Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-12-08
enemy in that direction"

!, enemy m that direction"
 By that time the great tide of American troop movements 10 France
 was in full swing and the older di.
 visions could be used freely me 4znd, in line east of Rheims faced the German assault of July 15 and held their ground unflinchingly":: on the right flank four companies of the 2Sth division faced "advancing waves of German infantry" and the Srd division held the AIarne line op- : posite Chateau Thierry against pow erful artillery and infantry attack, goal which was our highest hope was A single regiment of the Third wrot , one of the most brilliant pages in our military annals On this occasion" General Pershing says. 'sIt prevent ed the crossing at certain points on It's front while, on either flank, the Germans who had gained a fottins pressed forward. Our men. firing ill three directions. met the German al tacks with counterattacks at criti- cal points and succeeded in throw ing two German divisions into com plete confusion, capturing 600 pri- scners"
 Thus was the stage set for the counter offensive which beginning with the smashing of the enemy's Marne salient brought overwhelming victory to the allies and the United States in the eventful months that have followed. The intinat1on Is strong that Geseral Pershing's ad- vice heldped Marshal Foch to reach his decision to strike. General Per shin9 continues:
 'The great force of the German Chateau Thierry offensive establish ed the deep M3rne salient, but the enemy was taking chances. and the volunerability of this pocket to at tack might be turned to his disad- vantage. Seizing this opportunity to support my conviction, every division with any sort of training was made available for use in a counter-offen- sive. The place or honor in the thrust toward Soissons on July IS Divisions in company with chosen French divisions.
 "Without the usual brief warning of preliminary bombardment, the massed French and American artil- lery, firing by the map, laid down it's rolling barrage at dawn while the infantry began it's charge. The tactical handling of our troops under these trying conditions was eXcal- lent throughout the action. The enemy brought up large numbers of reserves and made a stubborn defense both with machine guns and artil- lery, but through five days fighting the First Division continued to ad- vance until it had gained the heights above SOissons and captured the vil- lage of Berzy-le-sec. The Second Di- vision took Beau Repaire farm and Vierzy in a very rapid advance and reached position in front Of Tigny at the end of it's second day. These two divisions captured 1000 prison CTS and over 100 pieces of artillery.
 The report describes in some de- tail the work of completing the re- duction of the salient, mentioning the operations of the 26th, 3rd. 4th, 42nd. 32rd and 18th Divisions With the situation on the Marne front thus re- lieved, General Pershing writes. he could turn to the organization of the First American Army and the reduc- tion of the St. Mihiel salient. long planned as the initial purely Ameri- can enterprise. A troop concentra- ticn aided by generous contributions of artillery and air units by the French, began, involving the mov=- ment, mostly at night, of 60O0W men. A sector reaching from Port sur Seille, east of the Moselle. west ward through St. Mihiel to Verdun and later enlarged to carry it to the edge of the forrest of Argonne. was taken over, the Second Colonial French holding the tip of the ealient opposite St. Mihiel, and the French Seventeenth Corps, on the heights above Verdun being transferred to Gen. Pershing's command.
 The combined French, American and British afr forces mobilized for the battle, the report says, was the largest aviation assembly ever engag- ed On the western front up to that tima in a single operation. .
 Of the reduction of the St. Mihiel salient, Gen. Pershing says:
 "After four hours artillery prepar- ation the seven American divisions in the front line advanced at 5 am. on September 12, assisted by limit ed number of tanks manned partly by Americans and partly by the French These divisions, accompani- ed by groups of wire cutters and others armed with bargalore torpe- does, went through the successive bands of harbed wire that protected the enemy's front line and support trenches, in irresistible waves on .scnedule time, breaking down all de- lenses of an enemy demoralized by the great volume of our artillery fire and our sudden approach out of the 1 fog.
 "Our First Corps advanced to Thia' ucourt 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 attack A rapid march brought reserve regi | "A 1 l. NANNrN<