New-York tribune., 1918-10-19
10000 Huns Fail to Stop
Xank Fighters in Argonne
Continued from Page I

such as seldom has been massed any
where in this war. Of 900-odd prison
ers taken by one American army corps
in the recent fighting 90 per cent. were
machine gunners.
Tho resistance centre of Thursdays
lighting was found north Of Grandpre
and on the southern fringe Of Rois de-;
Logcs. Our infantry niiltrated into
this wood. which is the Germans last
stronghold south of Buzancy, silencng
scores of machine guns, late Thursday.
Our observers spotted concentration
of enemy infantry slightly to the
northeast OF the village of Cham
pigneulle toward evening and notified
the batteries in the rear OF the situa-
! ton.
/ Heavy and accurate shcllfire on the
groups of Germans within Quarter Of
an hour literally slaughtered them. apd
! thcir counter attack which apparently
had been designed to dislodgc us FROM
/ tie Bo,s des Lcgcs. failed to mate
. vsaliae. Observers plainly saw the
havoc that was wrought in the enemy
ranks when the she'll: fell among
them.
Everywhere on our front we are
keeping a steady pressure on the
( enemy, whose constant employment Of
i new electives shows his desperation.
The Importance Of the entire Amer-
can operation thus far northwest Of
Nerdun is measured not SO much by
the ground gained, which is entirely
satisfactory in extent, as by tho hold-
ing Of large numbers Of Germans
from other sectors where they arc
badly needed, and this has contrib
uted we'll to strategic" retreats else
Wherc on the long battle front.
In heavy mud which was enkle deep
the doughboys Thursday used every
tiny valley northeast of GrandprG, and
even the wrinkles in the hil]sdcs. TO
! crawl steadily forward wherever they
, found the best protection against ma
chine guns. They gained appreciable
territory. and "erc holding fast every
icot Of it Thursday night.
Football Player Leads Men
Not long before Rice Lake, Wiscon-
sin, was smoudering in ruins from the
forest fires in The Northwest, Rice
Lakes fire chief, Machine Gun Captain
McCullum. a well-known football player
Of the University Of Wisconsin, was
fighting another kind of fire OF the
formidable enemy stronghold here in
France on certain hill or the road
between the towns in the Romagne
area. This is one of the formidable
natural fortresses which the American
troops we're forced to take before it
vas possible to widen the breach of
the famous Kriemhilde line. Surround
ed by heavy wire entanglements and
studded with machine guns, the creast
offered stern resistance.
McCullum's machine gunners reached
the southern slope Monday morning
just ahead Of our infantry, which was
Unable to to advance because of the
/ chick belts of wire and the heavy rain
of machine gun bullets At o'clock
Captain McCullum decided to feel out
the situation, and with Corporal J.
Jercback, another citizen Of Rice Lake,
seven men ard one machine gun
crawled through the wire and wormed
his way up the hillside, distance of
600 yards ahead of the infantry, placed
the gun III position, and opened fire OH
: the German machine gun nests. He
ard his men made things so hot that
twenty-five Germans abandoned their
guns and crawled over to Jereback's
i position. surrendcring.
Machine Guns Busy
Four hours later, while Jereback's
enc gun held the enemy fire down to a
i minimum, McCullum and the remainder
OF the men with guns crawled up, find
ing Jereback still firing away with the
! prisoners under guard. All the guns
I were then placed in position, and be-
/ tween IL a. m. and nightfall the ma
chine gun duel continued on the hill
/ side to the extent Of 10000 rounds
fired by McCullum's men, 1000 of which
were fired by Jereback's gun.
At nightfall they placed the guns in
better positions further up. McCulum
sent the following note down to the in
fantry: 1--WE have just finished 10000
rounds and we are sitting easy now
and sure can give 'em hell in the
morning, for We have got good posi-
tions." McCullum gave 'em hell" in
the morning and the infantry advanced
over the hill wiping up what enemy
machine gunners remained.
The battle of this hill is typical
Of the fighting in this sector and the
/ enemy seems to have concentrated ma
chine guns at his immediate command
to stay our advance. He is fighting
also, with the advantage of the strong
est natural positions, which arc falling
one by one into our hands The gem
cral Of the division has issued the fol-