The Washington times., 1918-07-27
AMERICAN GUNNERS
OUT ENEMY.
MACHINE GUN NEST.

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY AT
THE AISNE, July % (night) Amer
leans engaged the Germans this aft
ernoon in the heart Of q thunder
storm, attacking In the Riz forest.
east Of Charmed In the late after
noon they were pressing forward be-
meath Q radiant rainbow that famed
in the sky, high above the battle
neld, giving It a theatrical aspect
Information reaching the rear to-
night indicated that the Germans
were Offering the stifrest kind Of re-
sistance in the ravine near Clarinet
where there were thick nests of ma
chine guns The Germans, further
east, adopted their faVorite methods
Of stTinging machine guns in the
trees and In open spaces Of the
forest They poured q hot IRE into
our Advancing troops but the Ameri-
can artillery did good work In
smashing the sAneStaS
The Germans were Sgtrafed"
throughout Last night By the Amsri-
can gunners and the attacks today
were rendered less difficult BY the
effective work Of the artillery.
The stubborn way In which the
boches have been holding on in this
zone indicates that they either hope
to deliver countetr blows yoon or else
they have not yet had \ chance to
remove their material between the
wooded ground north Of the Marns
and Fere-en-Tardennois and are pro-
longing their resistance until the
supplies can be withdrawn
AmerIeans Capture Farms.
North Of this area we made fur
Their progress, taking . group Of
farm houses that the Germans had
converted into forts. Thsy were wen
defended with machine guns.
One of these blockheuses stood
near Benvardes, commanding the
Chateau Fhierry-FsTe-sn-Tardennois
road, and was held by nineteen Ger
mans led by . "non-eom-"
The Germans had BEEN ordered to
tight to the death, but this morning
when they looked out they saw
Americans on their right and French
cavalry on their left, and they raised
the white nag without making any
resistance whatsoever.
In the same region fourteen Ger
mans had been holding up our adj
vance from . slight rise In the
ground. They had been lighting by
night and sleeping by day and knew
nothing Of the retirement Of their
main army. They began to wonder
why rations were not being brought
up and started from their dugouts to
They had not gone far
before they ran into q patrol Of Amer
lean doughboys, The Americans made
prisoners Of the whole fourteen
Germans Sacrificed TrOopa-
There hsys been several instances
where the Germans deliberately saert-
iced small groups that were left be-
hind TO stay the FrAneo-Americsn ad-
vance.
One German company had been re-
dueed to thirty-two men BY the ter
rifc sheliipg OF the American ertil-
lery. n was commanded By NON
CON-" who had three light machine
guns TO support the forces holding .
front Of nearly q kiiometrs. east Of
Epieds
When the Americans SWarnsd from
both sides they captured all but two
of the boches. Among the prisoners
taken In this sector was q Polish ar
tiIlsry officer, VINO said he had been
ordered to retire; but he was 50 an
gsFod By the German treatment Of the
Poles, who, he said. never received
any decorations nor the same treat
ment accorded TO the others, that he
decided to stay behind and surrender.
In spite Of Iov-hanging clouds
there was much air activity today,
during the morning.