Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-07-31
TURNS TAIL AND RUNS
IN SPINE OF HIS
SUPERIOR FORCE
TAKE 0URCQ HILLS
DOMINANT HEIGHTS WHICH BOD
ED EVIL FOR ALLIES AR ENOW
CLEARED OF ENEMY-PRO.
GRESS SLOWLY BUT SURELY.

by Newton {. Parke, lnternationll
News Service staff Correspondent
With the American Army at the Aisae
July 5l--Americans gave the Ger
mans the cold steel in d series of
violent hand 'to.hand encounters for
possession of he heights north of the
Ourcq river, which ragged all day Tues
day and last night
The Americans continued to thrus,
northward despite the fact that the
boches had .usbed fresh troops into
acuon IN motor trucks and laid down
heavy barraee against our advanced
elemen S.
Our progress was not quite as rapid
as l. had been on Sunday.
AT day break We had cleared the
Germans entirely from Seringes-et.
Nesle and Hill No. 1874. immediately
northeast Of Fereen.T Tardenois.
During the night the Americans
had penetrated the village from the
ives taking the bothes completely
hy surprise, In the meanwhile the
Germans were keeping the slopes 10
the south under heavy machine gun
flre. where the Americans had made a
demonstration
After sharp bsyonet fighting the
Germans were thrust back to the out
skirts.
The tack which hurled the hoche
defenders from he village was led By
certain captain from Ohio
thick nest of German machin,
gun nests in the small wood known a,
Bois de Brule tsouth Of Sernges) hel.
up the advance Of our right flank
The officers saw that the position
could not be aiken excep. at consid
erable loss, so the artillery was sig
nailed The eunners responded mag
nticently.
After forty minutes Of violent shell
ing the infantry rushed forward, &C
ing through the wood with but it'll
resistance The men found that tn
machien gun emplacement had bee
blown to bits.
Then other elements 10 the rieh
of this attack cleaned mp enemy mf
chine gunners at Moury Farm, in
mediately to the s,llth, which We ha
AZ .pI Il
North of Sergy, where American ia
mer boys administered such sti
drubbing to a crack Prussian guar
division in Sundays and Monday
fighting, we made some further pr
gress
East Of this village the American
stormed and captured Hill No Il
commanding the approaches to Serl
from the north.
With our machine guns playil
steadily across .his road. the German
did not attempt to recapture the V
lage which has been the scene
such desperate struggle,
TO the southeast Of Sergy. the G.,
mans continue to contest every in
of ground, counter attacking wi
great violence,
German artillery of heavier ca
bre has been shelling the areas
our rear. indicating that the enet
has concentrated considerable ar
lery on the plateau northeast of Fe
en.Tardenos in an effort TO impe
our advance toward the Fismes Iii
Despite this fire It was possit
with comparative safety, to reach s.
ersl commanding points south Of
Ourcq river from which to obSeI
our advances north Of the stres
while the German barrage was dot
our lines with shellfire.
From one Of these points Of v
tage observers watched an Ameri
lieutenant leading an attack tow
Nese. He cleverly outmaneuve
the boches, who believed that
Americans would climb the 81
through the favine, They laid dc
their barrape accordingly.
Then the lieutenant simply shi
his men to the left Of the ravine, I
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