Germany fears America, and that fear is growing. At first the High
Command told their officers and the officers told the soldiers that the
Americans could not get to France because the U-boats would stop them.
Then the German fighters began to find Americans appearing against them
here and there, and finally at many points. Then the officers told the
German soldiers the Americans would not fight. Now the German soldiers
know the Americans can and will fight; and more and more of them are
learning it every day. There is no lack of evidence that the German
populace fears America's power in the war, and no question that the
German High Command is seriously perturbed at the results when the real
news of the Americans' fighting gets back to the people.
In no spirit of boastfulness it may be said that American fighters,
with a proper amount of training, are the best fighters in France
today. The soldiers of other armies of necessity are tired after
nearly four years of fighting, but the Americans are fresh, fresh in
spirit and physique. Other soldiers hope that Germany will be beaten;
the American soldiers know that Germany will be beaten. And Germany
knows that Germany will be beaten unless she wins in the next four
months. That is her only chance, and she will play it for what it is
worth. Everything is to be thrown into that effort. There will be
ruthlessness, there will be frightfulness.
The four days' victorious fight for possession of the important Bois
de Belleau, northwest of Château-Thierry, resulted in the capture,
besides the prisoners mentioned, of two German field guns, 77s, and
thirty machine guns, besides some small mortars. This was the first
capture of German artillery by Americans. I believe that when the
history of the war is written the Americans' capture of the Bois de
Belleau will be ranked among the neatest pieces of military work of the
conflict.
Five days ago, [June 9,] after the capture of the town of Bouresches,
the Americans started the task of taking away the Bois de Belleau from
the Germans. In the rush at Bouresches they had been unable to secure
the rocky strongholds in the woods, and passed on, leaving many nests
of machine guns there, which afterward kept up a harassing fire. The
Americans several times made big raids into the woods, clearing out
part of the Germans, but the next day the Germans would reappear with a
harassing fire. Despite strong artillery work, the Germans seemed able
to stay there.
On Sunday, the 9th, a rain of extra heavy artillery fire began on
the woods. This kept up all Sunday night and Monday. On Monday night
the fire was redoubled and the woods literally raked with lines of
shellfire.
At about 3 o'clock Monday morning the marines started, as soon as the
artillery fire was stopped, to go through those woods. At the nearer
edge of the woods, devastated by our shellfire, they encountered little
opposition. A little further on the Germans made a small stand, but
were completely routed; that is, those who were not killed. By this
time the marines were fairly started on their way. They swept forward,
clearing out machine gun nests with rifle fire, bayonets, and hand
grenades.