The New York Times/1918/07/16/Americans Drive Germans Back Over Marne: Take 1,000 Prisoners and Check Big Drive

By Edwin L. James

Special Cable to The New York Times

With the American Army on the Marne, July 15, 6 P. M. -- The Germans launched their expected offensive this morning on a front extending from north of Chalons, in the Champagne, westward beyond Chateau-Thierry.

The enemy's drive fell upon American troops east of Rheims, east of Chateau-Thierry, and west of Chateau-Thierry.

After the battling for many hours the American troops in a magnificent counterattack threw a whole division of Germans back across the Marne River in the curve of the river west and southwest of Jaulgonne. There are now no Germans across the Marne in front of our troops. At 10 o'clock this morning there were 15,000 of them.

We inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, many of whom were drowned in the swollen stream. We took 600 prisoners.

[Other advices say that the number of prisoners taken is 1,000 to 1,500, including an entire brigade staff. While the correspondent speaks of a division of Germans being driven back across the Marne. It is evident that he means men to the number of a division. The Germans usually attack with a division to each mile of front, and the front here referred to is from five to seven miles long. The 15,000 Germans who had got across the Marne were the survivors of the large masses who tried to cross on pontoons and were badly cut up in the attempt. It is probable, therefore, that the result of the day's battle on this sector was the defeat by the Americans of a German force of at least five divisions.]

The offensive in the region of Chateau-Thierry was preceded by intensive artillery demonstration, beginning at midnight. It was predicted in these dispatches ten days ago that the offensive might start on July 14.

An hour after midnight the whole countryside was lighted up with the flare from thousands of cannon in action. Not only did the enemy heavily bombard the front line, but, evidently using a new long-range gun, he shelled points twenty, twenty-five, and thirty miles behind the line.

By noon today the Germans had crossed the Marne where the river makes a salient northward, with the point at Jaulgonne, and had advanced three and one-half kilometers, [two miles.] This was held partly by Americans and partly by French.

The salient was exposed to fire from three sides. From midnight till 7 o'clock in the morning the German gunners poured thousands upon thousands of their explosive and gas shells into the area, putting down heavy barrages for the purpose of hindering the bringing up of reinforcements.

After seven hours of this shelling, the Germans, at enormous cost in men, pushed forward detachments from the edge of the woods on the north bank of the Marne and started to make attempts to throw pontoon bridges across the river, which was too deep to ford on account of the rains yesterday.

Three times the American guns balked the enemy's efforts, but finally he was successful, and soon his troops were making their costly way across the bridges.

Germans who were taken prisoners said they had been long trained for this crossing, and their conduct showed it.

This crossing recalls that six days ago our scouts discovered materials for a pontoon bridge on the north side of the river, and later our shell-fire destroyed them.

As the Germans passed across the bridges with a large number of machine guns they went into action. In the face of superior numbers the Americans fell back to the base of the salient made by the river.

At 11:30 o'clock the battleline ran from the base of the salient through a point just north of Crezancy, where our men were firmly holding.

It was difficult in the early hours to get accurate reports from all our forces. However, there was enough information to show that while the Germans were crossing at Jaulgonne the German High Command was directing attacks all along the line to Rheims and east of that city.

While there is fighting west of Chateau-Thierry, its character shows that the German drive is not now directed that way. The shelling which started generally at midnight, fell with great violence on the American sector northwest of Chateau-Thierry. Thousands of high- explosive and gas shells fell in the Bois de Belleau, the Bois de la Roche, and the village of Vaux. This shelling was concentrated on Vaux from 4 to 6 o'clock, after which the Germans launched an attack with two battalions against that town.

The Americans, withdrawing from their front trenches north of the railroad track in front of the town, waited until the attackers were very close, and then opened with a direct and flanking rifle fire. The attacking force was completely demoralized and retired in disorder.

The Americans immediately counterattacked and advanced their lines 750 yards and took twenty-seven prisoners. No further attacks have yet been made on Vaux.

I have just received a semi-official report that, following the Vaux attack, the American troops advanced on the west side of Hill 204 so far that the Germans expected an attack and evacuated the hill they had paid so much to hold the last three weeks. This is not yet positively confirmed, but I do know that at this moment our guns are pouring high explosives over the German lines of communication to the north of the hill.

So far the Germans have made no attempt to advance directly through Chateau-Thierry. The four bridges of the city have been blown up and it would mean a great and dangerous effort to cross there, where the artificial channel of the river is deep and machine guns command the northern side of the stream.

The Germans in this drive have introduced another novelty. At 3 o'clock this morning shells began to drop on a point thirty miles back of our lines at intervals of five minutes. This means that guns were being used having a range of perhaps thirty-five miles.

This has accomplished small military result thus far, but serves, in the main, only to terrify women and children.

It has been supposed that what the German high command aimed at was to force the allied armies to fall back to almost a straight line from Chateau-Thierry through Chalons to St. Mihiel, compelling them to yield Verdun. This is a huge project. Should the allied strength prove too much for this, the German command may concentrate its driving power just east of Chateau-Thierry, in an attempt to widen the front before Paris, which now extends from Montdidier to Chateau-Thierry. It is too early to state definitely what the real plan is.