The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-03-04
YANKEES TELL
OF Big RAID
Map Taken From Body of Ger
man Shows Enemy OBJ
jective.
DEATH OF U. s. CAPTAIN TOLD
Officer Was kneeIing Alongside Spit
ting Machine Gun and Blazing
Away at the Germans With
His Automatic.

With the American Army in France,
March A plan Of attack, including
a map of the American positions, indi-
eating every dugout, which was re-
moved from the body of the Prussian
captain who had led the recent assault
upon the sector northwest of Toul,
shows how completely the Germans
prepare their raids-if, in fact, this
was but a simple raid, not having as
its ultimate object the retention of a
portion of the salient.
Hold Four Rehearsals
Four rehearSals were held for the
attack, and the troops who made it
were specially picked from new ar
rivals of fresh troops in the sector.
The two groups in the sector had
planned to attack directly, but the
American defense changed all the
plans. When they were met by the
heavy machine gun fire from the
American lines they saw it would be
impossible to get a footing there,
changed their direction and followed
the other groups around the flank.
Official reports of the interroga
ton of the prisoners taken by the
Americans show that all of them did
not believe Germany would win the
war.
One prisoner, whose home is in Ger
man Lorraine, said he thought the
fatherland would lose the war, but he
hoped not.
The prisoners accounts showed that
the sector opposed the American
position was commanded by General
StalZmann.
American Heroism.
The correspondent talked with a
dozen of the Americans wounded in
their hospital cots. Every one Of
them was anxious to tell of some deed
of heroism or other performed by his
fellows, but displayed great modesty
regarding his own exploits. One
youth, whose home Is near Savannah,
Ca, and who looked to be not more
than eighteen years old, told this
story:
81 was In the front line when it
seemed like every shell in the world
started coming our way. Where the
Germans got them is more than I
know. I never believed that many
existed. One burst near where / was.
"a piece hit a fellow on the other
side of me who came from Texas.
The corporal picked him up In his
arms and started with him for q first
aid station in the midst of a perfect
shower of dirt and mud which was
being kicked up. I don't know
whether he ever got there or not.
Rifle Blown to Pieces.
"By that time I got into a machine
gun emplacement with another cor
poral whose home was in Missouri,
leaving my rifle outside. Things got
so hot we decided to try to get to a
steel shelter at the end of a trench
1.-The corporal went first, but few
feet away shell exploded almost on
him and killed him. I stepped out
and saw that my rife had been blown
to pieces. This left me defenseless,
so / started in another direction. hop
Ing to find q rifle or a pistol, because
I knew the Germans would be around
soon. About the same time a piece
of shell hit me on the left side and
down / went. A sergeant yelled an
order for me to 60 to a first-aid sta
ton.
81 was just approaching the station
In the rear of two stretcher-bearing
teams who we've proceeding, bent
over, to escape If possible the flying
pieces of shell, when a shell exploded
and wiped If out. A piece of rock hit
me in the head. When I woke up
some stretcher-bearers had me, haul
ing me over the shell holes.
"I've sure got to hand 1t to those
men with the red cross on their
arms. They all worked like dogs in
that hell out there. They seemed to
have but one idea-to do their duty
and apparently cared nothing for
their own lives while doing IT. They
were game right to the core"
Grieve for Dead Captain.
All the infantrymen asked questions
regarding the fate of their comrades.
Keen distress was displayed bv all
the men of the company commanded
by the captain who was killed. One
of them said:
"He was fine officer, and believe
me, he took care of his men. Anyone
Of the company would have gone
through hell on his order. We will
pay Fritz for that If we haven't al
ready done So"
A Kansas man who was in the fight
said the last he saw of the captain
he was kneeling alongside splitting