The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1918-07-25
ALLIES TAKE OFFENSIVE.
go. 900 AMERICAN TROOPS EN-
GAGGED IN BIG BATTLE.
Germans Forced Back Across Marne.
Americans Take 1900 Prison
ers and Advance to 10 Miles.

Washington, July 20.-The high
water mark of the German offensive
movement in France has been reach
ed and the initiative now is passing
to the Allied and American armies
This is the lesson drawn from General
Foch's sudden counterattack on the
Aisne-Marne front by American mill
tary leaders, General March, chief OF
staff, today told members of the SEN
ate military committee. Later he
announced that American troop ship
ments had now exceeded 100000
men, insuring the man power to hold
the initiative on the Western front.
The direct objective of General
Foch's counterstroke, General March
told newspaper men in his weekly
conference is the railway that feeds
the German forces in the Chateau
Thierry region. Already it has been
attained, for the French and Amerl-
can forces are either astride the line
at certain points or have it under
direct gunfire at short range, render
ing it untenable.
Even as General March spoke, un-
official reports flashed over the ca
bles indicating that the German with
drawal from the sector south of
Marne had begun under the threat
of the crush of General Mangin's at
tacking army in the enemy's rear. The
withdrawal was foreseen by General
March when French and American
shells began raining on the railway.
Americans in Fight.
The American chief of staff told
with evident satisfaction of the fact
that six American divisions are bat
fling with the French and for the
first time revealed their identity. They
either are on the advancing lines be-
tween scissors and Chateau-Thierry
or on those that are pressing the
enemy along the Marne front, where
there is reason to believe the Ger
mans may suffer serious losses in
men and material before they reach
safety. Still another division of
Americans is with General Gouraud,
the French leader, who commands
east of Rheims where the enemy as
sault hit against stone wall defense.
Two regiments of American negro
troops are known to be engaged.
one is east of Rheims, where the
Americans held the right flank of the
whole front of attack when the Ger
man assault began, just as the Ameri-
cans at Chateau-Thierry held them
on the left flank. The other is with
the attacking forces on the scissors
Chateau-Thierry line.
General March made little effort to
conceal his elation over the turn OF
the lighting. His explanation of the
disposition of American forces in
dicates that at least 10000 Ameri-
can fighting troops are in the battle
and probably the total force is nearer
100000 than 100000. Each division
has fighting strength of $4,000 men
and each of the two detached negro
regiments, a strength of $500. The
full strength of each division with
auxiliary units is $4,000 men.
General March said:' "Since last
talked with you the field of interest
has shifted from the Italian and Bal
kan fronts to our own sector in
France. Last Monday, the 18th, the
Germans began an attack which COW
cred a so mile front, one-half of
which covered the very hilly ground
between Chateau-Thierry and Rheims,
the other half the plain of the Cham
pagne between Rheims and the for
est of Argonne.
The Hero is Gouraud.
tIn the Champagne district the
position which was held largely by
French troops with the assistance of
one American division and a regi-
ment of United States colored troops
was penetrated to a short distance
at a few points. The Champagne
district is under the command OF
General Gouraud of the French army.
Gouraud is one of the most striking
personalities in France among the
army commanders. He is man
about so years of age, as he seemed
to me erect ond soldierly. He has
been in action all over the world and
has on his sleeve the five Blesse
stripes wound-chevrons, which means
that he has been wounded five times
several of the wounds were of such
character that he was absolutely
shot up; he has lost an arm, and 9
man of less determination and force