Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-05-03
AMERICANS take PART
Helping TO Hold Road Between
Almes and Paris.
DIGGING IN UNDER HEAVY FIRE
Boys Having Trouble To Get Their
Rations; But Take Hardships And
Dangers Alike With High Spirits
And Await Their Turn To Prove
. The Stuff OF Which They Are Made.

Dangers Alike With High Spirit
And Await Their Turn To Prov
The Stuff OF Which They Arc Made
The dispatch below is from Lin
coin Eyre, a special correspondent
the New York World. who accom-
panied the American troops from thei
cantonments in the south TO tn
plains Of Picardy to help hold tn
Germans back in their objectives to
ward Paris and the Channel ports
The dispatch was dated from tn,
United States Infantry Battle Front.
in Northern France on April %. ant
it is claimed to be the first specia
story to come through to an American
newspaper.
For several days the American ex
peditionary forces have been playint
an active part In the most momen'
tous battle OF the ages.
In the positions assigned TO our con
tingent by Gen. Foch. which are OF
the line that bars the road TO Pari:
and Amiens. the regiment to which
am attached is holding and helping
the Franco British forces north Of US
to withstand the latest and most fu'
rious assaults in the valleys OF the
Somme, Luce and near Ipres.
Over our heads a continuous stream
of shells OF al. calibres is hurling 1t:
way into the enemy's lines. and the
Germans are replying in kind. though
with considerably less intensity. Oul
artillcry's shots average ten to the
encmy's one. The fury Of orr fire Is
turning villages behind the enem.
lines into dustheaps.
While 1t Is well within the battle
zone, the sector we occupy for the
time being. at least, is a comparative
ly inactive part Of the Noyon- Ypres
line. There have been no infantry en-
counters between the Germans anC
our troops thus far, but the massine
of batteries reported opposite our front
indicates a likelihood Of more strenu-
our fighting in the none too distant
future.
Meanwhile, there Is evidence thot
our guns have inflicted heavy losses
on the enemy infantry. At least one
village has been rendered untcnable
During the four days the American
seventy-five and their heavier
brethren have been on the job, 1t has
been on fire more than once. and even
it's deepest CELLARS. organized as little
machine gun forts by the Germans
have been crushed under an avalanche
OF French and American high ex-
plOsives.
Saturday night visited the first
Line -positiona- Of a battalion pf anl
regiment, which. during the night o.
April --, began the work OF re-
lievlng the French units preNiousl,
installed there. There was neither
complete trench system, nor were
there any communicating trenches
From the battalion commanders pos
Of commando hole carved out OF th'
side OF q quarry-one walks over
meadowland pitted with shell crater:
straight to the firing line.
Our positions al this point are OF
the edge Of a bare plateau slopine
downward to a ravine on the othel
side Of which, some 400 yards away
are the Germans. Their defensive
system includes the demolished vii
lage mentioned above. The chateal
and little group OF houses compos
ing the village are on slightly higher
ground than we hold, and TO reacf
them our men have to cross the ra
vine, exposed TO frontal and enfilad
ing fire iron. the German artillery ant
machine guns.
Following the retirement Of the 5tf
British army and the interval OF chao!
consequent upon 1t, the Germans, ad
vancing westward, were able to sent
their cavalry patrols into villages
niles behind our present front. Frencl
reserves, starting to fight as soon a!
they got of the trains that hat
brought them, flung the enemy back
Eventually he again advanced to th'
line he now holds and set to work L
solldify and stabilize ms defenses.
II Is this consolidation process. th'
successful achievement Of which woult
enable Gen. Lunendorff to draw upoI
this part of the line for fresh divisions
to throw into the strife further north
that we must prevent. Our infantr.
as we'll as our artillery must be con
stantly on the alert to prevent th'
Germans from intrenching too solidly
prove our own defensive system.
Bit by bit the elements OF so-callet
trenches-mere shallow bitches lik'
those dug in New York's streets TO
lay ing gaspipes-are being developed
All night long every doughboy not OIL
sentry duty or patrol duty digs ant
digs, pausing only to snatch bit o
lukcwarm water, or to gulp down SOM
tepid coffee brought him by carrying
parties from miles r. the rear.
All day long he lies In the mud a
the bottom Of his open trench tryint
to sleep and wondering whether tn
next Krupp shell is going to get him
Casualties are inevitable, as the chaii
into which the trenches must be du:
shows up like snow against the greer
and brown meadows, and camoufiag'
is impossible, hence the German gun
ners know exactly what to aim at.
In the daytime there is no commu
nication whatever, even between pla
toons of the same company. Runner:
carrying messages between compan!
and battalion commanders must ira
verse open ground in full view Of tn
enemy q half-mile OF, and are thu!