Evening star., 1918-06-02
"Go to 1t, Yanks,' - Sig
nal for U. S. Attack
at Ca,,tigny.
Hand-to-Hand Fighting in
Trenches-Gernsa,,s Run
Yelling "Kamerade."
BY JUNIUs b. WOOD.

S0UIGkI2" Inc SUnu0y SI0I anu
Chicago Daily News. Copyright, 1918.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY ON
THE FRENCH FRONT, May 2S (de-
layed).-There were many spectacular
deeds in the attack of the American
troops west of Montdidier, the first
forces. The artillery barrage started
at 5:45 in the morning. the infantry
went over the top at $40 and the OBJ
jective was reached at 7:20. The
village of Cantigny is now included
in the American lines as part of the
area captured.
The purpose of the operation was to
straighten a salient and destroy GER
tain advanced German listening posts.
The German casualties are reported
to have been heavy. in addition to
The most gratifying feature to the
ofncers was the smoothness with
which the plans for the first attack
worked out. 1t was best expressed
by dirty-faced soldier resting after
the objective had been gained.
"Go to It, Yanksw
Somebody yelled. Go to it, Yanks"
to US as we went over the top, and
then we all yelled it," he said. That
was all we heard until we got into
the German trenches and through the
town. We did not hear the machine
guns. though bullets were popping
on all sides, and we did not notice
the shells. We just kept shouting.
Go to it. YankS" until we found that
there were no more Germans in front
Of us to fight.
when we went over the top not a
man was in sight. When we got to
the German trenches they came right
up at US and we went down on top
of them. Then we handed 1t to them
for. a couple of minutes until they
broke and ran. 1t was every man for
himself, either. get your man or be
killed. The last 1 saw was a little
Dago who, had a six-foot German
down. jamming his face with the butt
OF his gun. George bayoneted two
who rushed at him alone and he finish
ed both before anybody got to his
help. The fight in the trenches SEEM
the Germans started beating it. We
kept on through the village"
An Unforgettable Picture.
Seen from an observation post on
a hillside the attack made an un-
forgettable picture. Through the
night there had been an intermittent
artillery fire, dying down at dawn.
As the sun broke through the clouds,
dtspellipg the haze. the valleys SEEM
ed like a peaceful countryside. The
hour of 5:45 had been selected as the
zero: hour for the start of the OPP
GRAFTON. At every battery-there was
more artillery here than at the battle
of Gettysburg-the officer in COM
mand held his watch all carefully set
by means of the telephone SO as to
have the exact time. AS the second
hand touched sixty, like the roar of
q thousand volcanoes shaking the
earth and echoing for twenty miles,
the barrage started. The barrage
waves advanced at the rate of 100
minutes. When the German trenches
were cleared the rate was 100 meters
in each four minutes.
The barrage fell beyond the ruins OF
CantiEny and the German trenches
were lying silent when. an hour later
strange objects could be seen descend.
ing the slope into the valley separating
the two lines. These were twelve
tanks leading the attack. They passed
over our lines and were a hundred
yards beyond when, like a wave Of
men IN khaki seemed to rise from ths
ground and follow behind them. Ths
men were in skirmish formation, five
yards apart. Overhead whizzed a fiock
, OF aeroplanes and toward the real
sausage balloons were seen taking VI
their positions. Half a dozen Ger
man planes were mere specks in thu
distance. Their balloons also wer.
slowly mounting.