Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-09-08
FRENCKMEN PRAISE
YANKEE SOLDIERS
Their Presistently Stepping On
Heels of Flying Hun
the Cause.
BEAT THE ARTILLERYMEM
Refused to Wait for Program Of
Smelling, but Dash Into
the Fray.
BEAT THE ARTILLERYMEM

NoHTli or THt: MAhSE: septemGe'
.--hecpiiS contact with the rea!
guards Of Colonel General Won Bochn',
. army in its retreat northcastward from
Chateau Thierry presented a new phas,
OF warfare for the STAFF OF the .\meri'
hiled its mission so admirably as t.
elicit the praise of the French STAFF
: ~ was between 10 O'Clock at nigh
and o'clock sunday morning OF Jul,
u that the German retirement com.
mcnced. II was made under cover 81
.he hlsnt when the .pr%inS eyes Of the
S!iled aviators could not detect ii. ~
daybrcak that sunday morning whei
me nericanS stood to for the morning
aicrt' theE we're surprised TO nnd II,
activity in the enemy trenches opposu.
flrSt on" man. then another. stuck his
Head aboN" the paraDct and failed 10
receive the machiDe-gun burst or snip
or bullet that generally accompan!c,
such a rash act.
IN rev minutes wire and no mans
!and patrols returned TO rcpor, tina,
.hey had encountered no enemy pa
roIs and ihat they had entered va.
nous advanced enemy positions NAith.
on, meeting any Germans.
The american patrols went forward
from three TO four miles before en-
counteri ne any resistance, and with.
out shell being fired by the krupy
batteries. Then the first inklinE OF
inc presence OF the enemy was crack
ing machine gun which burst into life
as they entered village. The Amer
cans Immediately broke up fiopped on
tn" ground. and wrigElcd toward the
cihpiacn'ncnt. one man lobbcd a couple
% German hand -grenadcS that were
l.lns near BY into the pit and the gun
s,orped But when the America ms
stood up 10 80 forward another ma
chihe gun from across the road opened
up.
one member OF the patrol went bach:
10 report inc presence Of the enemy
ana the others continued their work
OF stamping out the machine gun nests,
by taking their time and keeping up
demonstration OF activity in front
OF the machine guns, tho America ms
heid the gun crews attentions until a
sontary member OF the party cou!,i
tion and bomb it into submission.
Nearly always German cgg grcnadcs
or potato Washers were used for this,
as tncE sy about in profusion, and
inc American patrols had not carried
many OF the deadly things
In villages where heavy machine
gun hIe vas encountered the Officers
the arrival OF field gun batteries TO
SneI! me enemy out, or OF armorcd
amlomohiles 10 dash in among the en-
Placements. Often enough. however a
'e" hardy spirits went forward on
! their own account and Knocked out the
strong points before the artillery got
into action.
Tine advance column OF Americans
was always kept TO the minimum
strensth and usually followed the roads
X
90 past on botn TANKS and entered by
tae rear. When a burst OF nghtin-
loon place between the American adj
vance patrols and the German re.r
GUARDS the Yankees invariably fought
win enemy machine guns and ammuni-
loh. seizing gun in Il commandinc
position and turning j; on the othet
guns
In most cases the Prussian machine
gun crews fought we'll until the
americans worked TOO close 10 them
: then they climbed out OF their pits
extended their arms ana yelled kan
Grad
Where the Germans had emplaced
their machine guns in trees they were
most dangerous. but their activity .l-
NAYS mad :. very short life as il was
naturally impossible for them to have
mHch ammunition in the treetop 10 re-
piehiSh their guns. In such cases the
AmeFcans provoked the Germans to
sh"ot OF their cartridge belts at
dummy targets and then took them
pris"nerS. One American corporal from
Dubuque captured heavy Germa:
macnihe gun and turned il SuuareIy
on the trunk OF a poplar which held ali
annoying German sniper with an auto
ma;lc rihe. The Dubuque lad fred 100
shots into the trunk of the tree. and
then II ioDpled to the ground, bochc
automatic rifle and ali