The sun., 1918-09-16
FOES MORALE
BROKE DOWN
ATST. MIHIEL
German Sergeant, Now Prison
er. Said 1t Was Useless to
Fight Americans.
L. s. TANKS EFFECTIVE
One Captured Two Villages,
Battery of Field Guns and
IS Prisoners.
L. s. TANKS EFFECTIVE
Special Gable De.po,eA 10 TH. svx.

copyrctf Isit. all rights rcserred
WITH THE AMERICAN FIRST ARMT.
Sept 15.-with the first lull-perhsps
il would be better to say breathing
period-in the battle OF ST Mihiei. II is
now possible 20 give a summary o: the
fighting. the significance OF the Areri-
can attack and advance. the behavior
Of the Americans and the general fear
the presence Of these fighters has
struck into the hearts of the German
and Austrian soldiers. for Austr;ans
are numbered among the prisoners
captured.
II is in the cleaning up period o:
the first fighting that this story is be-
ing written. the time between attacks,
for the Americans are on their way
again to-day. advancing and striking
terror into the hearts OF the enemy.
The first counter attack has come
and gone. and following this IS the
period TO write OF the gains. for the
counter attack has been repulsed and
the ground captured in the initial ad-
vances remains in the possession Of
the Americans. The Germans hare no
thoueht-Some even say ,ha. II is inn
possible-os attempting 20 wrest this
territory from the hands OF the newest
fighters in Europe.
Military and Moral Defeat.
The battle Of So. M;aiel. as THE svS
readers know. WAS fought by American
soldiers entirely under the direction o.
American Generals, and stands out row
as one o. the sgiftest and mos; complete
allied victories o, the whole way. BY
the same token il can be taken as a
smashing defes. .or TIE Germans. both
from the military and moral standpoints-
One great and impressive feature Of
the battle has been the apparent os-
norsliEstion Of rfe German troops,
Everything wri;ten yesterday about their
quickness 10 surrender has been justified.
and for the time being a; least their
morale has cracked Hox signi5car;
this may be remains to be seen A Ger
man se-gean; who WAS captured yest.r-
day and who Fought against American
troops al Chateau Thierry last Ju1e
said:
When I saw the Americans coming.
! knew Il vas no use tod NY squad
to surrender We couldn't stop the
Americans"
IL addition 10 capturing a Colonel and
stsh and so many 0: a regime nj that Il
looked Ike q regiuDental parade. Ger.
Pershings .orc.s also took Austrian
prisoners for the first time. They
seemed 10 be a mise "a BILE lot
II seems hat the Germans became
greatly confused and that they were W.
able properly 20 Organize counter at
tarks. They did not know apparently
that ve would attack forty minutes after
our artillery preparation had started
and then they ordered a retreat II was
100 late.
Our long rang, Euns-snd some o.
these were American coas: defence guns
that useo 10 rest plsrdly al SANDY Hook
tbeir Communications into
Esnilsis OF FIRE. smashed their wagon
and truck trains and 10 tied things u
that they were abe 10 save only = small
part o. what they had planned 10 save
Their confusion was such that II "
Doubtful whether they knew which was
their rea-guard and which was their
main body.
Ms~h Material Captured.
Moch war material o, al kinds has
been captured. including eight inch how
itIe-s and = great deal OF rsilro,ad equip
rneut- The booty inclyoed woman
prisoner who gave htr name as WI
t.t.minS Johs ma Horys
The Frenrh made Il fns JOB Of tax
iag 81. MlblsL. which they found burn