The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-05-01

Previous Fighting Pa|as to
|nsigH.fiodnGo.
TAKES PLACE IN THE OPEN

American Troops Have Received
Their Baptism of Fire on Amiens
Line.
With the American Army. near Ami
ems. France. May American forces
are now on the front helping To hold
the road barring lie way To AmienS
and Paris and fighting to hold back
the hordeS heating against the allies
lines.
They have received baptism of fire
making their previous experiences
pale into the insignificance of Skin
miSheS
The troops are active in position
where the guntire is so constant and
so insiStent is the deep-voiced roll and
crash OF exploding shells that, in the
rare intervals when there is moment
of silence one pinches oneself to see
if he is not sleeping.
Assembly was sounded by the hugleS
and ~ men were lined up beside the
road. ready to start promptly at six
o'clock
Bring back a Boche for me-" shout
ed one soldier as the column filed
past.
Other regiments also were forming
to relieve the French. who had been
hOldn~ the front.
Nnat ut first had been only shell
craterS made by the enemy'S guns,
fired to bring death. had been utilized
for the protection of French soldiers
who crawled into them in the dark
ness and lay in them through the day
while holding back the enemy. Grad
ually the nearest ones had been con-
nccted by shallow bitches.
Enemy airplanes soar until driven
back by those having red. white and
blue circles on their wings Shells
drop into the trenches without warn
ing. killing and woundng and destroy
ing instantly the back breaking work
of hours
As the American troops crept for
ward into the trenches there would
come 2 whistle and everybody would
crouch to the ground. Then a shell
would hurst. probably a hundred yards
away, and possibly nearer, throwing a
shower of stones and dirt rafting
down on steel helmets. Then the men
pushed forward again until another
warning whistle was sounded and the
performance was repeated. This is
the life which our soldiers are living,
unhnchingly, giving back more than
is sent, determined to do their part
in the fight for the world democracy.
The deep-throated banks of the big
guns punctured the steady roll of the
seventy-fivn's which was so persistent
that it sounded like empty barrels
rolling oyer a warehouse floor
The enemy's guns were replying,
giving varying attention to the trench
es, villages and batteries. Their fire,
however, was unable to match ours,
y HIGH never SEEMED to halt for "A
single instant
German prisoners say that their
forces in this sector have lost SO per
cent of their strength in the French
fire, which now augments that of the
american tHtlteIlcS. II was ILLS Noii-
slant deadly fire that caused the Ger
mans to retire several miles back of
The line which they took in the first
onslaught of their offensive. In one
spot of No Mans Land are the char
red remains of German airplanes that
were brought down by French avia-
tors The French fliers easily hold
the supremacy in the air in this sec
tor. Almost constantly the buzz of
their motors is heard overhead and in
the gathering gloom each evening they
come back to their billets and air.
dromeS tor the night, after a day of
observations over the German lines.
These are the first American sol
dierS seen in this part of France.
Everywhere their appearance has at
tracted the interest and aroused the
enthusiasm of the populace. The
Americans also have observed the
deyastations wrought by the Germans
and know what the people have suffer.
ed
As they marched into the battle
area they saw costly books, paintings,
rare furniture, laces and tapestries
all abandoned in hurried flight.