The sun., 1918-07-29
GERMANS DREAD
AMERICAN FIRE
Letters Tell How Z. s. Troops,
Once Scorned, Are Now
Feared.
REVOLT HINTS FREQUENT
Actual Rebellion, However,
Seems as Far OFF as a
Year Ago.
REVOLT HINTS FREQUEN,
Special Cable Despatch 10 TUE Sun.
CoDyridhf 1914. MI riohfs tsssr,sd

Copyright. 1918: all rights reserued
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE,
July 2s.-For giving an accurate picture
OF what impression the once scorned
Americans are making upon the Ger
man soldiers nothing is equal to their
captured letters. written to families and
friends In Germany. sometimes as long
ago as month In these letters the
German soldiers tell OF the hellish Amer
ican artillery fire and how they dread 1t.
From EpauN-Bezu. northwest OF Cha
teau Thierry. and which was about four
miles behind the front when the Amer
ican counter blow was struck, a German
soldier in one OF the fusilier regiments
wrote:
II find myself in Epaux and quite
close to the front The Americans are
shooting with such good effect that I
am never sure OF my life. We all hope
that the war will be ended soon and
can go back to Baden. to stay always
in the fatherland."
"When They Fire 1t Halls"
letter taken from a prisoner. and
dated June IS, said:
cannot get out OF the village They are
firing very heavy: in fact we have the
Americans opposite us. and when they
hre 1t just halls We think that the
hour of our lives is at an end"
Another letter. written to a girl. says
Il am going to send you a beautiful
ring which l found in France during
the offensive. Don't pay any attention
to that actor, for ! will send you lots
OF money and the ring. am still in
Bpaux and certainly hope never to fight
| In the trenches again. Even here ! am
In constant danger OF my life. Every
| day a mass OF wounded go back In the
amhulances with eight or ten wagon
loads OF severely wounded, This is in
addition to the lightly wounded who go
back afoot. 1t fairly makes one heart
| sick
| In this vicinity the Americans have
| been firing upon US with one cannon
after another so one cannot go out al all,
with shell explosions on all sides and
men going down about you"
Receives Only Fresh Wounds.
| The state OF mind In Germany is
shown by the following letter from a
man In Magdeburg TO hts brother in the
| army:
II cannot promise myself results from
our offensive, Throngs OF men go down
10 their death and our main objective
| IS unattained Peace hovers further
| away and the German nation receives
only fresh wounds and suffers still fur
ther privat!ons. Only the clear thinking
people have this conviction. I see clearly
how we are being trampled down. II
the end does. not come soon some sort
OF outbreak will be unavoidable I can
not entrust all my thoughts to the let.
ter.
II hope we shall be able TO bear al
the hRrdships firmly and then resume
the life of human beings II one did not
have this hope he would rightly call our
present conditions nothing better thar
slavery and a mere struggle for exist,
ence."
These revolutionary sentiments are
getting somewhat more frequent in the
Aptured letters. Talk OF the same kinC
hso Is becoming stronger among tbs
prisoners. but the day OF actual revolu
ton in Germany seems about as remot,
as II was year ago.
Some Of the prisoners taken lately
seem furious against Field Marshal Hin
denhurg and Gen. Iudendorff for driving
them on, but they have n rather kindl.
feeling for the Kaiser. who. they say
rightly or wrongly. Is entirely under tn,
thumb OF the militarists OF Germany.