The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-10-26

to receive messages. The effect was
to warn the Germans that large num-
Der of wireless stations must have been
set up and to advise them of the hours
when the enemy intercepting stations
, should be on the alert for the American
messages.
This was followed by a series of
messages designed to indicate that the
x army was preparing a full Pledged
operation. In order to inform the
enemy of the geographical limits of the
sector of the X army, many messages
were directed to imaginary officers at
existing towns on the Etain front.
Meanwhile the rowing wireless sta
ton was working overtime day and
night. 1t began sending out messages
in the Fresnes sector and trying TO
give the impression that it was several
stations at widely separated locations.
One message in particular was pecu-
| liarly designed to add to the emmy
suspicion of the approaching trouble
an imperative demand for zoo copies
more additional of the CONTAINS sheet,
"Plan Directeur map. rms coulu
only be interpreted by the Germans, the
| Americans agreed, as preparation for
| coming drive on the Briey iron center.
| In addition to the wireless the x
army also had in operation, on the
front between BexonvauX and fTesnes,
! telephone squad careless squad
which set up telephone stations mere
| and there and sent messages and talked
! shop and gossiped at night about the
arrival of some old friend from Amer
| lea with such and such an outfit.
The X army telephone squad took no
| chances that the German might not
hear the conversations the Americans
| desired them to record. The deliberate
lily grounded their wires so the enemy
J could "listen in" and crawled out INTO
| NE in darkness
| hooked one of the American wires over
| onto a German barbed wire IN front
| of an abandoned trench system, In the
| front line of modern warfare the tele-
| phone is most dangerous instrument
for both sides devised apparatus which
| within certain limits can pick up con-
versations over enemy line with whlch
If is not even connected. SO the Amer
leans felt certain that all their con-
versations were heard by the Germans
Two days after the x army began
functioning, the results began TO De
noticeable, the nervousness on tne pa
of the Germans being exhibited In
MANY WAYS. the enemy first sendlng
over A large number of airplanes TO
| make "Reminiscences. The Germans
also began a series of trench raids to
| obtain prisoners for the purpose OF
| identifying units of the forces oppo,
site them. German prisoners captured
Nv the French told of wild alarms in
| the night on the part of the German
| forces. hurried achievements OF the
| main line of resistance and various
| other movements which indicated that
the enemy was exerting extreme watch,
| f,lness on account of the activity Oh
the little army being operated by
| handful Of Americans
When the armistice became errectlve'
November IL, the little American my
thical X army, still held its ground IN
the field near Verdun, ana oPpoel.o
fiva rack German divisions stood their
| quard not even suspecting that they
had been tricked by handful OF IN
genious young Yankees who were de-
Lighted at the results obtained by tnel.
tmischievous schemes which had WORKED
so successfully in deceivlng the WISE
old German veterans OF i've year
| war.