Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-22
YANKEES GOOD
SOLDIERS, But
ROUGH STUFF
Austrian Prisoner Tells Con-
gresham Kincheloe impress
sion of American Fighter

on July 2S, who said ne nau not
known until that afternoon that
there was an American soldier IN
France" said Congressman Kinche-
loe, just returned to Washington
from visits to Italy, France and Eng
land. when an Austrian prisoner
was asked what he thought OF the
Americans as fighting men he said:
They make good soldiers, but they
are little rough"
Charging machine gun nests was
not generally practised by the allies
until the United States troops began
raiding them at the point of the bay
onet around Chateau -Thierry. The
French and British use the slower
method of shelling them out The
Americans have followed up their
policy to such an extent that United
States officers have had trouble IN
holding back their men. This dim
Guilty was explained by Representa-
tive George M. Young, of North Da-
kota, soon after he reached the Cap
itol who said:
"a young American officer, who
was shot through the hand and had
that disabled member in a bandage
as he talked to me, said that he had
had to threaten some of his men with
death to keep them from charging
head-on into machine gun nests. l
had sent some of my men around the
ends to hammer the machine gun
ners on the flank he told me, when
| saw the rest of my company get
ting ready to charge without orders.
/ got out in front of them and drew
my revolver, and threatened to shoot
the first man who went that far.
All the Congressman said the one
wish of every American soldier over
there is to get into the thick OF the
fighting. The only complaint heard
from officers is that the Americans
are too enthusiastic.
Valor Cost Many Lives
The type of fighting that the Amer
leans have been doing has resulted
in heavy casualties, the Congressman
admit, but they believe the heavy. toll
of lives has been warranted because
it has putnew heart and inspiration
into the troops of Italy, France and
England, who have been worn out
by four years of fighting.
U-Boat Flies White Flag
AT one French port. said Mr..
Kincheloe, 1--WE saw German sub
marine with the white flag of sur
render flying from her bow. She was
tied up there, so an American naval
officer told me, because her crew had
been sent out by the German naval
authorities to get the Leviathan, the
converted German liner Vaterland.
The submarine was told not to come
back until that former German Ves-
sell which now carries 1900 Ameri-
can troops to France every trip, had
been sunk. The submarine after lying
in wait for the Leviathan, until the
supplies had been exhausted, ran up
the white flag and surrendered TO the
Allies.
when we landed in Bordeau on
June Is, the American consul told
us that we would not get to Paris,
but a little later. we saw the Allies
driving the Germans back from north
of Chateau-Thierry. We saw hun
dreds of German prisoners pouring
south to the prison camps, while
thousands of American troops were
moving northward. We waited for
hours by the roadside while motor
trains poured by us with troops and
supplies.
.Vaux, the little village north of
| Chateau -Thierry, which the Ameri-
cans captured before the big Marne
| counter oensive was launched, is
powdered into bug dust. We were
told how that successful assault hap
| pened to be launched seven hours
ahead of schedule time.
! Colonel Brown, who is Ken
tuckian, told me that the Americans
and French had arranged to begin
| bonn bardment of VauX ten hours
from the. time of the officers confer
ence, when an American soldier shot
down a carrier pigeon, bearing the
German message. We are in dire
need of reserves Immediately. Col
onel Brown advised the French Off
GERS that he could have his heavy
guns in place within three hours,
and the bombardment started as
soon as they were ready.
"For three days and nights they
shot up that town, and when the
| Americans finally entered it they
| took $50 German prisoners with the
loss of only two American men. Be
fore that attack began the Americans
had learned just how many cellars
there were In. the town and approx
mately how many Germans there
were in each one.
"All of the German prisoners have
a button on the front of their uni
forms, which have the German
| words God Is with u.s. Mr.. Kinche-
loe displayed button cut from a
German uniform.
| United States troops are not taking
prisoners machine gunners who are
| left behind to fight off the allied
| troops after the main body of Ger
mans have evacuated. Germans who
continue to operate the machine
guns until the American troops are
within ten or fifteen feet of them
| before they throw up their hands
and shout. 'Kamerad.' are bayoneted,
according to statements made by
various. members of the Congress
sional party.
If they are willing to surrender
when they have been fairly licked,
the Americans will take them as
prisoners, but they will not show
them mercy If they have continued
to pour death into the Americans
after their German comrades have
retired and all hope OF holding their
positions is lost.
| 1t is a confirmed fact, so the Con-
gressmen reported. that Germans
now are chaining their machine gun
ners to the trees to make them stay
there and hold off the Americans un-
til they are charged. Recently" said
| Mr.. Kincheloe, we captured a Ger
man father. fifty-six years old, and
| his son, fourteen years old who had
been operating a machine gun. Three
German women in uniform were
killed in the fighting. OF course.
their sex was unknown at the time.
when the Germans had driven
across the Marne and 1t was decided
to launch counterattack. the Rain
| bod Division, which was north of
Chateau Thierry. was brought down
to fight with the second division of
Marines which was holding the road
| q Do Fn1 he. Il