The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1918-07-25

tions of the previous month had not
been as great as those for the drive
which began on March 81, but because
General Foch had strengthened the
Allied offensive all along the line.
After the Germans had made some
slight gains along the Marine, in an
attempt to widen out the dangerous
salient into which the army of the
Crown Prince had advanced, the AM
orleans retalated almost Immediately
with counter attack without any
preparation, except the barrage which
was laid down perfectly, to protect the
advance of the infantry. This is the
American way of fighting. The
French, who are valiant fighters, have
employed this method of giving
ground slowly to save their own men
and at the same time inflicting as
much damage as possible on the Huns.
The Americans seem to have another
way, of fighting for they took the Ger
mans completely by surprise and soon
cut thru their lines, taking 1900 pris-
oners in a short time and killing many
of the enemy. The Americans fought
with gas masks and the many acts OF
valor would fill a great book. The
story is told of one young lieutenant
who volunteered to ride thru bar
rage to keep up the line of cummuni-
cation between the artillery and the
infantry. Many times he crossed back
and forth and eight times his horse
was shot from under him. The last
time he was struck in the knee, him
self. Stories are told of Americans
slightly wounded, secreting themselves
so that they would not be taken to the
hospitals till the fighting was over.
Newspaper reports say that the Am
orleans alone have taken in the neigh |
borhood of 10000 or 10000 prisoners.
This was up to the first of the week
and by this time they have undoubted-
ly added many to this number. The
Americans, who have built up the
greatest fighting machine in the
world, are making themselves felt as
a factor in this war: They took the
initiative in the Allied offensive and
altho most of the Americans had
never seen severe fighting, they went
at it like tried veterans, gaining
every objective. Their officers have
had hard time keeping them back !
and time and again they have advanc-
ed close up to their own barrage. Altho
the Huns have used mustard gas on
them, and altho the American lines
were shelled as never before, they
have kept right on going and it ap-
pears impossible to stop them. One
of the prisoners taken Monday was a
German who was formerly New
York baker, Asked as to what the
Germans now thot Of the Americans,
he replied that since last Thursday,
it was hard to make the Germans be-
lieve that million Americans had
been sent across for they were certain
that the number is nearer ten million.
The Americans, who now have 1,2OO,-
900 fighting men in France, have used
but couple of hundred thousand men
in this offensive By the end Of Aug
ust we will have 100000 fighting
men in France and then Kaiser Bill
wants to look out, for America will
stand no further nonsense from Ger
many.
The Crown Prince has gotten his
army into a dangerous position. Once
started, his drive had to be kept up or
his army was almost certain to leet
with disaster. At this writing, it
looks very much as tho the Americans
and the French would surround the
army in the salient between scissors
and Rheims before the Germans could
withdraw their men in which event
many thousands Of prisoners will be
captured and countless thousands of
dollars worth of ammunition and sup
plies secured. General Foch appears
to have used his head in drawing the
German army into this moose and
within a day or two "a decisive Allied
victory may be the result. The Ger
man Crown Prince has sent out an S.
0. S. call to the Bavarian Crown
Prince for reserves and this has re-
suited in drawing thousands of Great
Britain's trained troops down from
the north, to assist the French and the
Americans. They appear to have a
mighty lively little party cover there"
lust now and all America is shouting
and hurting hats into the air over the
results of the past week.
NWCC1