Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-01
II. s. STRATEGY
WON SERINGES
Capture of Contested Vii
lage Feather in Cap
of Yankees
FEINT LURED FOE ON
Prussian Guard Brilliantly
Vanquished by Clever
ness and Courage
FEINT LURED FOE ON
By the Associated Press !


Sheer. hard in-and-out fighting marked
Tuesday on the American front. tele-
graphs Reuters correspondent on the
front north of the Marne. He says That
the final capture of Seringes by the
Americans was an especially creditaple
achievement.
After the Americans took the village
on Monday, the Germans made no IN
fAntry attack on the place, but kept up
a constant artillery and machine-gun nre
TO drive them out. This continued all
day on Tuesday and toward evening the
enemy seemed to think that the spirit
of the defenders might possibly be proR-
en-. Then the foe began to emerge from
the Nesles forest in way that seenneo
to forecast a fresh attempt to take the
village. OF the fighting which ensued
the correspondent writes:
THE Americans after three days Oh
to-and-fro fighting through villages had
learned subtlety and were determined 10
have a real fight to a finish. They con-
uequently withdrew as IL retiring from
Seringes. and the Germans crept down
from the high ground, convinced they
had their opponents beaten. Additional
German troops came pouring In until the
town was occupied as it never had been
before. -.
&; Encircicd by Americans
"But as the new occupants began to
orxanize their defenses they found that
bullets appeared to be coming IN from
three sides Of the village and 1t was not
long before they discovered that the
Americans, while withdrawing from the
front Of the town had commenced an
encircling movement on both sides, thus
forming ring almost compieteis
around it.
''Then came tragic fighting. The
Prussian guard had voted not to sur
! render and their opponents were just as
anxious to see the thing through. IL
was an affair of small arms, but the
Americans proved to be better shots aho
slowly picked off men here ana there
."rhen the Americans began TO ao.
vance and slowly their encircling rlhe
closed about the village. AS the rine
draw closer and the defenders saw theit
doom approaching they redoubled then
{ fire, but still the Americans came OF
unfalteringly, like a storm OF pie ~"
2, ayoidable stroke OF fate.
''when the Americans reached TN
nrecincts of the village their nre cease'
and with one wild yell they closed VIII
the foe. The fierce uproar suddeniy CAV
nIacs ~ a strange silence as man grap
nied with man. Only the clash of stee
on steel and the groans Of the strickel
: could be heard. ..- ,..... sep. .. ;.
Over in Ten Minutes
'rThe issue was never in doubt 10
an instant At this kind of hghting tn
American Is more than equal TO an.
Prussian guardsman, and In little NOR
than ten minutes all was over. Excep
for a few German prisoners, every Ger
man in the village had breathed nj
last. .Such was the final capture o
Seringes.
i'During the night the enemy twice
attempted to retake Sergy, but eacf
time he was repulsed with heavy losses
Then he made a fierce assault OF
Meurcy Farm, east of Seringes, whicl
was piled with the dead which he hat
left there the day before, when ever!
man defending 1t died at his post. Their
again the enemy was unsuccessful
though not until steel had crossed stee
In the big farmyard and the heaps o
German slain had been doubled in tn
ruins about 1t.
This was classic fighting, indeed
man against man. and the better to VIII
There was no call for quarter. TIL
pride Of the professional soldier was u
against the pride of the freeman, bot
preferring death to surrender.
y Later in the morning the fighting eN
tended still further eastward, and !
every case the Germans who attacke
were annihilated. Later came the al
tack on Seringes and an attempt at tn
same time to drive the Allies from Hi
ls1, west Of Seringes,
.arhere, for the first time since tn
Allies crossed the Ourcq, the German
may be said to have definitely taken I'll
offensive.
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