Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-05
ALLIED GUNS HALT
GERMAN ADVANCE
Prevent Re endorsements
Being Brought Up at
Chateau Thierry
AIRPLANES SPOT ENEMY
BY EDWIN L. JAMES
Special Cable to Erening Public Ledger

topDri0ht. 1918. bD NcIc York Times Co.
With the Fighting Allied Armies,
June 3.
Dust, marching men. thousands and
thousands of them; camions without
number, belching little guns. belching
big guns. scurrying ambulances. boche
prisoners, most Of them wounded and
then more dust-that picture sticks
after two days spent behind the AL.
lied lines. which brought many thrill
ing sights. but none so magnificent
as Sundays shelling of Chateau.
Thierry and the hills back Of il. There
is one big reason why on SUNDAY the
boche was unable to bring up troops
to help the few who had penetrated
into Chateau-Thierry and to force a
passage of the river. which , fer,
shock troops could not effect. That
reason was the work of the Allied
artillery on Sunday.
On Friday night the boche advance
troops got into Chateau-Thierrv and
tried to cross the Marne by the four
bridges of the city. They were pre-
vented by machine guns which. with
the artillery. held back the foe on
Saturday and Saturday night. That
night the French guns were brought
up and placed in the hills south of
Chateau-Thierry. and the next morn.
ing they got to work.
Twas Perfect Summer Day
Sunday. June 2, was a perfect sum.
mer day. 1t was a dav made for
weddings and JOY. The boche had
turned 1t into day of death and
hate. an"
Just south of Chateau -Thierrv rises
d wooded MI, at distance of a kilo-
meter and half or two kilometers
from the city. On top of that hill
with another American correspondent,
l lay in the long grass for three
hours and watched the work of our
guns. Before us in splendid vista
stretched the city. through it winding
the war famed Marne. More than
nalf the city is north Of the river.
The hills are back of the city Ave
miles. and the terrain on each side
is in perfect view.
Down in the city were the Allied
infantry on one side of the river and
the boches on the other. Back of the
city in clumDs of trees lay the Ger
man batteries. with more in Wonder
woods. and still more guns in the two
nearby villages which we could see.
The boches were all under cover.
No one could be seen from the hill.
but the landing of shells and the rattle
of machine guns every now and then
told that they were there.
Behind us the French guns cut
loose - little ones, mddle-s sized ones
and big ones. With the naked eye we
could see where each shell hit. An
boches in the clump of woods north of
the city. Then shells began to hit
around the woods and four landed
right in the midst Of the clump.
Behind great mill were Some
boches. With the incest precision the
French gunners sent shrapnel to eX-
plode in the air just behind the mill.
every minute or so dropping big.
81 eli there, For two hours we watched
the sbelling of that "osition. and on''.
once was the mill hit. when a shell
n little low. took a piece out OF one
corner.
Houses Burn In City
Hero and there a house began to
hurn in the city as some shell mt IL
snuarely. Two big shells in the railroad
yard were followed by another which
took the roof neatly off house
II seemed as II fifty guns would let
loose at once on that poor city. All OF
the shells were aimed to fan on the
other side OF the river, just d ic" saiN'',
many Of them. from where the Allied
machine gunners and infantry held the
south hank of the stream.
Suddenly a movement appeared on
one of the roads. A moment later
seven big shells lit right there. and
there were no more movements in that
nIace. Scouting then showed boche guns
in a little village to the right. In two
minutes twenty shells landed in and
around the village, shooting geysers of
earth skyward.
When we left the guns were still go
ing strong and the little boche outfit
vas cut off in Chateau-Thierry. where
no more Germans could come to aid
them. We turned for a last look as
several salvos were let go. As they hit
the other correspondent turned to me
and said:
Great God. what would Broadway
give to see that show?'
At one point on the trip we came into
"a little village that was filled with SOL
diers of all sorts and sizes. Most of
them had been in the French and Brit
ish armies forced to withdraw before
the boche superiority n numbers.
In a little cafe a forlorn Britisher
told his story. He belonged to the Brit
ish artillery. The boche, he said, had
pored over the infantry front line and
forced their retreat. He and his COM