Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-17

them were captured without having
fred a round at the attackers.
The Germans already have begun to
react The number of enemy air
planes has increased greatly and the
allies are striving to drive them on.
At night the Germans attempt to bomb
the Americans. These things do not
suggest a beaten foe, and 1t would be
, the gravest mistake to imagine that
r3he Germans are done with.
Surrender in Large Batches.
During the fighting in the St. Mihiel
salient it has been noted that the
enemy soldiers have shown an in
clination to surrender In large
patches There has been an extraor-
diparily large proportion of non-com-
mfssioned officers among the enemy
troops taken captive.
An observer. who has been several
years at the front, said today that ne
h1I never seen so many non -commts-
stoned officers taken as during the
past few days. He said:
"To those knowing the German army
this feature has special meaning. for
It tells of the declining morale of the
enemy forces. The strength of the
German army lies in it's non-commis-
stoned officers. and something plainly
has gone wrong. The events Of the
Gus blow to German confidence"
Overcome Difficulties.
Difficulties almost unbelievable were
overcome by the Franco-American
the western flank of the ST. Mihiel
salient The heaviest fighting &C.
CURED on this flank, as elsewhere
along the line of last weeks offensive
tho Germans retreated with little op-
position.
forests and thickets which were al
most solid mass of barbed wire.
They had to traverse roads cut by
many trenches, and were opposed not
only'by men and all the machinery of
war; but by nature as well. However,
they accomplished the almost in
creditable feat of breaking through.
Behind them they left torn masses of
wire. ruined roadways end wooded
hills belted with concrete forts.
Allied Bombing Raids.
out extensive bombing raids on Ba-
yonville, Frescatti, LIE Sablon and in
the direction of Metz this afternoon.
Fires were observed at LIE Sablon.
One of the American planes shot down
a German balloon near Preny.
Lieut.. Duckstein. observer. and
Lieut.. Richardson. pilot. were attack
ed by an enemy machine bearing
French markings. They were forced
TO land inside the American lines, but
loon was shot down yesterday, but the
observers escaped safely by para
chute.
Allied Filters Aid Yankees.
British airplanes which are CO.
operating with American souadrons
on this front flew far back of the en-
dromes at several places. Some Of the
long-distance tliers passed over
Karlsruhe and Mainz. dropping five
and half tons of explosives. Eleven
tons of bombs were dropped on the
airdromes at Longuyen. Boulay, Mar
hange and Bohm.
French and italian units co-operat-
ed with American squadrons in carry
ing out nine missions, in addition to
which patrolling and Photographic
work was successfully conducted.
German Officers Comment.
A German officer captured by the
Americans makes interesting revela-
lions concerning the st. Mihiel salient.
He declares that it's continued hold
ing by the Germans would have been
and was a piece of unsoldierly preten-
tiousness. which was only persisted
IN from political necessity.
He was very angry about 1t and as
serted that representations had been
made to the great general staff as to
the impossbility of holding the sa-
lent with the troops assigned to it in
>face of the American concentration
which was known to be taking place.
but at the. time it was supposed that
the occasion was not propitious for
attacking the Germans and any re-
adjustment of the German positions
was postponed until the moment for
complete evacuation was past.