Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-11-18
AMERICAN PART
IN final BATTLE
OF WAR IS TOLD
Continued From Page One.)


plies along the Montmedy-S Sedan
line.
Metz also was the pivot on which
the enemy swung through Belgium
into France, and therefore obviously
it was the pivot on which his re-
tirement must hinge. The Argonne.
the next step below here, threatened
the great railway arteries running
westward from Metz.
With the conclusion of the ST.
Mihiel action, the steady inflow of
American forces caused a displace-
ment of power as between the allied
and German armies. Thus it no
longer was necessary to pursue a
policy of reducing a salient or nib
bling at it. The Americon troops
had shown what they could do. \,
Americans Assigned Hardest Task.
A broader policy of general at
tack along the entire line was then
adopted and the high command
called on General Pershing to take
the Argonne sector, admittedly one
of the most difficult of the whole
front. The borken terrain, the topog-
raphy and the lack of roads made
a problem difficult to describe. Ger
many had in four years fortified it
to the last degree of military skill,
with superb roads, both rail and
motor, connecting up to the rear
positions and bases.
The outstanding feature of the
Argonne forest is long chain of
hills running north and south, COW
cred with dense growth of trees,
and underground, making an ad-
vance difficult and offering superb
defensive qualities. Virtually no
roads exist in the forest except for
a few transversal passes running
east and west. The soil is such
that the least rain converts it into
slippery, miry mess. In other
words the physical condition is such
that the line of attack for an ad-
vancing army is limited to valleys,
chief among which is that Of the
Aire river.
From the edge of the forest,
where the resistance was viciously
strong, the enemy possessed in
Vulnerable fanking positions. But
beyond this difficult region lay the
Montmedy-Sedan line. which was
recently captured. A German order
described it as "our life artery" 1t
represented one-half of the German
rail supply on the west front. 1t
meant death if cut.
Ordered To Cut Line.
The high command told Pershing
to cut it. The American First army
was put in motion from St. Mihiel.
In nine days it was on the Argonne
line, ready for an attempt, the fall
ure OF which might mean disaster
and the success of which would give
untold results. This quick move
ment of an enormous body of men,
the establishment of new line of
supply and all the complicated mill
tary preparations, was regarded with
pride by the American commanders.
The Americans knew what con-
ironted them. They realized that
this was no second St. Mihiel, but
an enterprise at which other armies
had baked for four years. They
knew that here was to be fought a
fight to rank with the first battle
of the Marine. with Verdun, with the
Somme and the Chemin-Des-
Danes; and they knew that on them
depended the fate of the great at
tack on the rest of the front. If
forced back here the emmy must
give way to the west. If he held
he could hold elsewhere.
Bitter Fighting in Woods.
1t was at daybreak, September 70,
when the Americans went in. Using
nine divisions for the preliminary
attack, and under vigorous artillery
support, they advanced five kilo-
meters the first 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 reserve. They were,
his best troops. but they failed not
only to push the Americans back,
but they failed to check the gradual
advance of the Americans over the
difficult terrain.
The first phase of the action ended
October 81, during which the Amer
lean gains were not large. but they
compelled the enemy to use large
number of divisions, which became
slowly exhausted and thus were un-
ahle To marry the ham m q rim O he ,uas