The Mena weekly star., 1918-08-08
AhERICAnS IkICK
 pRUSSIAN GUARD
With Pretended Retreat From Ser inges They Lead Enemy in, Then Fall to and Annihilate Him
 to Man.


 Reuters correspondent on the front north of the Marne. He says the final capture of Seringes by the Americans was an especially creditable achieve ment.
 After the Americans took the vil- 1 lage on Monday, the Germans made no infantry attack on the place, but kept u pa constant artillery and ma chine gun fire to drive them out. This continued all day on Tuesday and towards evening the enemy seemed to think that the spirit of the defenders might be possibly broken and then they began to emerge from the Nes- | les forest in way that seemed to | forecast a fresh attempt to take the village. Of the fighting which en- sued the correspondent writes:
 The Americans after three days of to-and-fro fighting thru villages, had learned subtlety and were determ- ined to have a real fight to a finish. They consequently withdrew as if re- tiring from Seringes and the Ger mans crept down from the high ground convinced they had their op- ponents beaten. Additional German troops came pouring in until the town was occupied as it had never been be- | fore.
 But as the new occupants began to organize their defenses, they found that bullets appeared to be coming in from three sides of the village and it was not long before they discovered that the Americans while withdraw ing from the front of the town, had commenced an encircling movement on both sides, thus forming ring almost around it.
 "Then came tragic fighting. The Prussian Guard had voted not to sur render and their opponents were just as anxious to see the thing thru. It was an affair of small arms, but the Americans proved to be better shots and slowly picked off men here and there.
 Then the Americans began to ad- vance and slowly their encircling ring closed about it. As the ring drew closer and the defenders saw their doom approaching they redoubled their fire, but still the Americans came on unfalteringly. When the Americans reached the precincts of the village their fire ceased and with one wild yell they closed with the foe. The fiercest up- roar suddenly gave place to strange silence as man grappled with man. Only the clash or steel on steel and the groans of the stricken could be heard
 The issue was never in doubt for an instant. At this kind of fighting the American is more than equal to any Prussian guardsman and in a lit- . tie more than ten minutes all was {. over. Except for few German pris- :. oners, every German in the village 1. had breathed his last. Such was the 1. final capture of Seringes. !. During the night the enemy twice l, attempted to retake Sergy but each time he was repulsed with heavy losses.
 "Then he made fierce assault on : Meurcy farm, east of Seringes, which was piled with dead which he had : left there the day before, when every man defending it died at his post There again the enemy was unsuc- cessful, tho not until steel had crossed steel in the big farm yard and the heaps of German slain had been doubled in the ruins about it. This was classic fighting indeed man against man and the better to win. There was no call for quarter. The pride of the professional soldier was up against the pride of the free man, both preferring death to sur render
 Later in the morning the fighting extended still further eastward and in every case the Germans who att tackled were annihilated. Later came the attack on Seringes and an at- tempt at the same time to drive the allies from Hill 1S7, vast of Ser inges.
 There, for the first time the al lies crossed the Ourcq, the Germans may be said to have definitely taken the offensive.
 "All thru the days fighting the enemys airplanes attempted in the ! most daring manner to assist in the battle. Early in the morning six en- emy planes succeeded in penetrating as far as the Le Croix Blanche farm. near La Fere forest. They swooped | down close above the roads in the valley and fired upon allied troops.
 Members of the Prussian Guard who were taken prisoner state that their orders were to hold the line at all costs and well they obeved. All three of their battalions were appar ently in the lineso this memorable day, which ended everywhere in vic tory for the allies, altho there was no great gain of ground.
 During the night ground about Cierge was captured by the Ameri- cans. This advance will make it pos- sible for the troops in this sector to join hands with the conquerors of Sergy and Seringes."
 The allied attack reported from London IS along vital sector of the Soissons-Rheims salient. From Ru- zancy the allies have held positions running in southerly direction close ly following the course of the So;s- sons Chateau-Thierry highway. At l Grand RoZcv, ahnut tvvo rnilas ,,c,.tl