Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1918-09-20


for the distribution of all Red Cross
material among the allies.
Thursday in the st. Mihiel sector, and
today the great triangular salient
which projected into the allies lines
between Verdun and Nancy is crushed
on both sides.
The attack, which started early in
ern side for a distance of II miles,
from st. Mihiel to Pont a Mousson,
and nOrthward from st. Mihiel for
distance of eight miles, French
troops, cooperating with the Ameri-
cans, struck at the southern point of
the salient at ST. Mihiel.
Three to Five-MiIe Advance.
According to battle front dispatches,
the Americans have advanced on both
fronts from three to five miles, have
captured upward of II villages, and
are still driving forward. American
cavalry operating to the rear appear
to have cut off some of the German
troops fighting at the southern end
of the pocket.
The offensive, the first struck on
pretentiOus scale by the Americans,
is under the immediate direction of
General Pershing. was planned by the
American staff and is being executed
by American officers and troops.
Tanks, artillery, airplanes even down
to the narrow-gauge roads rushing for
ward ammunition-all are American.
Only Big Villages Named.
To the end of st. Mihiel the
Americans have captured Thiacourt,
Pannes and Nonsard. North of st.
Mihiel, General Pershing's men have
taken Combres and have reached the
western outskirts of Donmartin La
Montague, about six or seven miles
up toward Verdun, as we'll as Les
Eparges Other smaller places have
been taken in the advance, which has
been so rapid that apparently only the
larger villages have been named.
After Tornado of Artillery.
The attack was launched at five
o'clock Thursday morning, after tor
nado Of artillery preparation which
lasted four hours. Light, medium and
heavy artillery swept the German po-
sitions with gas, high explosive and
shrapnel shells. The entire triangle
for miles back was an inferno of blast
ing metal, fairly smothering the enemy
positions
In many cases smoke screens were
used to add to the decentralization of
the Boche and to render uncertain the
aim of their machine gunners.
Promptly at the zero hour the Amer
lean troops left their trenches: some
deployed as skirmishers where the ma
ture of the ground permitted, others in
platoon formation, wave following
wave. There was not hitch along the
entire line. The infantry advance was
synchronized with the artillery behind
an intense rolling barrage timed for an
advance of 100 meters every 40 min
utes.
Downpour of Aerial Bombs.
When the infantry started to adj
vance a perfect storm of aerial mis-
siles was loosed over the German rear
lines to supplement the devastation of
the artillery.
Railroad centers, bridges, hangers.
munition centers, billeting areas and
everything of value were subjected to
an intense rain of bombs dropped by
American aviators.
Within a comparatively short time
reports came back through liaison Off
GERS and signal corps centers that the
advance was moving with clocklike
regularity. The first detectives early
were reached and the troops, whose
fighting is described as magnificent,
stormed ahead TO the next objective.
The tanks did splendid service.
Heavy concrete pill boxes" shelter
ing machine guns, were encountered at
frequent intervals, as well as other
naturally strong machine gun emplace-
ments. These the American-manned
tanks put out of action, either by direct
fire or by charging over them, killing
the crews and wrecking the pieces.
Heavy belts of barbed wire also were
torn apart for the advance of the in
fantry.