The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-07-17
FULL FIRST sNIY CORPS IN
THICK - FIGHT.
U. S. TROOPS PRAISED
RAINBOW DIVISION is ENGAGED
WITH THE GERMANS.

Washington, d. c., July 1.-THE
American army is in the great battle
now, and in the war up to the hilt,
at last, has won a great victory on
the first day of the German drives.
The Huns tackling the Yanks and
making headway for three and one
half miles have been showed back
with terrific losses to the point from
which they started This is the first
time that this feat has been accom-
plished by forces on the Allied side
since the German offensives began.
JOY pervades Washington and the
Allied capitals. The Americans have
been showered with congratulations.
The Yanks, though suffering fearful
losses in the desperate German as
sault, fought like devils and lived up
to the reputation they have made
since they reached France But all
that has gone before is desultory
skirmishing compared with the fight
ing our men are in now.
With definite knowledge that one
American division of approximately
10000 men, the second division of
regulars and marines, is in the thick
of the fighting forced by the Germans
i'm resumption of their drive, there is
general belief at the war department
that as the attack progresses prac-
tically the full first American army
corps of 225,000 men will join the
French in resisting the Germans.
The Ninth and Twenty-third regi-
ments of regular army artillery and
the Twelfth, Fifteenth and Seven.
teenth regiments of regular field ar
tillery have been identified by Gen.
p. C. March, chief of staff, as the reg
iments which captured Vaux on July
l. These troops bore the brunt of
the first attack of the new German
drive which was launched against the
Americans at Vaux. They are part
of the second division, commanded
by Maj. Gen. Omar Bundy. The Sew
enteenth trained at Sparta, Wis, and
was recruited largely from the mid
die west
To the east of Vaux are other units
of the Second division, including the
marines. Between Chateau Thierry
and Dorman other American regi-
ments, as yet unidentified by the war
department, fought with the French
One report said that American ma
chine gunners and infantrymen
fought and died where they stood" I"
in an unsuccessful effort to prevent
the first German efforts to cross the
Marne.
Gen. Pershing has thus far made
no report showing definitely what
American divisions were engaged in
the fighting. 1t could only be con-
jectured that the entire Second di-
vision was in the fight and that parts
of the other five divisions comprising
the First Army Corps, including the
Rainbow division, were engaged.
1t was tentatively decided that If
Gen. Pershing identified the Ameri-
can regiments and divisions in the
fighting this information would be
made public Officials believed that
it would be the wiser to make this in
formation public, even If it gave Sc
rious anxiety to the families of sol
diers known to be with the regiments
engaged, than to cause anxiety to the
larger number if no information as
to American troops engaged were
made public and the families of all
the men on the fighting fronts were
left in doubt as to whether their boys
were in the fight.
''The American people are not
weaklings," said one official. They
can stand bad news. We realize that
they want the facts and we believe
they should receive all the news 1t is
possible to give them"
In opening the March offensive the
Germans made their greatest gains
by surprise gas attacks. This time
the gas has been supplemented by
long range bombardments Of areas
miles back of the line by heavy naval
cannon.
What effect this naval gun bom-
bardment has had is not reported,
but It is asserted that the American
and Allied forces were ready to meet
this form of attack, because the most
recent additions to the American and
Allied artillery have been naval guns
of similar size and range. 1t is hard
ly considered likely that the German
big gun barrage came as a surprise
when the Allies were preparing for
the same form of attack.
The location of the new German
drive brought complete surprise to
general staff officers, who have been