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Show IK HIT HUNS STUNNING BLOW Advance of Americans Leads Astride New German Ger-man Defense Line. Best of Kaiser's Army Is Used Up Opposing Progress Prog-ress of Doughboys. By EDWIN L. JAMES. (New York Times-Chicago Tribune Cable, Copyright.) WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY, Oct. 24, 10 p. m. The First American army hit the German line two smashing blows today, one on either side of the Meuse. On the west of the stream we reached Freya Stellung and Grand Carre farm north of Banthevllle. East of the river our advance was larger, taking our line to Hill End, Bois Etraye, commanding the village of that name which lies just west of the important point of Dam-villers. Dam-villers. This attack, made in a northeasterly north-easterly direction, started early this morning under cover of a mist and succeeded suc-ceeded from the beginning, the boche being be-ing taken by surprise. Quickly recovering, recover-ing, however, he directed an intense artillery ar-tillery and machine gun fire on Pershing's Per-shing's men. The total advance was one kilometer on a front of three kilometers. We hold Bois Houppy, Bois Belleu, half of oise Erville and Bois Etraye. After the first surprise the enemy contended bitterly every foot of ground: Shells Come Fast. Our advance on Grand Carre farm took us astride the Germans' new line of defense, de-fense, Freya Stellung. This fight was marked with intense artillery fire. About 11 o'clock the Germans started a concentrated con-centrated fire on our new positions and within fifteen minutes were dropping eighty to 100 shells per minute. Our own artillery reached drumfire and held that concentration for several hours. Despite this hell of shellfire our troops made way over the crest running southeast of Grand Carre farm and filtered into ravines ra-vines beyond there by crossing Freya Stellung. Because of bad weather the boche did not repeat tonight his vicious bombardment of last night. For the first time since the Germans started the war in 1914 theyhave not a single division which has been rested one month, the time allotted for the recovery and rest of a division which has been In battle. September 30 the Germans had twenty divisions rested more than a month; or, in other words, fresh divisions. divi-sions. Six of these have been thrown against the First American army north of Verdun and the other fourteen against the British and French. Division Shortage. The shortage of divisions in the German Ger-man army is further attested by the fact that new troops put against the Americans Ameri-cans in the past few days have not been put in as reliefs, but as reinforcements for divisions already in line. In other words, unrested units were split up and slipped in where gaps were to be filled. The Germans have some forty divisions rested less than four weeks. TJiis' situation situa-tion reflects the success of the American operations in the Meuse sector, one of the great gains of which has been the wearing down of the German effective strength through the German high com-mnnd's com-mnnd's determination to protect the Vole de Rocadc, running from Longuyon to Mezieres, which is essential to German strategy in shunting troops from one pari of the front to another to meet fresh allied al-lied attacks. More than thirty divisions, among them some of the best of the kaiser's army, have been used up opposing the American Ameri-can advnnce north of Verdun. This, of course, has weakened the line farther north and made it easier for the great advances which the Americans with the British hove shared. |