New Britain herald., 1918-12-05

at. the time when John J. Pershing certain points on it's front while, on either flank, the Germans who had gained footing pressed forward. Our men, firing in three directions, met the German attacks with counter attacks at critical points and succeed ed 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 victory of the en- emy's Marne salient brought oVer- whelming victory to the Allies and the United States in the eventful months that followed. The intimation is strong that General Pershing's ad- vice helped Marshal Foch to reach his decision to strike. General Per shng continues:
 ''The great force of the German Chateau Thierry offensive established the deep Marne salient, but the ene- my was taking chances, and the vul- nerability of this pocket to attack might be turned to his disadvantage. Seizing this opportunity to support my conviction, every division with any sort of training was made avail able for use in a cou1ter-Offensive. The place of honor in the thrust to- ward Soissons in July IS was given to our First and Second divisions in company with chosen French divi- sions
 ''Without the usual brief warning of preliminary bombardm ent the massed French and American artil- Iery, firing by the map, laid down it's rolling barrage at dawn while the il- fantry began it's charge. The tactical handling of our troops under theses trying conditions was excellent throughout the action. The enemy brought up large numbers of reserves and made a stubborn defense both with machine guns and artillery, but through five days fighting the First division continued to advance until it had gained the heights above Soissols and captured the village of Berxy-le- sec. The Second division took Beau Repaire farm and Vierzy in a very rapid advance and reached a position in front of Tigny at the end of it's second day. These two divisions captured 1000 prisoners and over 100 pieces of artillery
 The report describes in some detail the work of completing the reduction of the salient, mentioning the opera tions of the 26th, Sd, 4th, 42d, sgd and 2Sth divisions. With the situation on the Marne 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 generous contributions of artil- lery and air units by the French be- gan, involving the movement mostly at night, of 600,000 men. A sector reaching from Port sur Seille, east of the MoSelle, westward through St Mihiel to Verdun and later enlarged to carry it to the edge of the forest of Argonne, was taken over, the Sec ond Colonial French, holding the tip of the salient opposite St. Mihiel and the French Seventeenth corps on the heights above Verdun being trans ferred to Gen. Pershing's command.
 The combined French, British and American air forces mobilized for tho battle, the report says. was the larg. est aviation assembly ever engaged on the western front up to that time in d SlnSlc OpSfdIlOll.
 Of the reduction of the St Mihiel salient, Gen. Pershing says:
 The Battle of St. MihicI.
 After four hours artillery prcf5ar atiOn the seven American divisions in the front line advanced at , a. m on September 12, assisted by a. limited number of tanks manned partly by Americans and partly by the French. These divisions, accompanied by groups of Wire-cutters and others armed with bangalorc torpedoes went through tho successive bands of Darbed wire that protected the enc my's front line and support trenches in irresistible waves on schedule time, breaking down all defense of an enc my demoralized by the great volume of our artillery fire and our sudden approach out of the fog.
 ''Our First Corps advanced to Thfaucourt, while our Fourth Corps curved back to the southwest through Nonsard. The Second Colonial French Corps made the slight advances re qulfed of it on very difficult ground and the Fifth Corps took it's three ridges and repulsed a count ter-attack "A rapid march brought reserve regi- ments Of a division of the Fifth Corps lnto Flgneulles in the early morning where It linked up with patrols of our