The Robesonian., 1918-11-21

depended the fate of the great attack
on the rest Of the front. IT forced
+ back here the enemy mus tgive way
! to the west. If he held he could hold
elsewhere.
Americans Go In.
! 1t was at daybreak of September 26,
when the Americans went IN. Using
nine divisions for the preliminary at
tack and under vigorous artillery sup
port they advanced five kllometers
the first day. But the enemy was not
taken wholly by surprise. The second
! day he threw into the line five counter
attack divisions he had held in close
reserve. They were his best troops,
but they failed not only to push the
! Americans back, but they failed to
check the gradual advance OF the
Americans over the difficult terrain.
The first phase Of the action endeo
October 81, during which the Amerl-
| cans gains were not large but they
compelled the enemy to use large
number of divisions. which became
/ slowly exhausted and thus were un-
able to parry the hammering ne was
receiving from the French and BRUSH
on the west.
Bitter Fighting.
1t was bitter fighting in the woods
brush and ravines over a region per
fectly registered and plotted by the
enemy where his guns, big and llttle'
could be used with the. greatest. e1-
ficiency. The original nine American
divisions in some cases were kept IN
the line over three consecutive weeks
The American reserves then were
thrown in until every division not en-,
gagged on another part OF the line hao
been put into the action.
1t is a fact commented upon win
pride by the American commanders
and complimented by the Allies that
seven of these divisions that drove
! their way through this hard acton
never before had been IN an active
sector, while green troops, tresh from
home, were poured in as replacements'
The Associated Press dispatches
from day to day told what these men
did; how the enemy was slowly push
ed back from his strongest ana most
vital positions through one defense
system after another, using. his finest
selected troops which had been with
drawn in many instances from other
portions of the line, in an effort to
hold an enemy which he derisively SAID
last spring could not be brought to
Europe and if so would not fight, and
even if he tried to fight would not
know how to do 50.
Death Blow to German Army. .
The attack delivered the morning OF
November l which began the second
phase of, the Argonne battle was the
death-blow to the German army. Be
tween September 26 and October 81
enemy divisions to the number of sc
were identified as being opposed to the
Americans in this sector. Between
November 1 and November 6 the enc
my threw in Ia fresh divisions, but
all in vain.
Fighting every foot of the way the
American advance averaged five kllo-
metres daily over terrain constantly
growing more difficult, with the lines
of communications and supply daily
lengthening and alternating, while
roadmakers for the transport and 9TH
err supply organizations worked day
and night at their tasks.
Day by day the official communica-
tions and the telephone even t othe
farthest advance line told the Ameri-
cans that for every mile the Germans
gave way before them they were yield
ing another mile to the British and
French on the left; that the American
pressure was felt like an electric cur
rent throughout the line.
On the morning of November the
German official communication told
the Americans they had won because.
for first time in the war the enemy
officially admitted that the American
attack had effected a breakthrough
The Americans knew that what final
ly happened on the morning of No
vember II, when the armistice was
signed, was only question of days.
Going Like H at 1858.
Last Monday morning the general
commanding a certain division was
called to the telephone in a far ad-
vanced position and asked if he had
understood that hostilities were to
have ceased at IL o'clock in the
morning.
eyes," replied the, general, ~ did:
But at 1858 we were going like hell