The Alaska daily empire., 1918-12-12

the salient opposite St. Winfield, and the French Seventeenth Corps, on the heights above Verdun being trans ferred to Gen. Pershing's command
 The combined French, British and 1 American air forces mobilized for the battle. the report says. was the largest aviation assembly ever en 1 gagged on the Western front up to that time in single operation.
 Reduction of St. Mhiel
 1 Of the reduction of the St. Mi hiel salient. Gen. Pershing says:
 After four hours artillery prepara- ton the seven American divisions | in the front line advanced at } a. m on September 12, assisted by a limit ed number of tanks manned partly by Americans and partly by the French. These divisions accompan- jed by groups of wire cutters and others armed with bangalore tor pedoes. went through the successive i bands of barbed wire that protected the enemy's front line and support trenches, in irresistible waves on tho schedule time, breaking down all de | fense of an enemy dem0ra.ized by the great volume of our artillery fire and our sudden approach olt of the | fog
 Our first Corps advancc1 .o Thia court, while our Fourth Corps curved back to the Southwest through Non sard. The Second Colonial French Corps made the slight advance re. quired of it on very difficult ground, and the Fifth Corps took it's three ridges and repulsed a counter at tack A rapid march brought re serve regiments of division of the fifth Corps into Vigneulles in the early morning, where in linked up with patrols of our Fourth Corps, losing the salient and forming a new inc West of Thiacourt to Vigneulle. md beyond Fresne ]-enW Woeyre.
 At the cost of only 1000 casual 'es, mostly light, we had taken 5000 prisoners and 443 guns. a great luantity of material. released the in oabitants of many villages from enc " domination, and established our ines in a position to threaten Metz.
 This signal success of the Ameri- can First Army in it's first offensive was of prime importance. The Al lies found they had a formidable army to aid them, and the enemy learned finally that he had one tc reckon with"
 The report shows for the first time | officially, that with this brilliantly | executed coup, General Per5hing' men had cleared the way for the great effort of the Allies and Ameri | can forces to win conclusive vic -ory. The American army moved al Dnce toward it's crowning achieve ment, the battle of the Mouse.
 Tells Dramatic Story
 The General tells dramatic story If this mighty battle in three dis met phases, beginning on the nigh )f Sept 27th when Americans quick took the places of the French or he thinly held line of this loni l luiet sector. The attack opened or Sept. 26th.. and the Americans drov, trough entanglements. across No Man's-Land to take all the enemy. | front line positions. Closing thf chapter, General Pershing says
 "On November 9th a division O he First Corps reached point oi he Mouse opposite Sedan. 25 mile: from our line of departure Tho | strategical goal which was our high est hope was gained We had GU he enemy's main line of communi )r an armistice could have his army rom complete disaster.
 "In all 40 enemy divisions haf been used against us in the Mouse Argonne battle. Between Septem Der 26 and November we tool 26,059 prisoners and 46S guns on thi. front. Our divisions engaged werj he First, Second, Third, Fourth Fifth, TwentySixth, Twenty Eighth | Twenty-Ninth, ThirtySecond Thirty Third, Thirty-Fifth, Thirty Seventh | Forty-Second, Seventy-Seventh, Sey enty-Eighth. Seventy Ninth. Eight eth, Eighty-Second, Eighty-Ninth Ninetieth, and Ninety-First Man, If our Divisions remained in line f0i I length of time that required nerve, | If steel, while others were sent il again after only a few days of rest The First, Fifth, Twenty-Sixth, Forty Seventh. Eightieth. Eighty Ninth and Ninetieth, were in the line twice l Although some of the Divisions were