New-York tribune., 1918-07-22
By Wilbur Forrest

y
WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES IN
THE FIELD, June IA (by maiD.-1t
was the first days Of June that found
American troops entered into their
first desperate hand to hand conflicts
with numerically superior enemy.
The wonderful combative qualities of
the American soldiers here for the
first time during the European war be-
came an element in the fighting force
OF sufficient Importance to force the
German High Command to reckon it as
a serious factor Therefore. of more or
less important American historical
value is the detailed account of how
tour German divisions, one of them the
proud Prussian Guard and another of
equal fighting value, met their match
and came to q grievous end in closeup
comoats against French veterans and
American youngsters during the Ger
man offensive of May 81 between
scissors and Rheims.
Without touching in great detail on
the feats OF the Franco-American
troops who opposed them, l am able
to-day to trace the four enemy dvi-
sions and to show their terrific losses
from the beginning of the offensive of
May q to point where thew ceased
to be German divisions and nothing
more than shattered remnants of divi-
sions.
German units in tolved in the fight
ing northwest of Chateau Thierry in
which Americans participated we're the
2sth Division-40th Regiment of Fu-
sillers and 109th and 10th regiments
of Baden lnfantry-a shock aggrega-
ton of the elite; the 9th Division of
the Prussian Guard; the 197th and
237th divisions. The latter two wer.
rot German units of the first order, but
good "holding" troops.
Rombardment Was Terrific
The 2Sth Division first came into the
offensive on May q west of Corbeny.
1t had the 10th German Division on
its right and the 5th Prussian Guards
On its left. At midnight of May 26-27
about 1000 enemy cannon, standing
almost wheel to wheel, massed behind
these three divisions, opened fire on
the French with high explosives and
great quantities of mustard gas, the
latter being employed against French
battery positions in an effort to gas"
the gun crews into silence
Such formidable concentration Of
| fire opened way for the Feldgrau waves
which submerged all opposition. French
guns, far from being knocked out by
the enemy's poison gas, fired to the
last at direct range into the advancing
/ lines.
Despite serious losses the enemy
units passed the area of resistance
and emerged into open country beyond
the original French lines. The 2Sth
reached the Plateau of California, de.
Tended by British troops. and crossed
the Asne at Maizy. The 5th Prussan
Guards followed parallel course and
also crossed the Aisne.
On the evening of the 27th the
Kaiser sent his congratulations and
promised that the victorious 28th Di
vision would be relieved within three
or four days. But as the advance had
progressed the German staff modified
its plan of attack. The 28th and the
9Th Guard, among others were ordered
to push ahead as fast as possible.
Are Halted at Marine
Without regard for fatigue and
leaving heavy munitions as we'll as
half of their machine guns in the
rear, the units reached the Marine on
the evening of May 80. the 28th in
the vicinity of Jaulgonnc and Freloup.
two picturesque vineyard villages
resting under the hills that slope
down to The rivers edge. The 28th
was ordered to cross the Marne. but
no
blown up or too hotly defended There
fore, this unit installed itself on the
right bank and was here relieved by
the 5Oth Division. 1t then marched to
the rear, where it went into reserve
in the region Of Fere- Tardenois, ex-
pecting four weeks rest as prom sed
by the Kaiser. Losses up to now in
the 2Sth had been one-fourth Of the
divisions electives. Some companies
were reduced to sixty men. One com
pany of machine guns was forced to
call eight men from wagon train to
keep it's weapons working.
But on June 7 something happened
which scattered all rest plans of this
elite 28th Division to the four winds.
French and American forces had
been opposing the 10Th and 237th di-
visions northwest of Chateau Thlerry
and the Franco-Americans had shown
the audacity to start a counter often
sivc against these German line divi-
sions. Word reached the German High
Command that these devisions We're
being badly knocked about and that in
heavy fighting they had lost from rs
to SO per cent of their electives. In
addition, French and American artil-
lerv had had the impudencc to sur
round these divisions with such an ar
tillery fre--tir d'encagement-that it
was proving difficult for them to bring
up food and supplies. The two divi
sions were not used to such treatment.
From the "easy" Russian front they
had been brought to comparatively
quiet sector in the Argonne before
being called upon to come over West
TO simply hold ground already gained.
Americans "Insult" Foe
What apparently seemed even more
Insulting to the German high command
was that American troops had entered
the battle and were doing their ut
most to help take away some OF the
fruits of German success.
1t was imperative that the Ameri-
cans should be punished and what two