Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-09-03
BARBED WIRE AND
ENEMY TRENCHES
FAIL TO HOLD UP
AMERICAN DASH
Position After Position Cross
ed by Yankees Under Ter
rifle Fire of Shells and Ma
chine Guns From German
Lines
BEST OF KAISER'S MEN
DECISIVELY DEFEATED

With the American Army in
France. Monday, Sept. 2.-After four
days and nights spent in an obser-
vation post in the region of Juvigny,
Sergeant Ira Croshaw, of Grand
Rapids Mich. returned to-day to
American division headquarters aft
er having witnessed virtually all of
the American daylight action since
the attack on the plateau began last
Wednesday morning.
The hill where the observation
post is located commands view of
the country for miles around, the
Germans having erected a she'll
proof tower of concrete and steel
rails with a roof six feet thick and
the sides four feet. In addition TO a
telephone, Sergeant Croshaw had
seven runners. The tower exit faced
the German lines and the enemy
machine gunners opened fire every
time an individual was sighted. but,
none of the runners was lost.
CrawIs Over Dead Body
When Sergeant Croshaw reached
the tower he found a dead German
at the entrance, but before he could
bury the body the shelling started
The first day the American runners
crawled back and forth into the
tower entrance over the body of tnc
dead German. the Americans finally
burying it beneath the entrance.
Sergeant Croshaw witnessed the
Americans cross the veritable sea of
barbed wire network on Sunday aft
ernoon while the Americans were
eastward bound. He saw his coun-
trymen cross trench after trench by
bounds until he wondered how i;.-
fantrymen stood the strain of shells
and machine gun fire pouring upon
the plateau.
Cut Through Wire
Time and asain advancing infan-
trymen were compelled to halt and
cut or break down wire entangle-
ments to ge, through. Men ahcad
were supplied with wire cutters to
complete the Job started by the al
tillery. Many trenches crossed we're
so wide that the advancing soldiers
were compelled to take them on a
running jump or go down on ohe
side arc up the other.
Defeat Flower of Hun Army
North of Soissons General Man
gins troops after three days of fur-
Gus combats. in which positions
were taken and retaken several
times, nave pushed forward on the
plateau that overlooks the valley of
the Ailette behind Chemin des
Danes and from where the citadel
of Laon, one of the stoutest pillars
in the German secondary line may
plainly be seen.
The French and Americans met
around Juvigny the elite of the Ger
man army, grenadiers of the Prus-
sian guard, picked storming bat
talions and hardy mountain infan-
trymen. They defeated them de-
cisively, taking an enormous death
roll from their rnks and sending
a goodly number of captives to the
rear.
Use Swift Tanks
The Americans co-operated in the
attack on Juvigny with the type of
tanks which the French have named
'chars d'assaut,' or shock cars.
These engines of war have been
called "armored infntry." They have
all the suppleness of troops afoot
and they advance readily into the
enemy's positions, dealing death with
gruesome profusion from their
quick-firers and cannon. One of
these cars manned by French lieu
tenant killed 200 Germans before
Juvigny.
Very severe fighting has been GO !
ing on also north of Noyon. along
the Meve river and the Canal du
Nord and around Nesle. After fore-
ing the last fortified centers of re-
sistance around Roye and Chaulnes,
the French arrived at these points,
confronting natural obstacles which
the Germans utilized to best advan-
tage.
The French succeeded in forcing
crossing of the Ingon between
Quiquery and Rouy-le-Petit last
evening, slipping through the
enemy's advanced positions to the /
edge of the plateau extending toward |
Ham and were attacking Hill ~ at |
Iact arcounta