The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-09-01
AMERICAN FORCES
SWEEP FORWARD
Stonning Columns Pus h
Through Bots de la Domaine
from Bagneux.
IN TEN FEET OF ENEMY
IN TEN FEET OF ENEMY
Men, Horses, Machine Gun:
Blown High by Heavies-
Tanks Force Germans to
Withdraw.

With the Americans on the
Front, North Of Scissors, Aug. 81.
Fighting side by side with a
new model OF light French tanks,
American forces attached to Gem
cral Mangin's French tenth army
swept forward across Won Boehn's
deliberately constructed advanced
trench system and. fighting every
inch of the way forward. advanced
along the Juvigny Plateau. which
forms the extreme easterly end of
the heights of the .Aisne, being the
key both 10 the Chemin Des
DANES and to Laon.
Scorning the Germans newest
anti-tank weapon. which is huge
nd powerful rifle able to pcne-
trate thirtcen- sixtecnths of an
inch of steel ut go yards. the
French two-passenger tanks
Ieaped forward as soon as the
sixty-tive minute preliminary bonn
bar6iment had ceased and the
creeping barragc had started.
American infantrymen crouch
ing in the trench. which was the
principal German advanced posi-
ton before it was storncd the day
before. lcapcd up simultaneously.
preceding the tanks and going for
ward in assaulting waves. The
tanks debouched from Valpriez
farm. operating smoothly across
-- fiat and treeless country, al
though the Krupp batteries were
sprinklfng the terrain with an un-
ccaSing .sail OF scventy-sevcn
niiimet4e shells.
Meanwhile American batteries
were registering on the German
machine gun emplacements which
were spotted by aerial observers
and our long range guns began to
tackle the enemy cannon doing
counter battery work.
Within Ten Feet OF Huns,
The principal American storr1tns
,olumns worked eastward through tn
3ois de Ia Domaine from BaEneux
'eaching Montecouve farm. Their
hey shot up signal rockets demandini
, barrage on their left and sprintet
lcross 500 yards of the bare open pla
eau. reaching the shelter of the rail
way emhankment with the German
N the other side but ten feet away.
The Americans .inhltrated" south
ward on THE west side of the ernbank
uent. hurting hand grenades amont
he enemy. who replied actively. Mean
while the tanks were moving up to III
arrer- IF cur boys.
German snipers were busy on tn
east side of the railway embankment
forth OF Chavigny. and heavy machin
runs emplaced on the roof OF Ion
raked the terrain until tn
house was literally blown to atoms h,
he concentrated fire of our batteries
Big Guns Arc Busy.
Americans could see German sol
Tiers. horses and machine gums blow
ugh into the air whe, our "heavies'
commenced pounding the lone struc
ure
Thep the tanks clambered over tn
'mhankment. sduashing enemy resist
ince on the east side and forcing tn
Germans TO withdraw their advanced
,osts to the edge of the wood between
Iuvigny and Chevigny. American
roops followed over. encountcrinl
errific machine gun fire.
Our boys rescued the occupants o
hree French tanks which were ahlaz
rs a result OF direct hits that smashe,
into the gasoline reservoirs
Meanwhile American batteries ha'
,aught two battalions OF German re
Inducements along the Terny- Sorny-
Juvigny road under their fire. Tn
'resh troops had been spotted" b
our aerial observers American bat
cries also registered a number of di
-ect hits on enemy field guns. Fey
prisoners were taken owing to the fac
hat the Germans remained beyond tn
emhankment. but heavy losses wer
Inflicted on them. The aviators o
Doth sides were extremel yactiy
the battle.