Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-09-27
YOUR UNCLE
SHOWS 'EM HOW
Preparations For Taking the St.
Mihiel Salient by Americans
Surpasses All Powers of
Imagination.

The extensive preparations made by
the American forces for the battle of
ST. Mihiel salient, in which Pcrshing's
iorceS won such Il signal victory, are
so stupendous thnt the mind can hard
ly grasp 1t. Some idea OF the imncn
sity Of the undertaking 10 gathered
from the following facts.
There was issued 100000 detail
maps covering in minutest detail tho
character of the terrain of the ST.
Mihiel salient, including natural de-
lenses and telling how each was
manned and by what enemy units.
These mnps were corrected in some
instances rs late as the day before
the battle opened, and were supple
mentcd by 10000 photographs. These
wore for the guidance of the artillery
and infantry and were scattered
among the officers Of the whole army
few hours before the zero hour
5000 Telephones at Work.
Five thousand miles of wire was
laid on the ST. Mihicl salient and on
its borders before the attack and i'm
medintely nfter the Americans nd
Vanced 5000 telephone Instruments
were connected with these wires
throughout the battle zone.
When the battle opened on the
morning of Sept. II trucks started
horIhward Mt a speed of seven miles
an hour, unrecling wires across No
Mans Land until they rcnched points
where the reels had to be carried by
| signal Corps men afoot.
such work rs this made it possible
IN the recent battle for American Of
Lcers whose troops had nnnkcd the
Toes trenches to telephone back, in
forming the artillery of the exact To-
cation of the enemy trenches and in.
few minutes bringing dolugc of
metal on the hoche.
Telephone squads carried these
Lines up to the fighting front on
Thursday morning and soon in the
triangular battle-ground there was II
telephone system in operation that
would have been adequate to handle
me me telephone business of n city of
lO0,0OO, and it was going ut ton er-
ficiency. The branch lines were con
nccted with the main axis, which was
established through the middle of the
salient. Ten thousand men were bus
ny engaged in operating the system.
Many of the phone exchanges were on
wheels.
Several thousand carrier piyeons
supplemented the Signal Corps.
We capSured tremendous guam
tlty of German signal supplies, 500
miles of German wire, many switch
boards, one radio truck and numerous
batteries.
In the midst of the battle other
Signal Corps men took more than TO-
600 feet of moving film depic.inr war
scenes and many thousands of pho.
tographs.
Extensive hospital facilities were
arranged, including thirty-fivo hos
pital trains, 10000 beds in tho nd
vanced areas, and $4,000 others fur
ther back. Happily, less than 10 PEI
cent of the hospital facilities were
needed, and therefore our surgeons
and nurses were eneabled to give the
fi:.est care to our wounded and sick.
and every attention to the German
| wounded.
Used 100000 Shells.
In the course of the operation our
shells.
Forty-eight hundred trucks carried
men and supplies into the lires. They
were assisted by miles of American
railroads of standard and narrow
gauge and the cars were pulled by
engines marked "U. S. A."
| IN audltlon TO restoring this big
territory to rFance with an unprcce-
dented small force the Americans
liberated two railroads and canal
from the menace of the bochc artil-
lery. We took 1888 prisoners and
the following spoils: One hundred ana
eleven guns, including twenty-five
of large calibcr and seventy-cight
Austrian IT'S; forty-two trerch MOI
tars, two hundred machine guns, thir-
teen trucks, including an ambulance;
thirty box cars, four locomotives, five
caissons, forty wagons, and thirty-six
narrow gauge GERS.
The quantity Of captured munitions
is still unestimatcd, but one spot alone
yielded 1000 shells for IT'S and 35O,-
600 rounds of rifle cartridges. Twelve
thousand hand grenades were found in
one dump. Four ammunition dumps
were taken, but the quantity of mu-
nitions in them is as yet uncstimatcd.
Large quantities Of food, clothing,
trinkets and many documents bring
up total which makes our first ven
ture as an individual until assume
characteristic American proportions.
| WILL MISS THE "NEpcn