The Topeka state journal., 1918-08-06
YANkS ARE BUSY
IN FISMES WITH
GERMAN SNIPERS
SharpshoOters Are Still Con-
ceaIed in Buildings.
U. s. Troops Are Cleaning
Them Up Rapidly.
IVESLE IS ABOUT so FEET wide
Stream Is Swift and Deep
Bridges Gone.
Germans Put In Barbed Wire
To Tangle Swimmers.
U. s. Troops Are Cleaning
Them Up Rapidly.
vESLE IS ABOUT SO FEET wide
Stream Is Swift and Deep
Bridges Gone.
BY FRED S. FERGUSON.


France, Aug. 6.-The situation in Fis-
mes is peculiar-reminiscen of the
days when the Americans occupied
Vera Cruz. Altho the town is held by
our troops. German snipers are still
concealed in buildings ana cellars.
American on both sides of the vesle
are mopping up these snipers and
stray machine guns
| Our advance forces are likely TO
continue beyond Fismes and let the
rear elements finish the mopping up
operations.
| American cavalry is patrolling the
Fismes region. Rain is still falling
and all roads are semi-rivers. Fields
are soft under foot, men and horses
sinking deep in the mud at every step.
The banks of the Vesle are more
marshy than ever, making operations
slower and more difficult
vesle About so Feet Wide.
In spite of these handicaps. the
Americans continue to feel out the
German line, constantly pressing for
| ward. The Vasle IN this region is
about fifteen meters (about fifty feet)
wide and is swift and deep. Cross
| ings were made, however. over par
/
climbing over the wreckage that still
protruded above water.
| Stiff fighting marked the taking of
Fismes. The boches had extensive
machine gun defenses and rather
heavy artillery concentration.
Il Extended artillery preparation pre-
ceded the American attack smashing
some of the machine gun nests and
putting a few batteries out of action.
Then the infantry storIned the others.
fighting partly thru the streets and
Ipartiy in the open and driving the
enemy beyond the river which divided
the town. Another smash threw the
boches completely out of the city. ex-
} cept for the snipers.
Inflicted Bloody Loss on Huns.
Just prior to the attack on F'ismes,
the Americans inflicted bloody lesses
on the enemy as the latter retreated
down the heights south and east Of
. the town. The American reached the
crest of the heights as the boch4s were
retiring down the slopes. Our rifle
men and machine gunners opened up
deadly fire and soon carpeted the
hillside with German dead and
wounded. Fismes was held by Ger
man regiment with a special machine
gun detachment which, according to
. prisoners, formed part of the reserves
or Crown Prince Rupprecht's armies
The majority of prisoners are between
10 and 20 years old. Their best men
have been killed and requirements
have been made from young reserva
DIVISIONS. Included among the enemy
diVlslons In this region. however are
| some of the crack guard regiments. as
wen as other types of their best
troops
!, Strung Barbed Wire in River.
The Americans are improving in
tneIr work OF cleaning up machine
gun positions without heavy losses.
4 Every day they are encountering tricIxs
e new to them, but are meeting them by
springing new tricks of their own The
poches strung quantities of barbed
8 wire In the Vesle but did not retard
q the Americans crossing. Possibly due
: TO the hasty nature of their retreat.
p the enemy left none of the deyilish d e.
vices behind that characterized their
4 retreat before the British on the
r Somme. Every grenade or suspicious
| looking articles in any house is care
!. fully handled
: In the meantime, careful search Is
|. | being made in all of the captured
: towns for spies. The boches have a
: trick of leaving a spy in French OF
= to come out after allied occupation.
n tBy the Associated Press)
Americans Heavily Bombarded.
;, With the American Army on ths
Vesie, Monday, Aug. 5.-The Germans
| facing tie Americans along the Vesls
increased the intensity of the artiIlery
fire late today, bringing into action
guns OF $50 millimeters against he
forces west of Flames. During ths
afternoon the Germans employed
flame projectors from the slopes north
of the Vesle. where they appeared tc
be well organized. Machine guns aisc
II were used repeatedly. The American
II lines also were subjected to a heavy
fire from German 1865 and late in this
afternoon the enemy raked the hil
: tops with various kinds of gas shells
e The big gun duel soon Became so vio-
d lent that observation was difficult and
maps had to be used, the Americans
picking out German position observed
during the day The Germans shellet
'f forests, crossroads, highways, clunpi
g of trees and all other places whert
. they thought troops or supplies might
. q n