The north Mississippi herald. (Water Valley, Yalobusha Co., Miss.) 1888-1929, 1918-07-12
HUNS GETTING
READY FOR an
OTHER BIG DRIVE
Shock Troops and Aviators
Back of Lines Training For
Big Offensive-Allies Ready
and Confident.

Big Offensive-Allies Ready
and Confident.
WITH THE FRENCH ARMY IN
FRANCE.-Wherever the battle
front has been closely viewed no signs
of an imminent German movement
were discoverable. Quiet, just as
striking as before the last two enemy
offensives reigns everywhere.
The correspondent, visiting usual
ly active sector, heard only two shell
explosions in the course of several
hours. Enemy aviators appear par
ticularly shy, often entire days pass
ing without any German flights being
observed on the front lines. The
boche airmen probably are far in the
rear, practicing for future events.
Almost month has elapsed since
the cessation of the battle south OF
Montdidier, and no really serious op-
Grafton has been fought on any part
of the line in the interval. Numer-
Gus raids and local actions of most
interesting character, however, have
been executed by the allied troops.
These have given the French, Ameri-
cans and British opportunities to dis
play the keenness of their fighting
spirit, which the enemy believed brok.
en-, and also has enabled them to cap
ture large patches of prisoners, at the
same time improving their positions
with view to another German often
sive.
Americans Show Dash.
The Americans share in these af-
fairs between the Marne and the
Ourcq rivers and also on the British
front has been outstandingly brilliant
The correspondent conversed with
a number of captives at various points
and CLEANED from their assertions
that they regarded the divisions, to
which they were attached as merely
units for holding the positions, while
the shock divisions were taken to the
rear for reconstruction after the last
severe assaults and for special in.
struction.
The tone in which the prisoner:
spoke indicated some resentment al
the German system of choosing the
best men from the various units tc
form the shock divisions, thus reduc
ing the other units to a secondary
class, whose onerous work of holding
the line and maintaining the positions
while exceedingly costly, brought ne
glory.
Enemy Greatly Troubled.
Prisoners from these divisions ar,
unable to give a hint where the fresl
onslaught is to be delivered, as the,
had been cut off almost entirely from
communications in the rear. Their,
appears to be no doubt that the enc
my is greatly troubled by the ever
increasing columns of American
troops, whose training the German
have already learned to respect dur
ing the course of recent engagements
The arrival of the Americans ma,
even force the enemy to hasten tn,
renewal of the the offensive, which
according to his previous procedur,
this year, should occur about fiv'
weeks after the preceding assault
June IL was the day of the lates
German action north of the Disc.
The entire German front has beel
prepared since last winter for tn
possibility of the general staff decid
ing to execute an assault at any point
But the element Of surprise canno
be so effective now as in the two pre-
ceding assaults against st. Quentil
and along the Chemin des Danes.
Perhaps the most striking sign a
mong the few indicating the German
future movement is the fact tina
since the last phase of their offensiv
they have dug no defensive trenche
on that part Of the front lying be
tween the Marne and scissors. Il
that territory, however, their recen
encounters with the French and A
merican troops have shown them tina
the allies are fully prepared to NEE