The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-11-23
THE DECISIVE BLOW
MUCH OF CREDIT FOR WINNING
DECISIVE BATTLE DUE AMER
ICAN FORCES.
Men Under General Pershing Show
MettIe When Called Upon by High
Command to Take Argonne Sector.
Probably Most Difficult Task Ahead
Of Allies.


Of Allies.
Paris, Nov - (By the Associated
Press )-Out of the confusion and
daze Of the crowding military events
on the Western battle line since late
in September, when battle followed
battle until from Flanders to Verdun
there was careless action, it is now
perrn.ss ible to outline to certain eX-
tent the part played by the American
armies in the final decisive battle OF
the war. which ended with the armls-
tic Of last Monday.
Military reasons heretofore have
prevented accentuating the accom-
plishnlents of the Americans, except
in a. most general manner. The dis
patches from the field have been
necessarily. fra gmentary. and possibly
we're overshad owed by the accounts o
the more dramatic operations over
the historic battle fronts to tie w>st.
But it now ma" be stated TIA: u
American divisions totalling more
than $50, 900 American combat troops
participated in the action beginning
September 26, known variously as the
battle of the Argonne and the battle
of the Meuse, but which history may
call Sedan-the battle that brought
Germany TO her knees and as far as
human foresight goes ended the
worlds bloodiest and costliest war.
In order to understand the military
situation which made the Argorne op-
erations the cruX OF the war, it is
necessary to go back to the reduction
of the St Mihiel salient in the middle
of September. This brilliant Ameri-
can accomplishment is still fresh in
history 1t cut off at one stroke
menacing enemy projection toward
Verdun and weakened the enemy'S
defensive by threatening Metz, one OF
Germany's two greatest railway CEN
ters for distributing troops and sup
plies along the Montmedy-Sedan line
Metz also was the pivot on which
the enemy swung through Belgium in
to France and therefore obviously it
was the pivot on which his retirement
must hinge. The Argonne, the next
step below here, threatened the great
railway arteries running westward
from Metz.
With the conclusion of the St.
Mihiel action, the steady inflow Of
American forces caused displace-
menr of power as between the allied
and German armies. Thus it no long
er was necessary to pursue policy OF
reducing a salient or nibbing at it.
The American troops had shown what
they could do.
a broader policy of general attack
along the entire line was then adopted
and the high command called upon
General .Pershing to take the Arsonne
sector, admittedly one Of the most, III
| not entirely the most difficult OF the
hole front. The broken terrain, the
topography and the lack of roads
made a problem difficult to describe.
Germany had in four years fortified II
to the last degree of military ski
with superb roads. both rail and mo-
tor, connecting up to the rear positions
and bases.
The outstanding feature Of the
Argonne Forest is a long chain OF hills
running north and south, covered with
dense growth of trees and under
growth, making an advance difficult
and offering superb defensive quail
ties Virtually no roads exist in the
forest, except for few transversal
passes running east and west. The
soil is such that the least rain con-
verts it into a slippery, miry mess
In other words, the physical condition
is such that the line Of attack Tor an
advancing army is limited to valleys
chief among which is that Of the Aire
River.
From the edge Of the forest, where
the resistance was viciously strong.
the enemy possessed innumerable
flanking positions. But beyond this
difficult region lay the Montmedy-
Sedan line, which was recently cap
tured a German order described it
as "our life artery" 1t represented
one-half of the German rail supply on
the Western front. 1t meant death ii
cut.
The high command told Pershing to
cut it. The American First Army was
put. III motion from st. Mihiel. In nine
/ days it was on the Argonne line ready
for an attempt, the failure Of which
! might mean disaster and the success
of which would give untold results.
This quick movement Of an enormous
body Of men, the establishment OF a
new line Of supply and all the com
plicated military preparations was re-
garded with pride by the American
com mnanderS.
The Americans knew what con-
fronted them. They realized that this
was no second st. Mihiel but an enter
prise at which other armies had
baked for four years. They knew
that here was to be fought fight to
rank with the first battle Of the
Marne, with Verdun, with the Somme
and the Chemin des Danes; and they
knew that on them depended the fate
of the great attack on the rest Of the
front. If forced back here the enemy
must give way to the west. If he held.
he could hold elsewhere.
1t was at daybreak Of September