South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-11-15
YANKS PIERCED
THREE DEFENSES
Enemy'S Trio of Systems Not
Enough to Hold
Americans.
BY HENRY G. WALES.

WITH THE FIRST AMERICAN
ARMY, oct. 10 (by maiD Three
fortified defensive systems guarded
the German positions between the
Argonne and the Meuse when the
Americans burst through them.
The advanced line, the enemy's old
line, he called the Hagen stellung;
his intermediate line ran a kilOmeter
or two behind il, according to the
cOnhguratiOn Of the terrain, hills,
streams and woods. and was called
the Nolker stellung. Behind that
ran his main reserve line of defense,
the Kremhilde stellung, a cOntinu-
alton OF the Brunhilde stellung.
which runs through Champagne.
At their first bound the attacking
waves of doughbOys swept over the
first two fortified zones with their
harbed wire entanglements cut 70
pieces by the preliminary lombard
ment and in several points they pen
etrated the Kremhilde stellung,
which pivoted in the Aire- Meuse
sector on Montfaucon.
The three-hour artillery prepare
ton between $50 and $3.50 o'clock
in the morning had driven the
enemy 10 his deepest dugouts and
the advanced assault troops were in
the trenches throwing stink bombs
and grenades down the stairways
into the underground shelters before
the boches could get upstairs.
Between the three different lines
OF intrenched positions the boches
had installed series of strong points,
machine gun nests, sometimes en-
placed in concrete and steel pill
boxes. or else merely set in strong
natural, commanding positions. The
system for reducing these strong
holds was identical with that al
ready practiced by the enemy in his
various offensive operations.
The advanced waves of storming
troops going forward in open order,
worked their way between the
strong points, often by worming
along for considera BILE distances on
their stomachs, or by crawling on
hands and knees through woods or
along ravines. Arriving I'm the rear
Of these positions, they established
contact with one another and pro
ceeded forward, leaving snipers TO
work their way back in the rear Of
the strong points and pick off the
bOche machine gunners in many
cases.
It was the job of the succeeding
waves OF assault, with their light
machine guns and their little trench
mortars mounted on light, two
wheeled carts hauled by man-power
TO reduce these strong points with
or without the aid of artillery, tanks,
or aeroplanes. The most advanced
waves were entirely safe from the
machine gun positions once tn
passed them. as the bOches usr .
cannot work their guns toward
own rear, the emplacement havin~
been organized with a view to firing
ahead or on the TANKS only. Further
more, if the Germans fred toward
the rear. they would reveal their
presence TO the succeeding attack
ing waves which would put them
out of action before they could swing
around again.
1t is because the attacking waves
go forward deployed in extended
formation and behind a curtain Of
fire Of bursting shells. a creeping
barrage. that casualties among at
lacking troops are so much lighter
than any one unfamiliar with these
tactics might imagine. There is very
little of attacking lin massed forma-
ton" even by the Germans.
The doughboys passed MOntfaucon
which was a hive OF machine gun
nests in their advance toward Nan
tiHois and Cierges. and it was not un-
til the day after the town had been
pra ctically surrounded that the last
enemy resistance was crushed there.
After penetrating we'll beyond Mont
faucon on either side American pa
trolls OF twos and three began TO
reconnoiter the town and the cha
teau which stands on a tent-like
ridge commanding the plain all di-
rections. Those patrols which en-
tered from the north. from behind,
worked their way through the ruins
of shell-shattered houses right up TO
the front of the town. where they
sniped the German machine gunners
in the back. as they were firing on
American patrols advancing from
Cuisv. Prisoners were taken from
the deep dugouts fifty and sixty feet
below the ruined town two days
flor the Americans had eSta blished