Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-20
SOLSSON FIGHT
HOTTEST OF WAR
WAGED IN OPEN
American Charge Made Under
Blue Skies and on Open
Fields and Roads
By Associated Press

BY Associated Press
With the American Army Between
the Aisne and the Marne, July 20
The Franco-American troops made
an advance late yesterday afternoon
on the Soissons- Chateau Thierry
front, averaging about two kilo-
meters (about mile and a uuarterY
vicious German machine gun fire
southwest of Scissors hampered the
advance for only short period.
In the same action the Germans
attempted to use tanks against the
Americans, but hot fire soon COM
pelled the tanks to retreat
The advance began with a bar-
rage opening at $50 o'clock. Tanks
were sent in by the Allies to assist
the infantry and machine gunners.
and the Germans endeavored to
stem the tide with heavy she'll fire.
Southwest of scissors. the Germans
repeatedly attempted to reach the
Allies big guns. The German firing
continued until long after dark. but
the French and American guns re-
sponded in kind, and gave full pro
lection to the Allied forces as thew
advanced along the line. Several
towns were captured.
Pushing Advance
The Allied forces are CONTINUING
to advance their spearhead midway
between Scissors and Chateau
Thlerry. The Americans took several
towns In the course of the night.
q r-tN ~ -
cans also made further progress
They continue to hold the plateau
southwest of Soissons, where on
Thursday the Germans made their
| first organized counterattack, This
soon fell down, however, as soon as
the American heavy artillery got
into action.
This was one of the fiercest strur-
giles in connection with the Franco
American offensive. The battle
ragged southwest of Scissors for some
time. 1t resulted in the Germany
falling back finally under the rain OF
the heavy gunfire of the Americans.
NO resistance was encountered at
Vlerzy or In the neighboring villages
taken.
At two villages on the southern
portion of the line the hands of the
CLOCKS had been stopped by shell fire
at 4.45 O'Clock, indicating the time
the Allies had started their bonn
bardment on Thursday morning.
Germans i'm Flight
one OF the greatest surprises for
the Americans in the opening of the
| offensive was the flight of the Ger
mans before the attack. The Amer
leans, many of whom were going
over the ton for the first time, were
t-n1 fA,.
as the hours went on without a Ger
man counter blow, they began to
wonder when the enemy would re-
| taliate.
| Among the slightly wounded men
in the. American dressing station was
one lad who left a Chicago school to
join the army. This youth had been
wounded in the leg soon after the
start of the attack and his chief
worry seemed to be that his com
RACES who had gone on would fear
he had been killed.
While the American force engaged
in the present battle is small in
| comparison with the total Allied
strength, it may be said that it is
greater than any participating in a
battle since the Civil War, and the
conduct of the men is eliciting the
commentator of the French. They
have performed the part assigned to
| them with steadiness, courage and
skill.
Clean, Open Fight
TIC a large portion of the Ameri-
cans these four days have been their
first real fighting. Reports from
along the lines indicate a great deal
of clean, open warfare, some spon-
taneous, localized actions being un
dertaken without a preliminary bar
rage, and 1t is in actions of this
character that the American units
have won the praise of the French.
The tone of the communicates, and
| likewise the success of the counter
attacks begun early yesterday, have
infected the French and American
troops with high confidence in the
outcome of the great enemy offen-
sive, which now is believed not only
to have been effectively checked. but
in at least a small measure thrown
| back.
The American transport, both of
munitions and of the hospital serv-
ice, is working smoothly and effi-
ciently. Behind the line the corre-
spondent encountered ambulances
and trucks filled with what are
known as sitting cases, which had
already been attended to at the ad-
"anced dressing stations. These were
on their way to the rear and fire.
quently in their passage they forced
to the roadside groups of German
prisoners being escorted to the pens.
Wounded Cheerful
The wounded were comfortable
and cheerful. The men in one truck
were making an attempt to sing as
they passed. Further to the rear
long American railway hospital
trains, shining with their newness,
moved slowly through the ripening
wheat fields and the cool forests to
the bases, the wounded waving
cheerfully from the windows.