Norwich bulletin., 1918-08-13

Soissprs front they were a remark able sight. Headed by at, least 80 officers, the, procession, which was four deep, stretched for fully a mile.
 They were well-built, young, and ap- parentiy in excellent condition, and the happy smiles on their faces confirmed what I was told yesterday-that the enemy morale is low. As they passed, the towLspeople ironically cried out, Mach Paris!" A smile, with an as sentins shake of the head, was their only reply
 Of two coionels captured, one, Bavarian, fell to the Americans. So
 rapid was their advance that they trapped him and his staff in a com mand post in a quarry. He was
 brought in by private, who ex-
 claimed as he passed, Look at me; I am a hell of big guy bringing in a colonel!"
 It seems that the divisions to which the prisoners belong are in considerable confusion An American unit near Soissons brought in 56 prisoners from
 not less than five different divisions. l So far, captives from seven divisions have been identified by this unit alone.
 Of three divisions which have fought this unit. one was put out of action al-
 together by losses, the second was bad l ly Eldu1Su, anu LAe ln1Fu 1o AOW A6Ab- ing with the remnants of other div
 isions Such is the plight of the enemy
 in this region.
 Two American units in the Soissons
 area alone have captured 123 officers
 and 5.027 men, also 460 machine guns.
 a number of field guns, and other booty. This is the Americans reply to
 the German War Ministers sneers.
 July 19.-I was this afternoon able
 to walk over the ground captured yes terday, and to see the opening of an
 American attack on a machine gur nest. Leaving the beautiful forest of
 Vil1ers -Cotterets far behind, we arrived
 at town in which nothing had es-
 caped the ravages of shellfire.
 Vending our way through woods
 where trees lay broken and old treuch-
 es filled with water told tales of pas
 desperate struggles, we crossed tht
 American lines of yesterday morning
 On wheat and beet fields lay bodies O Germans in all kinds of attitudes, while now and again one caught sight O
 the melancholy sign of a bayonet fxet
 in the earth, marking the last resting
 place of some heroic American. Farther on two Germans lay in hole, a machine-gun in front of them with empty belts that told of a desper ate fight against the Americans. Nea by were the bodies of valiant Ameri cans who had rushed at the gun In small cutting by @ machine -gu1 , position dead Germans lay as far a the eye could see. They had appar ently sought shelter in the cutting. de .. termined to defend it, but a tank ha exacted the heaviest price. There ? huddled up in the most fantastic posi- ; tions, lay the victims of ruthles
 militarism. All round one could SC such sights.
 Meanwhile the attack we were to SC
 had started. The heavens were tor by shell-fire, and as we reached an ele vation that overlooked Missey a z Bois, directly in front. with Breuil 0 the right and Dommiers away on tn left, the American barrage reached il crescendo. The tall populars of th l | Paris -Soissons- road swayed in u ' breeze. Through them the American T had already passed, and we could SC
 them pressing on far beyond. Il Then the German guns opened TT screech of approaching shells greete our ears. Into and round Missy the = went and in a field on our left, but u t American fire was obviously the hea1 = fer Aeroplanes circled overhead. U Suddenly our attention was attracte T by the spiteful wfirr of machine -gU o fire. It rose and fell, and would the y begin again elsewhere. We knew thi < the Americans had reached their ol U jectve and were fighting away in u e distance.
 IS We returned through fields filled wi e German dead. Smiling Americans wi II mischief in their eyes were going fo T ward. Ungainly Tanks numbered 0 e Wounded were returning. Give the ,e he'll" was their cry. "Sure!" can 't the answer.
 Is July 21.-American troops are st 5 advancing in their sector. More pro u ress was made today in the directi' of the Soissons Chateau Thierry TO; near Soissons, while northwest 'l Chauteau- Thierry several villages ha -o been taken.
 The men are fighting splendidly, the ., spirit is very high, and they are fc ie lowing up their successes very rapi
 ly
 T. The Germans retreated across t sS Marne yesterday in boats and ov = bridges, but they left a number u prisoners, one of whom woke up aft s5 a nights sleep to find that his co1 ~, pany had departed.
 tL There is a strange ouietness all alo LII the Marne valley. which suggests th o the enemy is retiring, that his artilfe ~ is well on the roads to the rear. II"