New-York tribune., 1918-07-25
Dense Masses of Blacks
and Americans Moved
Down, Says Report
Washington Is Amused
Even Wolff Bureau Changes
"Hundred Thousands" to
"Ten Thousands"

AMSTERDAM, July 24.-Telcgraph-
ing from the AisneMarne battlefront
under date of Tuesday evening, the cor
respondent of the Wolff Bureau, the
semi official German news agency,
says:
"Continuing their attack between the
Aisne and the Marne the French for
the first time employed American can
non fodder in comparatively large
numbers as an addition to their Scne-
galese auXiliaries.
Dense masses of blacks and Amer
leans were hurled against the German
INES. They paid for it IN some hun
dred thousands of killed negroes and
Americans. In some places they ad-
vanced to attack sixteen waves deep.
One wave after another broke down
IN the German artillery and machine
gun fire.
Next day they renewed their as
sauit seven times with gradually les
scring force
"On the third day the American in
fantry began to halt at the first rush.
throwing themselves down rs soon as
the German artillery commenced When
the fIrlng continued they retired rapid
~ so that at times their attack be-
came a hurried flight
"On many occasions the German in
fantry stood up in the trenches and
while standing there received the Amer
lcans with salvos of rifle fire.
I'm the attack on July ii, American
battalions of the second division. ad
vancing through the ravine Of Vis-
loneu, were caught in the fire of Ger
man machine guns, which covered the
ravlne from the sugar works at Noyant.
They Immediately turned and fed.
"Amerlcan casualties on July 19 and
July 20, especially officers, were excep-
tlonally severe. Prisoners say some
regiments were annihilatcd."
This afternoon the Wolff Bureau
telegraphed correction to the above
report, relative to the losses in the
battle. Instead of "some hundred
thousands of killed negroes and Amer
lcans.' the bureau says that the corre-
spondent reports some items of thou
sands killed.
AMERICANS lost heavily in the fight
ing at Epieds on July %, according
to the Wolff Bureau correspondent at
the front. He says that after a des-
perate struggle, during which the viii
lage changed hands frequently, the
Germans were victors. Eight American
officers and 1870 men were taken pris-
oner by the Germans, he adds, and
t"elve American machine guns were
also taken.
WASHINGTON, July c4.-The Wolff
Bureau dispatch purporting to picture
tremendous sacrifices among the Ameri-
can troops and containing carefully
phrased references to the American,
being pushed forward with black troops
is characterized by officials here as the
same sort of an attempt to create a
depression in the United States as
German official and semi official chan
nels have repeatedly turned upon the
French and British.
ANY reference to the American troops
as cannon fodder" is obviously ridicu-
lous. 1t is we'll known that they have
been brigaded with British and French
troops, as we'll as operating by divi-
slons among themselves. Any state
ment that any particular class of troops
has been picked for sacrifice is de-
clared unworthy of notice
Every one here comedies that the
Americans have probably suffered
yet begun to appear in the official lists.
Last Saturday General March, chief of
staff, gave warning that the operation
would cost something, but added that
the government had as yet no knowl-
edge of what it would be.
From time to time the German Off
clal statements have attempted to ere
ate depression and dissension in Great
Brltain's colonies by declaring that the
Canadian and Australian troops were
being sacrificed. Then the German
propaganda turned to the French with
insidious statements that the French,
terrtorlals, including the Senegalese
and the Moroccans, were being butch
cred.
Later the same methods were usec
in an attempt to inflame the negro pop
ulation of the United States with state
ments that American negroes were
placed in the line of fire to shield white
troops.
Today's statement is regarded as be-
ing wholly in the same class. When
the American casualty list begins to
come in officials are confident it will
not be inconsistent with the results
nor with the sacrifices of the French