Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-23
HEAVILY OUTNUMBERED BY FOE,
AMERICANS FOUGHT TO FINISH
Tell Them Back Home We're Just Begin
ming" Says One Boy, Suffering
From Shrapnel Wound.

cheered by the French. who Hemain ir
their homes. notwithstanding the roar
OF tho German guns. confident in their
defenders.
Huns Prepared Carefully.
WITH THE FRENCH ARMY IN
FRANCE, Sunday, April 21.-When ar
entire German regiment, reinforced by
storm troops. attacked the sector held
by American troops near Seicheprey
Gen. Pershfng's men fought the most
serious engagement they have as yet
| a considerable force and indications
show that important preparations were
made for 1t. Unusual precautions were
Immediately taken along the whole
sector OF the front as soon as the Ger
man intention was known. An ex.
tremely heavy hostile bombardment
with poison gas shells opened during
the course Of the night and lasted until
o'clock in the morning.
i. At s5o that e.u hour the enemy infantr,
dashed forward, preceded by storm
troops which had been brought to the
scene especially for the attack after
preliminary training on ground similar
to the sector held by the American
troops.
The assault was over a line two thou
SAND yards in length and at several
places the enemy succeeded in entering
the American lines. They even en-
tered and occupied Seicheprey, where
the Americans holding that position of.
fered the most stubborn defense. With.
out a moments delay, after their re-
tlrement at Seicheprey, the Americans
organized. with the French. a counter
attack which was carried out brilliant
~, orlVlng the Germans out Of the vii
!age and taking a number of prisoners
Ihe lighting did not cease until late In
the afternoon.
me severest encounters occurred In
henneres wood. where the Germans
mad taken firm hold at dawn, not
! outstanding the most strenuous de-
fense by small bodies of Americans
stationed there. The French and
american troops Joined in the counter
a a'1 on this section of the line, even
. tualiy succeeding in ousting the en-
envy; The amalgamated troops worked
IN closest cooperation and by the END
OF the day were able to score a COM
p.ete victory and restore their lines as
'heS were before the engagement.
IN TINS vicinity many prisoners fell
, INTO the hands of the allies, while the
parned wire and shell-pitted ground
was covered with German corpses.
Complete Success, Says Berlin.
AMSTERDAM. April GA telesra m
70 the Wolf bureau. the semi-offi ella
German news agency. on Sunday stated
that the attack against the America
positions on both sides of Seichenrev
thanks to careful preparation and the
cooperation Of all arms, was a com
piete success. The telegram says:
A1.er an effective artillery prepara-
tion which caused severe enemy losses
tne Germans stormed American posi-
ions over front of two and a half
kllometers and penetrated to a depth
or two kflometers Seicheprey was
taken by storm and was found full of
American dead. Bitter hand-to-hand
hshting ensued around dugouts. van
tage points and cellars, whose occu-
pants were killed almost to the last
man.
Severe hand-to-hand fighting also
occurred about dugouts in Renneres
wood. Here the American casualties
were especially heavy. Dense columns
OF enemy reinforcements were discoy-
cred north of Beaumont and also be-
yond Eernecourt. and were badly
mauled by our destructive fire. Farther
back the German airmen located enemy
reserves filing up the trenches in jury
wood and attacked them with machine
guns, While our batteries worked fear
full havoc in the closely filed trenches
After dark, when the enemy's de-
tense works and dugouts had been de-
stroyed and blown up. we evacuated
the position according to our plans
and unobserved by the enemy Our
losses were slight. while those of the
unframed Americans were most severe
We captured five officers, one doctor
and Us men. as well as twenty-five
machine guns"