st of scissors. One
Of our machine gun companies was cut
off by the ste ady enemy fire and
fought without food for twenty-four
hours. They sont back n runner. who
reported at o'clock this morning.
Volunteers were called for, and, with
two side cars loaded with food, they
dashed forward to the company posi-
ton in the face of heavy boche ma
chine gun and rifle fire. The return
trip also was made in safety.
In two bursts of the hottest kind Of
fighting the Americans early this
morning forced an exceedingly strong
enemy position that had been holding
up our advance around the southern
edge of the plateau south of scissors.
The attack began at o'clock un-
der cloudy skies.
The Americans swept straight UP the
slope OF the hill in the face of the
Huns machine gun fire.
They captured a series of enemy
machine guns along the ridge and then
moved slowly down the ravine.
Meanwhile the boche gunners were
filing this ravine and adjacent ground
with shells, while our artillcrymen
made deafening reply.
One strongly fortified enemy post
held up the advance Of certain com
pany for some time, sweeping the
western slope of the valley ceaselessy
until a lieutenant led direct frontal
attack with bombs When we gained
the position twelve dead Germans
were found inside the emplacement.
The German position had been thor
oughly constructed with concrete re-
Inducements, with logs, stone and ce-
ment. and had been intended as rail-
lying point.
The strongest resistance was en-
countered in a group of ruined build
ings, just as the sun peeped through
the low hanging clouds. Here the
boches had installed machine guns as
thick as bees behind stone garden
walls and the foundations Of buildings,
We began methodically wiping out
these nests, using the tactics that the
Americans had found so successful on
the Marne. The men were fighting,
creeping on their bellies toward the
machine guns. whose fire was too high
to vital spots Then suddenly they
would leap to their feet and rush for
ward with a shower Of grenades. thus
escaping with the fewest possible cas-
ualtics. These were generally leg
wounds.
Seeing the manner In which we were
clearing out these machine gun nests,
two groups of boche gunners surren-
dered without afGht
BY 6@o'ciock in the morning we were
masters of the entire strong point and
were pushing on eastward in the face
OF hot artillery fire.
The enemy had been rushing up his
guns, filling the fields and ravines
'"tNwcst Of Scissors with his fire and
pounding the Americans with shrap-
mel and high explosives. as well as
some gas