Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-02-01
TWO j. s. SOLDIERS
SLAIN BY GERMANS
IN RAID ON SECTOR
Four Wounded and One Miss
ing as Result of Early Morn
ing CIaSh-U. S, Men Fight
Desperately

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
FRANCE. Jan. SO-CDelsyed)-Am
ica's fighting forces suffered more cas-
usItfss today through German raid.
Two American soldiers were killed,
four were wounded. one seriously, and
one was taken prisoner by the enemy m
a sortie against small American Sa-
Ifent early this morning
The Americans sold their lives dearly.
They battIed heroically against superior
odds. There was evidence OF bloody
6ehtfuE in the small corner OF the line
on which the enemy swooped
j, heavy. Iow-lyinE mist aided the
Germans. Taking advantage OF II at
ia this morning. the enemy suddenly
pr,f m ar intense barrage IRE over a
small salient and listening post manned
b. American lighting men
~-be German rain OF high explosives
DESTROYED the communication wire BY
which the listening post and salient
might have summoned help. The mist
hfd rockets which the Americans sent
m The Americans had TO nght without
aid OF A counter barrsg &c from their own
guns because OF this lack OF communi-
cation
That they fought valiantly was amply
shown in the blood and disorder in the
little notch they held The Americans
did not have a chance 10 win against
the vastly superior force Of German
raiders who swOOped down on them and
who did not have 10 penetrate any BAR
rage protecting the salient
The most seriously wounded OF the
four men suffered a cash in his abdo-
men from a chunk OF she'll All four of
the wounded were under ether this aft
ernoon after emerging from the oper-
ating room Of the field hospital and
we're unable TO tell the full story of
the attack
Barrags Pirs
The enemy barrage, il was known. be-
gan very suddenly after a night and day
OF comparative quiet There had been
only the customary desultory reciprocal
srtilleryiug.
AL-erican patrols who had been out on
recOnnoissances over No Mans Land
had all returned with the advent of
daylight
Most of the shells that came in the
deIuge of Boche fire were heavy 7I's.
They were directed around a little
trench salient held by the Americans
which sticks out like a peak toward the
German lines. = listening post, forming
= further extension Of the salient. was
included in the enemy zone of FIRE.
The whole salient was manned by a
platoon Of American JrOops-275 men.
How much the Germans suffered in
heir raid was not known. Following
custom. the raiders took away their own
dead and wounded From the condition
Of the bit of salient which they enter
ed however. it IS certain there was a
rie-ce struggle. only one prisoner was
taken D. the enemy. Having secured
him for identification purposes. the en-
envy scurried back TO their own lines.
The American wounded and dead were
ieft behind.
The lone American who was stationed
in the listening post was one of the
wounded he was operated on at tae
hospital
.Heu Broke Loose"
Last night was fairly quiet through
out the American sector. The usual
number OF shells came over. doing no
damage. and there we're the customary
sporadic outbUrsts of machine gun fire
from both sides at points where the
opposing lines are nearest
At daybreak this morning the heavy
fog which had been enveloping the
whole position and the country kor
miles around for several days became
stiII thicker. plotting out all except
The nearest enemy positions. At
O'Clock three muffled reports sounded
through the fog. There were three
Whistles, followed quickly by three shell
bursts The projectiles exploded on
three sides Of an American listening
post lust outside the wire within for
ty-fivs feet Of an enemy listening post
Then hell broke loose" said one of
the men there For fifteen minutes the
enemy broke hundreds Of high explO-
sive 75's around the post and the sur
rounding ground. cutting off the men
there Two Of them were killed in the
first few minutes Another man who
vas at the post told the correspondent
later. as he was lying on a cot in a
field hospital. that he saw four Ger
mans approaching out ofthe fog as the
harrage lifted He brought his auto
matte rifle into play and saw two Of
the Germans fall He kept on firing
until shell splinters hit him in the head
and arm
The last I remember in the time be
lore / reached the hospital" said an
other wounded man. lis seeing some
thing moving through the fog I deter
mined To get some Germans and put
my rifle 10 my shoulder. but 1axer pull
II trigger. There wssa dcafenhCg cK-
y p.osion behind me. Frozen earth. ice.
stone and shell spIinters came my way"
Inspection Of the scene of the raid
showed that the ground was Dloughed