The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-10-16
AMERICANS CAIN
IN ARG0NNE
Tanks Aid in Forward Push
Above ROmagne.
CRUSH SAVAGE RESISTANCE
U. S. GInners Help Smash Teuton
Defense on Wide Front-Fight
Fresh Troops.

FTeSn FOOpS.
With the American Army Northwest
of Verdun, Oct. 16.-Tanks were
brought into action by the Americans
to break a way through the enemy
wire entanglements west of Romagne.
Despite German resistance the prog
ress Of tiae Americans, dariy reports
said, was satisfactory.
The Germans apparently were ready
to contest the ground stubbornly. The
enemy artillery was being used free
ly to hold the Americans, but our gun
ners were doing much to break down
the German resistance.
Units of the second American army
which began operations October II
under command of Major General Rob
ert l.. Ballard, repulsed a German raid
on their positions.
From east of the Meuse to the VI
cinity of Grandpre, American forces
chopped series of fresh notches in
the German line.
They kept up their swinging blows
at the enemy from early morning un-
til late afternoon. (The front eN-
tends about twenty-five mileS)
While the Germans resisted with
grim determination, their decision to
hold till the last the portion of the
line before the Americans may open
the way to swift disaster.
Although the action extended to the
east bank of the Meuse, the most saw
age fighting took place about Ro-
magne and to the west, where the en-
emy is striving to maintain that sec
ton of the Kriemhild line running
northwest from ROmagne.
The battle has been in and over
the wire entanglements before this
defensive position and the excellent
Notifications along which the present
line of advance is laid.
Hanging on the wire are Germans
whose equipment bears evidence an
other fresh division has been brought
up to meet the steady pressure of the
Americans.
Not content with their artillery de-
fenSe. the Germans made an extra
ordinarily liberal use of gas. Thou
sands of gas shells. mustard and le-
thai. were hurled into the rain-Satur-
ated woods and ravineS through which
the Americans crept forward.
Although the gas clouds clung tena-
ciously to the ground. the Americans
were not seriously hampered in their
nicnirlinn a % "
perience have taught them the value
of gas masks.
Heavy clouds and rain prevented
airmen from giving material assist
ance during the battle. In spite Of the
driZZle, however, several flying craft
did get over the lines late in the day.
They contributed somewhat to the sue
cess of the advance, notwithstanding
the low visibility. Flying low above
the German lines, they launched heavy
gusts of machine gun fire on the fore
es north of the tangle wire defenSeS.
The greater part of the resistance
east of the MeuSe was from machine
guns, but in spite of them and the re-
inforced German lines the Americans
Strengthened their line between the
Sivrey and the Magenta farm.
To the west of Romagne the Ger
mans had fortified one bit of Sunken
road with machine guns in such a
manner that it was regarded neces-
sary to blast it away with big guns.
The Germans had tunnelled openings
for machine guns through The banks
on the sides Of the road and every
little tunnel was lined with cement.
All attempts to take this position were
fruitless unless the machine guns We're
silenced by direct hits.
Between Romagne and Landres-et-
ST George is a hill covered with a
woods, and the fighting was extreme
ly fierce along its slopes, to which
were joined the barbed wire entangle-
ments that stretched from Landres-et-
st. George to st. George, a mile and
n half further west.