Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-12-19

0esmaa assslt e July Is and -hssd
thelr ercsad enthusiastically" % the
right Aank -four companies oe the
Twenty-elghth division faced I'D.
vsncng waves Of German infantry
and the Third division held the Marpe
line. opposite Chateau Thiefry. against
powerful artillery and infantry attach.
Single Regiment Cheeks Ewsmy.
"A single regiment Of the Third
wrote q Of the most brilliant pages
In our military annals on this Occa.
sion." General Pershins says. ut pre-.
vented the crossing at certain points
on Its front while. on either fiank,
the Germans who had gained q foot.
ing pressed forward. Our men. firing
in three directions, met the German
attacks with counter-attacks a. criti-
cal points and succeeded in throwing
two German divisions into complete
confusion. capturing GOO prisoners"
Thus was the stage set for the
counter-offensive which. beginning
with the smashing Of the enemy's
Marne salient, brought overwhelming
victory to the allies and the United
States In the eventful months that
have followed. The intimation Is
strong that General Pershing's advice
helped Marshal Foch to reach his de-
cision to strike.
Counters Offensive Opens
General Pershing continues:
1.-THE great force OF the German
Chateau Thierry offensive established
the deep Marne salient, but the enemy
was taking chances, and the vulnera-
bility 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 available
for use In a counter-offensive. The
place Of honor In the thrust toward
scissors on July Is was given to u
First and Second divisions in com.
pany with chosen French divisions.
without the usual brief warning Of
a PaNsibiAudt OViiIpd uIlEuls LIE
massed French and American artillery,
firing by the map, laid down its rolling
barrage at dawn while the infantry be-
gan its charge. The tactical handling
of our troops under these trying cOndi.
tons was excellent throughout the ac
ton. . .'
THE enemy brought up large mum.
bers Of reserves and mdde q stubborn
defense both with machine guns and
artillery. but through five days fight.
ing the First division continued to ad.
n until it had gained the heights
above Scissors and captured the vii
lase Of B~erzy-ie-Sec.
1.-THE Second division took Bean Re-
paire farm and Vierzy in a very rapid
vance and reached Il position In
front Of Tigny at the end Of Its second
day. These two divisions captured T..
600 prisoners and wei 100 pieces Of
artillery"
First American Army Formed.
The report describes in some detail
the work of completing the reduction
Of the salient, mentioning the opera.
tions Of the Twenty-sixth, Third.
Fourth, Forty-second, Thirty-second.
and Twenty-eighth divisions. With
the situation on the Marne front thus
relieved, General Pershing writes, he
could turn to the organization Of the
First American army md che reduction
OF the st. Mihiel salient, long planned
rs the initial purely American enter
prise.
A troop concentration, aided by gen.
erous contributions of artillery and air
units by the French, began, involving
the movement, mostly at night, of
100000 men.
A sector reaching from Port sur
Sellle, east Of the Moselle, eastward
through st. Mihiel to verdun and later
enlarged to carry 1t to the edge Of the
forest Of Argonne was taken over, the
Second 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 General Pershing's command
The combined French. British, and
American air forces modified for the
battle, the report says, vas the largest
aviation assembly ever engaged on the
western front up to that time in q sin.
gle operation,
Battle Of St. Mihlei.
OF the reduction Of the st. Mihiel
salient General Pershing says:
"After four hours artillery prepa.
ration the seven American divisions
In the front line advanced Mt 3 n. m.
on September 12, assisted by n limit
ed number Of tanks manned partly by
Americans md partly by the French.
"These divisions, accompanied by
groups Of w%ire.cutters md others
armed with %bangalore torpedoes, went
through the successive bands Of
bnrbed wire that protected the enc.
my's front line and support trenches
In irresistible waves on schedule time,
breaking down all defense Of nm en-.
envy demornllzed by the great volume
| OF our artillery fire and our sudden
approach out Of the fog.
sour First corps advanced to ThIau.
court. while n Fourth corps curved
bnck to the southwest through Non.