The sun., 1918-09-13
TANKSCRUSH
GERMAN LINE
Machine Gun Opposition to
Advance of Americans
Soon Smothercd.
ONLY ONE IS DISABLED
Enemy Is Expected to Make
His Main Stand at Sec
Ond Dcfcnces.
ONLY ONE IS DISABLED
BY HERBERT BAILEY.
Special tob'e bespatcA 10 'rHx SITS from tAe
London Times Service,

london Times Service.
Copyright. 1918: dH rights rcserted
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY ON THE
LORRAINE FRONT, Sept. 12.-The First
American Army, under the command os
Gen Pershing and consisting OF the
largest concentration of American troops
yet seen on the battlefelds OF Europe.
with French units, attacked in the region
Of the st. Mihiel salient. between the
Moselle and the Meuse, at o'clock this
morning
The Germans long have held the
heavily fortified line OF this salient and
expected the attack. but had no knowi-
edge OF the precise locality.
The concentration of American air
forces for the attack was very large. At
5 o'clock in the morning the artillery
preparation opened with four rolling
barrages and an hour later the first
Americans went over the top on both
sides of the salient. The Germans
offered very little resistance to the ad-
vancing Americans. Occasionally stray
machine gun AMI automatic rife fire
was found, but it was evident that the
enemy had withdrawn his main forces
he will defend with a certain degree OF
tenacity.
Forty-dve Tanks Active.
The German artillery has been firing
behind a ridge which runs parallel TO
the American front line, but he Is being
pursued by tanks, which lost only one
out of forty-fve at one point. That one
stuck In the mud. A few prisoners OF
the Tenth Landwehr have been taken by
the Americans who pressed forward in
fine style, slowly closing in on the yex-
treme ends of the st. Mihiel salient
News Of what has happened has been
very meagre. have Just visited the
battlefront and heard the news OF the
progress of the American units fighting
in the region of Monthec and Seichprey
and the capture of several villages.
When the artillery preparation began
the roar could be heard many miles
away. All nisht long II rose and fell in
peculiar fluctuations. Early in the
morning, before daybreak, l went out to
tho front and from all roads that ran
parallel to 1t the flashes OF inrumerable
guns told of the impending assault
Toward the hour of the attacks o'clock
the firing became even more rapid
and its sullen tones mingled strangely
kwith the sound OF the rain.
Dawn saw the whole fleet of tanks.
manned by sthrdy young Americans and
French. moving out of their shelters to
lead the attack
At one point, near Seichprey, where
the Americans previously had fought
desperately with the Germans. machine
gun and automatic rife fire swept down
upon the Yanks on their right flank
But the tanks and artillery were quickly
moved IN that direction and the Amer
leans went steadily forward.
smoke Curtain Hides Tank.
At o'clock In the morning the tanks
had disappeared in a smoke cloud over
| the ridge in front of SeichpEey. From
Beaumont could see lying before me
the trenches from which the Americans
had started through the valley In which
they are fighting.
The sun was streaming across the val
| ley, casting shadows from the melan-
choly wrecks OF villages all around. On
| my left was the black and forbidding
, height OF Monther, with the tiny village
of the same name nesting on the side
Meanwhile the air was rent with the
| torrent of shells passing overhead. The
American gunners were manning every
possible type OF gun, working with me-
chanical rhythm as they loaded and sent
! shells to their destination. The light
railways brought continual supplies for