Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-11-18
Big Part Played
Continued from age One)

From the edge Of the forest, where
! the resistance was ViciOusly strong,
the enemy opposed nnumcrahle
thanking operations. But beyond this
| difficult region lay the Montmedy-
Sedan line, which was recently cap
| tured. A German order described ii
as 4 life artery. 1t represented one
| half the German rail SUPPLIES On the
( western front. 1t meant death if
cut. Tie high command told Per-
shing tC cut it. The American first
army was put in motion from ST
Mihiel In nine days it was on the
Arsonne line ready for an attempt.
.. he failure Of which would give I'M
| told results. This quick movement
of an enormous body of men estab-
fishes q rev lire OF supply and all
| the complicated military prepare
| tons was regarded with pride 10y the
! American commander.
They knew what confronted them.
They realized that this was on sec
ond St. MihieI bat an enterprise at
, which other armies had baked for
foru years. They knew that here was
10 be fought a fight to rank with
the first battle of the Marnc. 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
| frnot. If forced back here the en-
envy must give way to the west. If
he he'll here lie could elsewhere II
was at daybreak of Sept &c when the
Americans went in. Using nine di-
visions for the preliminary attack
and under vigorous artillery support
! they advanced, five kilometres the
frs. DAY But the enemy was not
taken wholly by surprise.
the second day he threw into the
/ line five counter attack divisions he
had held in close reserve. They wer2
his best troops, but they failed MT
only to push the Americans back bat
they failed to check the gradual ad-
vance Of the Americans over the def
ficult terrain.
In the first phase Of the action end
ed October 81, during which the Am
erican gains were not large, but they
compelled the enemy TO touch a large
number of divisions which became
slowly exhausted and thus were uu-
able to parry the hammering he was
receiving from the French and Brit
ish on the west 1t was bitter fight.
ing in the woods, brush and ravinr"
over a region registered and plotted
by the enemy whore his guns, big aGd
little, could be'used with the great
est efficiency. The original nine Am
crican reserves then were thrown in
until every division not engaged IN
another part of the line had been pa
in action.
1t is a fact commented on with
pride by the American comma ndels
and Complimented by the Allies that
seven Of these divisions that drove
their way through this hard action
never before had been in an active
sector, while green troops, frosh from
home. were poured in as replace
ments.
The Associated Press dispatches
from DAY to day told what these men
did; how the enemy was slowly
pushed back from his strongest and
vital positions through one defense
system after another, using his fin
est selected troops. which had been
withdrawn in many instances from
other portions Of the line in an ef
fort to holo an enemy which he said
last spring could not be brought to
Europe, and if so would not fight
and even if ne tried to fight would
not know how to do so.
The attack delivered the morn
ing of Nov. ], which began the sec
ond Argonne battle, was the next
blow to the German army. Between
Sept 90 and Oct. 81, enemy divisions
TO the number Of Sc were identified
as being opposed to the Americans
in this sector. Between Nov. / and
Nov. 6. the enemy threw in IA fresh
divisions, but all in vain. Fighting
cherry foot of the way the Americans
averaged fixe kilometres daily over
teh terrain constantly growing more
difficult, with the lines Of communi-
cation and supply growing more diff
cult and alternating while roadmak.