The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-12-12

German assault of July II and held
their ground untlinchingly :" on the
right flank four companies of the
rwenty-eighth division faced lad
Sancing waves OF German infantry"
and the Third division held the Marine
fine, opposite Chateau Thierry, against
powerful artillery and infantry attack.
Single Regiment Checks Enemy.
"A single regiment of the Third
wrote n of the most brilliant pages
in our military annals on this coca
son." General Pershing says. ut pre-
vented the crossing at certain points
on its front while. on either flank,
the Germans who had gained a foot
ing pressed forward. Ours men, firing
in three directions, met the German
attacks with coun%ter-attacks at criti-
cal points and succeeded in throwing
two German divisions into complete
confusion, capturing 600 prisoners"
Thus was the stage set for the
counter-offensive which, beginning
with the smashing of the enemy's
Marine salient, brought overwhelming
victory to the allies and the United
States in the eventful months that
have followed. The intimation is
strong that General Pershing's advice
helped Marshal Foch to reach his de-
cision to strike.
Counter-Offensive Opens.
General Pershing continues:
1.-The great force of the German
Chateau Thierry offensive established
the deep Marine salient, but the enemy
was taking chances, and the vulnera-
bility of his pocket TO attack might
be turned to his disadvantage.
"Seizing this opportunity TO support
my'conyiction, every division with any
sort of training was made available
for use in a counter-offensive. The
place of honor in the thrust toward
scissors on July is was given to our
First and Second divisions in COM
pany with chosen French divisions.
Without the usual brief warning of
q preliminary bombardment, the
massed French and American artillery,
firing by the map, laid down its rolling
barrage at dawn while the infantry be-
gan its charge. The tactical handling
of our troops under these trying condi-
tons was excellent throughout the acs
ton.
The enemy brought up large num-
bers of reserves and made a stubborn
defense both with machine guns and
artillery, but through five days fight
ing the First division continued to adj
vance until it had gained the heights
above scissors and captured the VII
lage of B~erzy-le-Sec.
1.-The Second division took Beau Re
paire farm and Very in a very rapid
vance and reached a position In
front of Tigny at the end of its second
day. These two divisions captured T.
600 prisoners and over 100 pieces OF
artillery"
First American Army Formed.
The report describes in some detail
the work of completing the reduction
of the salient, mentioning the opera
lions Of the Twenty-siXth, Third
Fourth, F~orty-secOnd, Thirty-second
and Twenty-eighth divisions. Witt
the situation on the Marine front thus
relieved, General Pershing writes, he
could turn to the organization OF the
First American army and the reduction
of the st. Mihiel salient, long planned
as the initial purely American enter
prise.
A troop concentration, aided by gen
erous contributions of artillery and nil
units by the French, began, involving
the movement, mostly ate night, OF
6OO, 1000 men.
A sector reaching from Port SUI
Seille, east of the Moselle, eastward
through st. Mihiel to Verdun and late1
enlarged to carry 1t to the edge OF thu
forest of Argonne was AIKEN over, tn
Second Colonial French, holding tn
tin of the salient opposite st. Mihiel
and the French Seventeenth corps, oi
the heights above Verdun, being trans
ferred to General Pershing's command
The combined French, British, ant
American air forces modified for tn
battle, the report says, was the larges
uNIdtlOn dSStIiDiy wv thSuSt" VIZ w
western front up to that time In a sip
gle operation.
Battle of st. Mihie!.
OF the reduction CT the st. Mihie
salient General Pershing says:
after four hours artillery prepa
ration the seven American division
I'm the front line advanced at 5 n. m
on September II. assisted by a limit
ed number of tanks manned partly b.
. Americans and partly by the French.
'These divisions, accompanied b
groups Of wire-cutters and other
armed with %bangalore tOrpedoes. wen
through the successive bands q
: barbed wire that protected the enc
my's front line and support trenche
! In Irresistible waves or schedule time
breaking down all defense of an or
! envy demoralized by the great volum
of our artillery fire and our sudde
approach mi of the fog.
! "Our First corps advanced to THAI
l. EA.-xI Ar 81.