Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-10-29
What Our First Army Is Doing.

7 F the progress of the Americans seems slow as
compared with that of the Allies to the north,
Il il should be observed that our forces are at
lacking on a sector which is peculiarly important
TO the enemys entire system of defense ana Where
accordingly he is offering his maximum or resist
ance. On what may be called, for lack OF more
precise term the Champagne and Mouse front Is
staked Hindenburg's central hope or keeping MS
vital communications intact and escaping deluge
of disaster. In this region lies the keypolnt TO the
Luxembourg gateway and its appurtenant ralIroads
If those lines and positions fall to Allied con-
troll the Hun retreat will be in peril of becoming
rout a wholesale surrender The rate OF the
Fatherand," reads captured German order may
hang the fighting north of Nerdun
Here then the enemy has massed his strong
est available forces against the French Fourth and
the American First armies Writing from the nelo
of action, Edwin L. James, correspondent OF the
New York Times, says:
Since Pershing's men launched their first
attack in the mist of the morning of Septem-
Der the twenty-sxth, they have fought and
put out some twenty German divisions, among
whom are some OF the best in the German .
army, such three of the five Guard divisions
and the Twenty-Eighth, known as the Kalsers
Own. In front of now there are some
eighteen more divisions, and others are being
brought up day by day to confront US. be-
lieve that fully one-siXth of the rifle strength
of the whole German army has been thrown
against the American First Army in the last
week. We have met troops brought from
Flanders, from Cambria, st. Quentin and IN
fact from all parts of the German front. In
front of the American First Army the lines
are held in undminished NUMBERS, the Ger
man command taking chances elsewhere IN
order to try to make sure that the Americans
shall not break through.
1t appears too, that there is exceptionally
formidable concentration of artillery against our
forces, and machine guns well-nigh innumerable.
lone must bear in mind" the Times correspond
ent remarks, that the machine gun is the prime
weapon for defense. This means that a certain
number of men on defense with machine guns
we'll placed, as the Germans know how to place
them, can hold back a much larger number OF men
who are equally good fighters. When one realizes
that parts of our front these Venomous III
tie weapons placed one to yard, one realizes
what a severe task soldiers have" Frontal
attacks being, rule far too costly IN such cir
cumstances, our men often under the necessity
of hanking and surrounding enemy positions-a
slow and tedious operation.
II is not to be wondered, therefore, that the
American advance has been less rapid and pro-
of the French British and Belgians on the norther
ly sectors But our army's work has been none
the less important in its effect the situation
whole. BY relentless pressure it has compelled Hin
denburg to divert great of troops from other
parts of the front and thus has made vulnerable
strokes 1t has succeeded, moreover, in infictng
heavy damage on the enemy's ranks forcing him
to replace in less than month some twenty divi-
sions which were so severely reduced or fatigued
as to be incapable of withstanding further Ameri-
can blows. This of itself is weighty contribution
to the Allies campaign, a primo purpose of which
is to wear down and eventually destroy the Ger
man military machine. Nothing, indeed, that the
American forces in France yet have accomplished
compares in difficulty and in fundamental results
with what the First Army is now accomplishing
with iron tenacity north of Verdun.