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Show AMERICA'S FIRST OFFENSIVE BLOW STRUCK IN MIST WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE, Tuesday. May 2S. (By the Associated As-sociated Press.) The American line now runs 150 to 200 yard3 east of Cantigny as a result of the succesful attack today. The nearest German trench is several hundred yards east of where the Americans Ameri-cans have dug in. The Germans, it has been found, had many outposts and machine ma-chine gun emplacements in Cantigny. America's first offensive blow was struck in a mist. The French tanks apparently ap-parently did not have much to do, as the American artillery already had prepared the way. A bright sun came out and shone on the Americans as they dug in in their new positions. When the Americans started out across No Man's land there were many jokes about "eating Boche for breakfast." The Americans fought as though they were veterans and there was no hesitation when the officers sprang forward and shouted: "Come on, boys!" Several officers, describing the scene, agreed that the outstanding feature in their minds was the wonderful morale of the men and their, absolute confidence in themselves. The Germans poured machine ma-chine gun bullets all around the Americans Ameri-cans as they were digging in, but no attention at-tention was paid to them, as Jokes and quips were handed back and forth. The demeanor of the men wounded in action was found similarly cheerful when the correspondent visited the field hospitals hos-pitals this afternoon. He saw stretched out on their cots a number of these Americans, for the most part only slightly slight-ly wounded, who acted like schoolboys returned re-turned from a great day of sport, smoking "cigarettes, eagerly relating their personal experiences and laughing loudly at the humorous incidents. Lieutenant George E. Butler; formerly an attorney in Indianapolis, who was slightly wounded in the leg, said that going go-ing over the top was like a maneuver in the training camp back home. The men were eager for it, he said, and some of them remained up in the trenches all night, talking about the approaching adventure ad-venture with cheerful anticipations. "When we reached Cantigny," he added, "it was onlv a pile of bricks and stones. Our artillery had leveled the town. The German machine gun bullets were buzzing about like bumblebees, but our fellows didn't pav any more attention to them than if they had been confetti. "It was the finest example of teamwork team-work I ever saw. There was not a hitch anvwhere. The men cracked jokes and sang, but they were businesslike in their work." , li Lieutenant Albert E. Billings of Brooklyn, Brook-lyn, N. Y., who also was slightly wounded, wound-ed, was brought to the hospital and placed on a cot adjoining that of Lieutenant Butler. As soon as their eyes met they clasped hands and greeted each other like long-lost brothers. "It was a great show, wasn't it? Billings said. "Gee, I wish the folks at home could have seen it. I wouldn't have missed it for the world." |