The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-08-08
DEADLY SPRAY Of
BULLETS KEPT UP
Yankees Effect Crossings Of
vesle, Dig in and Cling
TenaciousIy.
BEAT OFF ENEMY ATTACKS
American Machine Gunners
Again Prove Worth During
Past Forty Eight Hours.
BEAT OFF ENEMY ATTACKS

(By International News Staff Cor
respondent.)
With the American Army on the
Aisne-Vesle Front. Aug. 10 PM
Beating Off repeated counter assaults
and inflicting heavy losses upon the
enemy. the Americans who forced
crossings OF the Vesle river between
Fismes and Bazoches. dug In and clung
tenaciously to their new positions.
Many strong German machine gun
positions north of the Vesle were
wiped out of existence by the hot and
accurate fire of the American artillery.
American engineers distinguished
themselves by working under terrific
fire from German guns. throwing
bridges across the river for the In
fantry to cross upon.
The American attack was launched
at 4:30 yesterday afternoon following
four hours OF artillery preparation. The
assault centered between Fismes and
Bazoches.
Our right wing crossed the Nesle in
considerable strength. the machine
gunners doing much havoc to the
enemy.
United States Gunnsrs Heroes.
The left wing was held up near
Bazoches by heavy fire from the Ger
man artillery and machine guns.
BY 10 o'clock the Germans had or
ganiZed a counter attack. The attack
ing waves which charged against the
American positions at the foot of the
plateau were shattered and the Amer
leans held firmly to their new posi-
tons.
After an effective bombardment and
under cover of heavy fire from our
machine guns, the left wing went for
ward at dawn this morning. forcing
another crossing Of the river to the
west OF Fismes.
The American machine gunners
again proved their worth during the
past forty eight hours. which saw
crossings of the Vesle forced at two
places between Fismes and Bazoches
by our infantry. E fP3trtss
The terrific pounding Of our artillery
during the preliminary bdmbafdmcpt
last night. was followed by annfhilat-
ing fire from our mitrailleuses which
moved down the enemy opposition.
allowing several American detach-
ments to get across the stream.
River Twenty five Feet Wide.
The Vesle at the point Of crossing
is twenty-five feet wide.
steady spray of bullets :. lille our ad-
vanced elements hastily dug them
selves In on the narrow shelf Of the
embankmcnt on the northern ,.do Of
the stream.
These troops repulsed with severe
losses heavy and repeated German
counter attacks by which the boches
tried to throw the Americans back in
to the river.
In the fighting, which lasted from 10
o'clock until after midnight our ar
tillery fire proved very effective. the
gunners steadily shelling the road on
the northern side ~ the Vesle along
which the Americans were cntrcnched.
This fire played havoc with the Ger
mans.
While the fighting in this zone
fright flank was dying down and the
boches were removing their dead and
wounded the artillery on our left be-
gan paving the way for a new attack
DisIodssd Germans.
After bffef shelling. which dislodged
the Germans from many machine gun
nests which had been discovered dur
ing yesterdays effort to cross the
stream near Bazoches, the, infantry
Iunged forward at daybreak.
Meanwhile American engineers, un-
der the hottest possible enemy fire,
had thrown light bridges across the
Vesle and within a few minutes we
had reached the opposite (northern)
bank.
Several detachments forced the
enemy back across the high road which
parallels the northern bank Of the
stream and established themselves
quickly in preparation for an expected
counter attack.
At the time this dispatch was writ
ten tho counter attack had not been
reported. but east of Fismes some of
our units were engaged in sharp
struggle 18th the enemy late this
afternoon.