Omaha daily bee., 1918-02-04
BATTLE IN THE AIR

DA L LIZ 1N llAG n1N
A shift of the wind today Aeared,
away the mist which has hindered
aerial operations and other activities
for several days A number of battles
in the air were fought by patrolling
planes early this afternoon. In one
instance the French aviators defeated
an attempt Of German fliers to cross
behind the American trenches. The
artillery and snipers<also have been !,
increasingly active. American 7s's
are harrassing traffic behind the
enemy trenches. The Germans are
confining their fire largely to the
American trenches.
Throughout Friday night machine
guns ratified ceaselessly from German
positions.
Newspaper Men at Front
The correspondents permanently
accrediated to the Americas army
have been informed that they may
proceed virtually to any ppint within
the zone of fire except the trenches.
without escort and without special
permission to any brigade head.
quarters, few kilometers behind the
trenches after first reporting their
presence within the zone to the head
quarters of the division i Of
which the brigade is part. Unless
, there is some occurrence which makes
it inadvisable in the opinion of the
brigade commander for corresnon4
dents to move nearer the front hley
may walk from his headquarters
to regimental headquarters behind
the lines.
Since all roads Immediately behind
the front are within easy German gun
range and under German observation,
not more than two correspondents
may move forward together. They
must wear gas masks in alert positions
and helmets. Newspapermen must
obtain special permission to visit the
trenches and must be accompanied by
an escorting officer.
Line $50 Miles Long. -.
The fact that American troops
were in the trenches in Lorraine was
revealed by the German war Office
three months ago. At that time, ac-
cording to an official German am
nouncement, the Americans were on
the front at the Rhine-Marne canal.
which intersects the battle line near
the German border, due east Of
Nancy. This announcement was made
in the official report from Berlin OF
the first German raid on the Ameri-
can positions in which three Ameri-
cans were killed, FIVE wounded and
Il captured
The eastern end of the battle fine
in France and Belgium runs through
French and German Lorraine. French
Lorraine, in which is the American
sector. is included in the departments
of Meuse, the Capital of which is Ver-
dun; Meurthe- -Et-Noselle, whose cap
ital is Nancy, and Vosges, with the
capital at Epinal. The length of the
front in French Lorraine is about $50
miles.
Old Battle Ground.
This section of the battle line ex-
tends into the Meuse from the Marine
near St. Menehould fand runs east
ward to the north of Verdun. south
to St. Mihiel and east to the German
border. There it turns to the south
east and almost parallels the border
to the vicinity of Leintry. Below
Leintry it cuts across section of
French soil, past Badonviller and
Senones and to the east of St. Die.
and again crosses the German border
at a point west of Colmar. The re-
mainder OF the line to the Swiss
boundary is in Germany.
Since the battle of Verdun there
has been no fighting of great impor-
tance along this front. For the most
part it runs through high and broken
country. Since the present battle line
was established early in the war there
has been comparatively little activity
on the front to the east of the Ver.
dun sector, the nature of the country
making large operations imDrac-
ticable.