Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-04-02
AMERICAN TROOPS
BEGIN MOVING To
ENTER BIG BATTLE
Motor Trucks Loaded With
u, S, Fighting Men and
Long Lines of Marching
Soldiers FIJI French Roads
CBy Associated Press.l

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
FRANCE, Saturday, March S0.-All the
American troops have been turned over
to the allies. American troops in great
numbers may soon be fighting side by
side with the French and British in the
battle raging in northern France. Great
activity of many sorts is underway in
the whole American zone. Trains of mo-
tor trucks miles long, loaded with
Americans, are passing through the
towns. On other roads mile after mile
of marching Americans are on the move.
WASHINGTON, March S1.-The fore
going announcement that American SOL
diers in large numbers actually are on
their way to the fighting lines to take
places beside their hard-pressed Brit
ish and French allies, sent a thrill
throughout the national capital 1t was
the first positive statement that Gen
eraI Pershing's forces actually are on
their way to the battle lines to help
stem the tide of the German drive.
The American soldiers previously re-
ferred to in the official dispatches as
being in the fighting are believed to
have been engineers of other auxiliary
troops, which probably were caught at
| their work. as they were a few months
ago at Cambria when the Germans sud
denly enveloped parties of British forces
behind their lines in a swift turning
movement
The sending of General Pershing s
| fighting troops to places in the British
French line has been expected by mill
! tary experts to follow the creation of
a unified command under the French
chief of staff, General Foch, and Cen
eral Pershing's formal offer of all the
1
| 100, 900 READY FOR ACTION
Too much may not be sad about the
| number and position of the American
| troops because of military reasons. IT
| is no violation of the censorship. how
| ever, to say that more than 100000
| American fighting men, fully equipped
| and intensively trained in the school of
| actual battle conditions, are available
at once to be thrown into places to
strengthen the British and French lines
wherever they threaten to buckle under
the unheard of ferocity Of the German
onslaughts. 1t is also no violation of
censorship to say that the American
government fully realizes that the sec
ond battle of the Somme may continue
for some time and that American forces
possibly might be the means of tipping
| the scales.
| 1t does not necessarily mean that by
sending American troops to the rein
forcement of the British or French that
the sectors they have been holding will
| be abandoned. Other means of caring
for that part of the line are available.
President Reads Dispatch
Every officer of the American general
staff and every member of President
Wilson'S administration has been look
ing forward to the day when American
I troops would actually take their places
in the big battle now raging.
Easter crowds on parade on Pennsyl-
/ vania avenue, about the White House
grounds and everywhere heard the news
and gathered about newspaper bulletin
boards where the Associated Press dis
patches weer posted and read the news
| with greatest enthusiasm.
| President Wilson read the dispatch
from France almost Immediately after
| il was received.