The Little River news. (Ashdown, Little River County, Ark.) 1897-current, 1918-06-08
AMERICANS AGAIN make
GLORIOUS FIGHTING RECORD
Machine Gunners' Defense Of Bridges
at Chateau Thierry Saved I'M
portant City-Enemy
Is Halted.

Ia
London, June 5.-The part played
by American machine gunnersl in the
defense Of the Chateau Thierry
bridges is classed by Reuters COR
respondent at French headquarters as
worthy to stand with the achieve
ments OF the American infantry re-
Gently at Cantigny. He adds:
Against their casualties, the
Americans can set much greater loss
inflicted by their bullets on the enemy.
They have borne their full part in
what a French officer we'll qualified
to Judge described els one of the fin
est feats of the war
On Friday, when tho Germans were
already in the outskirts of Chateau
TMerry, and American machine gun
lorries. The Americans had scarcely
reached their quarters when news was
received that the Germans had brok-
en- into the northern part of Chateau
Thierry, having made tLeir way
through the gap driven in our lines
to the left of the town and then pou--
ing along the streets to the bridge,
Intending to- establish thems elves
firmly ON the south bank and cap
ture the town.
Enemy Is Halted.
fThe American machine gunlers
and French colonials were thrown into
Chateau Thierry together. The
Americans Immediately took over the
defense Of the river bank, especially
the approaches to the bridge. Fight
ing with their habitual ccursge ana
using their guns with accuracy, they
Brought the enemy to a s:andstiu.
Already wavering under the Amer
icsm fire, the Germans were counter
attacked by the French colonials and
driven from the town. They return
ed to the attack the next night and
under cover of darkness crept' into
the town along the river bank and be-
gan to work their way through the
streets toward the main bridge. At
,, the same moment q tremendous artil-
lery bombardment was opened upon
the. southern half of the town.
When within range OF the machine
guns the Germans advanced under
clouds of thick white smoke from
snAe,ke bombs. They were already
crossing the bridge, evidently believ-
ing themselves masters of both banks,
When thunderous explosion blew
the center of the bridge and num-
Der of Germans with it, into the riv-
er. Those who reached the southern
bank were Immediately captured.
Admired by French.
I'm this battle in the streets and
again at night, the young American
soldiers showed courage and deter
minatiOn which aroused the admira
tion of their French colonial comrades.
With their machine guns they covered
the withdrawal of troops across the
bridge before it's destruction and, al
though under severe fire themselves,
kept all the approaches to the bank
under rain of bullets. which nulli-
fed all the subsequent efforts of the
enemy to cross the river. Every at
tempt of the Germans to elude the
vigilance of the Americans resulted
in disaster to them.
During the last two days the enc
my has renOunced the occupation OF
the northern part of Chateau Thierry,
which the American machine guns
have made untenable. 1t now be-
longs to No Mans Land as since the
destruction OF the bridges, it is not
worth while for the French to gar
rison it.
Still More Praise.
Few communiques issued by the
French command have contained a
statement more vital to the ultimate
issue OF the battle than those refer
ences to the soldiers of America in
action writes the. military COR
respondent of the Daily Express.
Commenting editorially on the stu
alton the same newspaper says:
"The Germans may read their GER
tain doom in the spirit and skill of
the Americans in the fight at Veufl-
ly. During the past week the trans
port of American troops across the
has been quicker than we
dared to hope for Better still, the
quality of the officers and men has
astonished the most competent mill
tary judges.
Germany will find herself in the
last great fight faced by TROOPS equal