New-York tribune., 1918-04-25
Bravery of U. S. Troops in
Seicheprey Battle Wins
French Praise
Fight Hand to Hand
And Die at Guns
Two Gunners Cover Ground
With Enemy Dead Before
They Are Killed
lBy The Associated Preksl

"
FRANCE, April 23.-The valor and
stcadfastness of the American troops
during the German attack at Seiche-
prey last Saturay are given unstinted
praise by the French troops on the
same front. This admiration for the
lighting qualities of his transatlantic
comrades is demonstrated in a report
forwarded to the general commanding
by the colonel Of a French infantry
regiment which took part in the
Secheprey engagement.
81 visited Renneres Wood after the
counter attack in which the position
was recaptured and examined the sit
uation in detail" says the report.
Everywhere traces of hand-to hand
fighting show that the American SOL
dlers, despite two hours of heavy bonn
bardment by large caibre guns, de-
Tended themselves valiantly.
Died Fighting at Their Guns.
an. the vicinity between the front
trenches and the communication trench
connecting the Jury and Renneres
woods two American machine gunners
died fighting on their weapons after
covering the ground around with Ger
man dead. The enemy suffered great
losses, thanks to this heroic resist
ance.
Everywhere there are signs of Ger
man wounaed having been carried off,
while many German bodies remain be-
cause the retiring enemy was unable
to remove them. Numbers of these
dead belong to German storming de-
tachments."
The French soldiers, who joined in
the fight, declare that the Americans
displayed splendid spirit of combat.
They relate that north of Seicheprey
rated into small groups and was cut
off from the company to which it be-
longed throughout the entire fight.
Behind the Americans and on their
left flank were German units, but they
could have retired on the right. How
ever, they decided to stick and fight,
which they did with wonderful valor,
notwithstanding the incessant enemy
bombardment and rifle fire.
Hand to-Hand Combats
Numerous handto-hand ccmbats
were fought in the course Of this long
struggle, from which the Americans
found themselves obliged to retire
toward nightfall. but only after de-
stroying their machine guns.
In Seicheprey squad of Americans
found several cases of grenades with
which they succeeded in putting up a
terrific fight and holding out the en-
tire day on the northern extremity of
the village. They refused to surrender
when summoned to do so, and at the
end of the fighting only nine out of
the original twenty-three were left. A
cook, surprised by the Germans, and
half stunned by a blow from a gre
made, seized rife and continued firing
until he fell dead.
Toward evening a hospital which had
been established in Seicheprey was
blown up along with the doctors and
ambulance men. The chief surgeon Of
the American regiment engaged hur
ried to the spot with French and Am
erican ambulance cars as soon as he
learned Of the occurrence. The rescue
fire, but eventually reached the viii
lage where they tended to the wounded
for many hours under heavy enemy
fire.
An American lieutenant with only
six men patrolled six hundred yards of
the front during the entire day and
maintained commpnication with the
battalons on his fight and left Many
other incidents Of bravery are re-
corded by the French, but details are
not obtanable