The Tomahawk., 1918-09-19
First Drive Under Direct Com
mand of Pershing Begins Be-
tween verdun and Metz.
ten VILLAGES TAKEN
Americans Intensely Eager and Fight
ing MagnifieentIy-Attack Preceded
by Four-Hour Barrage Fire.
Allies Have Air Supremacy.

General Pershing Is in action
= against the Germans on a 2omile
. front on the famous st. Mihiei
salient in Lorraine. which has
stood az sharp wedge In tho
French line southeast Of verdun
since the beginning Of the war.
r. In the preliminary, thrust,
ground was gained on both sides
Of the triangle and also at ito apex
at St. Mihiel and at last accounts
the Americans, with whom some
French troops are brieaded, were
fast sweeping across the salient
in an effort to close the mouth Of
the big pocket before the Germans
can extricate themselves from tho
periious position they are in as a
result Of the suddenness Of the
blow and the element Of surprise
it carried with it.
With the Americans on the Metz
Front, Sept. 13.-Between the Mouse
and Moselle rivers the Americans
have started their first big offensive.
The attack was carried out by the
First army under the direct command
of General J. J. Pershing.
On the early advance the Americans
captured 10 villages.
The French, are assisting toward
the right and also toward the left.
This dispatch is filed from the St.
Mihiel salient.
The region of the Meuse. and the
Moselle lis on the Toul front, before
the important fortress Of Metz, in
German Lorraine. This is the point
where the American concentration
has been on for months.
The American line is within two or
three miles of the German border. At
some points the line actually touches
the Lorraine line. The battlefront is
approximately Is miles from Metz.
Tanks Manned by Yanks.
More than 100 tanks manned by
aided in smashing the pow
erful concrete reinforced first line Of
the enemy, in the region Of St. Baus-
SAINT az miles east OF, st. MihieD. The
tanks sdr6ve forward at sunrise, be-
A1uU q O0A6o 6uAOhO 6CAO0us 5r, ~
The town of Montsec (seven miles
east Of st. Mihiel) was kept shrouded
in q smoke screen all morning long
to prevent effective German obserya-
ton. 49,
The Allies have complete supremacy
of the air.
The Germans now are falling back
on the fronts on each side of the st.
Mihiel salient. The American attack
was preceded by barrage lasting
four hours. ~ ce>*'%'.."te.
American infantry attacked behind
q heavy rolling barrage timed to go
forward 100 yards every 40 minutes.
The Americans are intensely eager
and fighting magnificently.
American and French troops today
began an offensive on a 20-mile front
in Lorraine near the German border.
The movement evidently is aimed prf-
marty at the elimination of the "a
nous St. Mihiel salient, which for
more than four years has projected
into the Allied line southeast of Ver-
dun. 3d..
Attack on 6oIn SOoeS.
The attacks we're launched on both
sides Of the salient on 12-mile front
on the south and an eight-mile front
on the westerly side. The assaults
were progressing favorably at the lat
est reports. .....s.-. -.--N g..
A barrage lasting several hours pre-
coded the thrust. Heavy concentra-
tons of French and American artil-
lery and airplanes had been effected.
The fire poured in on the Germans
from the Allied guns was terrible
one, while the German reply on the
whole was weak. ~.
The st. Mihiel salient is nearly 20
miles wide at its mouth, from Fresnes,
IL miles southeast of Veydun, TO Point
a Mousson, and somewhat more than
Is miles in depth with its apex just
to the southwest of st. Mihiel. It was
driven into the French line in sud-
den German eruption southeast Of
verdun early In the fall Of 1914.