The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-16

tillery men and machine gunners was
perfect. The gunners, firing from far
in the rear, dropped shells on the
enemy's pontoons with the greatest
accuracy. When the boches reached
the river bank they were compelled
to plunge in and many of them were
drowned. Others were caught in the
rain of shells and machine gun bull
lets and the stream was soon thickly
dotted with shattered bodies.
In some places, the Germans chung
doggedly to the south bank. Ameri-
can officers sent back word late last
night, however, that they expected to
fore the morning.
1t is reported, but not confirmed.
that this was accomplished.
Shelled Everything Within 25 Miles,
The battle was one of the most re-
markable of the war. For ten hours
the intense Smelling by guns of all
calibres continued. Everything with
in forty kilometers (25 miles) of the
front was shelled, while the front lines
and organizations Immediately in the
rear were subjected to the fiercest de-
luge of gas shells and high explosives
When the Germans attacked, a
creeping barrage five kilometers
(more than three miles) deep. swept
over the Americans and French lines.
Behind this curtain of fire the boches
crossed the river
In addition to throwing over pom
toons, canvas boats and RATS, each
holding a score of men, were sent out
from the concealInent of the wooded
banks, thier occupants polling them
across. The boches looked like
gnomes. while crossing the river, be-
inr forced to wear gas masks, owing
to the violence of their own gassing.
Drove Thru Deadly Barrage.
viduaI bravery of the Americans. One
slant rapid fire that it ran short of
ammunition. Volunteers were called
to go three miles over a road, every
inch of which was swept by she'll fire.
Every man volunteered. The neces-
sary number was picked. They drove
their horses, dragging the humping
caissons at gallop thru shell bursts.
Several horses were killed. Returning
more horses were killed. ea,.-..-,- e.,
The number Of horses was SO re-
duced that the men were forced. to
substitute themselves. They would
leap off, cut loose the mangled bodies
of the faithful animals, then grasp the
traces and run along beside the re-
naming horses. When this strange
cavalcade-haf man, half animal
arrived at the battery, the men serv-
ing the guns paused long enough m
THEIR u0ddly WOLh " IiSOl tiiOii 4iSA CiS
comrades.
Sergt. Fred Brown and Oscar Will
cox returned to the American lines
late yesterday afternoon with eight
prisoners. They had been captured
themselves and disarmed. But, watch
| ing for an opportunity, they over
powered their guards and escaped,
picking up a squad of boches on the
! way back.
Documents and maps taken from
! other prisoners showed that the enemy
reached none of his planned detectives
| between Chateau Thferry and Dor
mans. A full enemy division was
identified as the Tenth. The Ameri-
cans engaged this same division when
they were thrown across the path of
| the Germans advance on Paris in
| June, and stopped it.
Rain Kept Aircraft Down.
| Another remarkable phase of the
battle was the lack of aerial observa-
| ton in the middle of the day. While
the weather was fairly clear early in
the day, the sky soon became heavily
| clouded, and few airplanes were up
when the Americans counter attacked
around noon. There were two sharp
| showers late in the afternoon, after
| which the sky again became clear.
Airplanes then began to swarm in
great flocks and scores of allied bomb
| ing planes crossed the lines and
| bombed bridges and all German or
| CARNATIONS from the front far to the
| rear.
Strange sights were observed behind
the allied lines. Mingling in the roads
with the rushing traffic of war were
French women and children, who sat
on top of two wheel wagons, fleeing
| from newly shelled homes. American
and French flags, put up in ceiebra-
| ton of BastiHe day, were still displayed
/ II, the aarrnnSt villa
Women and children took the Ameri-
can flags from their windows and
waved them as ambulances passed.
In the hospitals, not far from the
front, American doctors and nurses
worked untiringly, despite the fact
they were under almost constant fire
| from the enemy's long range guns.