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Show AMERICANS CHECK NEW HUN THRUST BARRIER OF KHAKI HALTS GERMAN FLOOD ON FIRST DAY OF DRIVE. When Huns Attempt to Cross River, Americans Shoot Pontoons to Pieces, Piling Up German Dead So Fast That Attack Is Halted. Taris. Disaster dealt by Americans overtook the Germans on the Marne toward to-ward the end of the first day of their 65-mile drive, launched at dawu between be-tween Chateau Thierry and Masslges. "All the German forces on the south bank of the Marne are in danger of being be-ing captured," . telegraphed the Universal Uni-versal ServTce staff correspondent with the Americans on the Marne late Monday Mon-day night. "Fifteen hundred prisoners are in American hands. American nrtillery has shot the pontoons to pieces on which the Germans had crossed the river, and many thousands of. the kaiser's picked troops seem trapped." A strong American counter attack south of the river bend completely upset up-set the Germans, who broke in retreat. The American troops drove the enemy back all the way to the railway skirting skirt-ing the Marne in the region southwest of Jaulgonne. This position now is being held. In the counter attack many prisoners were taken. American machiue gunners along the river assisted materially In breaking up the early boche plans, for they stuck to their . posts and poured deadly streams of bullets into the enemy, and only withdrew when their guns were so hot they could not be fired. One group of machine gunners happened to be in a place where the Germans were anxious to erect a bridge, but their efforts were fruitless. The American bullets piled up the German dead on the opposite side of the river every time the enemy started to cross. South of Jaulgonne the enemy crossed cross-ed the Marne on six pontoon bridges hurriedly thrown" over the stream and masses of infantry swarmed forward. The artillery constantly had the bridges under the heaviest fire and at least two direct hits were made, two of the bridges being blown up. Along one extended sector of the Marne front, the Americans were iu the open ground. The Germans were on the opposite bank, showering high explosives and gas shell upon them. But the boys from the United States went forward with gas masks, crawling crawl-ing at times on all fours. When they came close enough to come to grips they drove the enemy back quickly. A correspondent talked with some American soldiers now in the hospital, who were in the thick of the fighting. They were in complete agreement that the German infantry was no match for the American. This is evidenced by the reports from all the American hospitals, there being only a few cases of wounds from rille and machine gun fire, while most of the men are suffering from shrapnel wounds. Home of these are .serious. |