DETERMINED ATTEMPT TO STAND NORTH OF VESLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16926, 12 August 1918, Page 6

DETERMINED ATTEMPT TO STAND NORTH OF VESLE.

WOODED SLOPES STBONGLY HELD BY MACHINE-GUNS.

AMERICAN TROOPS IN OPEN UNDER CONSTANT FIRE. LONDON. Aug. 10.

(Received 5.5 p.m.)

Reuter's correspondent at American headquarters, writing on Friday, describing the fighting in the Vesle Valley, says: The enemy methodically thought out the problem of holding the heights bcypnd the Vesle. 'Once across the river our troubles precipitately increased. The enemy withdrew the bulk of his machine-guns, to the wooded slopes, leaving only a few in the corn, where they.could enfilade our advance from the river. Many of these were silenced by individual deeds of daring. When the outpost guns were disposed of, a bridgehead was formed, and more troops crossed. We advanced to the foot of the hills. We are now lying oh the hillside practically in the open, with German gunners 'watching every movement from the bolt of trees above, with their invisible machine-guns, which have a clear field of fire. Our gunners are shelling theirs with gas shells, but so far without sensibly keeping down their fire.

; The Americans were the first across the river, their engineers constructing trestle bridges from material cut under fire.