The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-07
Gern1ans Flee In Disorder
 BeforeAduancingA Americans Says Pershing Con1munique

Washington July 6.--The Germans tleo in disorder from the Bois De I.aRoche to the Bois Des Rochets before the charg- ing American infantry during the opera tions in the vicinity of Vaux last Mon day and Tuesday, General Pershing re- ported in h.s communique for yesterday, received today at the war department. The hand-to-hand fighting, the general said, was of short duration
 Artillery fire in support of the Ameri- can infantry was so effective, the state ment said, that communication between German battalion and regimental head quarters could be maintained only by a single messenger dog.
 This description of the fighting around yaux was given in the course of a nara tive of events in the Vaux sector, along the Marne. ill Picardy, in Lorraine ana in the Colmar sector during the early part of this week. Artillery, machine gun and aerial activity was noted 1T nearly all of the sectors with an unusua movement behind the enemy lines along l the Marne. There also was heavy artii- ! lery fighting there and near Vaux ane | in the Marne sector enemy ammunition dumps were destroyed by American artil lery
 l The statement on operations yester' day told of the capture of Germans by ] American patrols in the Chateau Thierri region and the repulse of a hostile raid
 ing party and two enemy patrols In th' | Vosges.
 TEXT OF STATEMENT
 1 The statement follows:
 ..section A-Our patrols again tool prisoners in the Chateau Thierry reglon In Picardy, Chateau Thierry region and in the Vosges, there was brisk artii lery fighting. In the Vosges hostll raiding party and two patrols. attempt ling to reach our lines, were driven or.
 VAUX OPERATIONS
 Section B-Concerning the operation of our troops in the vicinity of Vau' lJuly 1 to July ? it is stated the enem' fled in disorder from the Bois De La Roche to the Bois Des Rochets before ou I infantry. Hand-to-hand fighting was I short duration. So effective was our ar l tinery fire that communication betWeel | German battalion and regimental head quarters could be maintained only by ,! single messenger dog. Intense macnm gun fire and a heavy bombardment the Clerembauts wood and adJacen points preceded the German counter at tack Some gas was used. Hostile air I planes, which made frequent flights dropped bombs on some of our advance positions in the early morning and in on case fired on our lines. One of ther l was brought down near Torcy. In tn I German rear areas long columns of me
 and wagons moved from point to poin
 while during the night red and gree
 rockets gave signals. while searehlight kept watch for our airplanes.
 '1n this sector between the. eveninl of July and July activity on bot sides greatly decreased. The enemy however, shelled the region of ih
 Marette wood with gas during tn l morning hours and put down some ha rassing and interdiction fire in ou
 rear areas. Our own batteries man tained continuous harassing fir apparently destroying an ammunitio Il uuIDp III lACPlthy anu SSltihs3 OAA ~AA , buildings in the enemys rear area:
 It was again notable that the actiyit , of the enemy's air forces decreases , iwhile our own became more aggressiv' |. l American snipers seemed to be sue
 cessful i'll killing and wounding number of the enemy during the. da.
 One of our reconnaissance patrols, cor : sistingl of a corporal and two mel : crawled from our front lines north ' . vaux to a house inside the Germa lines at Bois Des Rochets at ? o'cloc
 in the afternoon. They captured a Gel
 man outpost of two men and brou6i them back to our lines at o'clock 3 the afternoon in spite of the contfnt 1. ous fire of German snipers.
 5 TROOPS ALONG MARINE I "our troops located along Il Fl Marne at 8 p. m. on July. l to 3 p. T 2 on July ?, experienced Q comparative
 quiet day There was how A$ar i