The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-05
NO PREPARATION

paay with chosen French divisions.
 NO PREPARATION
 Without the usual brief warning oi preliminary bombardment, the massed French and American artillery, firing by the map, laid down it's rolling barrage at dawn while the infantry began it's charge. The tactical handling of our troops under these trying conditions was excellent throughout the action. The enemy brought up large numbers of re- serves 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 Soissons and captured the village of Berzy-le-Sec. The Second division took Beau Repaire farm and VierZy in a very rapid ad- vance and reached a position in front of Tigny at the end of it's second day. These two divisions captured 7oO0 prison CTS and over 100 pieces of artillery
 The report describes in some detail the work of completing the reduction of the salient, mentioning the operations of the Twentysixth, Third, Fourth Forty-sec ond, Thirty second and Twenty eighth divisions. With the situation on the Marne front thus relieved, General Per shing writes he could turn to the or ganization of the First American army and the reduction of the St. Mihiel sa lient, long planned as the initial purely American enterprise. A troop concen- tration, aided by generous contributions of artillery and air units by the French began, involving the movement, mostly at night, of 600.000 men. A sector reaching from Port-scr- -Seille, east of the Moselle, westward through St. Mihiel to Verdun and later enlarged to carry it to the edge of the forrest of Argonne. was taken over, the Second Colonial French holding the tip of the salient opposite St. Mihiei and the French Seventeeth corps on the heights above Verdun be- ing transferred to General Pershing' 8 command
 The combined French. British and American air forces mobllized for the battle, the report says, was the largest aviation assembly ever engaged on the western front up to that time in a sim gle operation.
 CLEANING UP ST. MIHIEL Of the reduction of the St. Mihel sa- lient, General Pershing says
 After four hours artillery prepara- tion the seven American divisions in the front line advanced at a. m., on Sep tember 12, assisted by limited number of tanks manned partly by Americans and partly by the French. These divis
  ters and others armed with bargalore torpedoes, went through the successive | bands of barbed wire that protected | the enemys front line and support l trenches, in irresistible waves on sched- ule time, breaking down all defense oi
 an enemy demoralized by the great vol
 ume of our artillery fire and our sudden approach out of the fog.
 I Our First corps advanced to Thiau- | ,,,-t t1n @,,r rpC pyJr var back to the southwest through Nonsard. | The Second colonial French corps made l the slight advance required of it on very | difficult ground, and the Fifth corps took l it's three ridges and repulsed counter ] attack A rapid march brought reserve | regiments of division of the Fifth corps | into vigneulles in the early morning
 where it linked up with patrols of our Fourth corps, closing the salient and forming a new line west of Thiaucourt to vigneulles. and beyond Fresnes-en- Woevre.
 At the cost of only 1000 casualties, mostly light, we had taken 16,000 prison CTS and AS guns, great quantity of material, released the inhabitants of many villages from enemy domination, and es-
 tablished our lines in a position to threat en Metz
 This signal success of the American First army in it's first offensive was Of prime importance. The allies found they had a formidable army to- aid them. and
 the enemy learned finally that he had one to reckon with.''
 CLEARED THE WAY The report shows for the first time of | fcially that with this brilliantly executed I coup General Pershing's men had cleared l the way for the great effort of the allie, and American forces to win a conclusive ] victory. The American army moved once toward it's crowning achievement, the battle of the Mouse.
 The general tells dramatic story ot this mighty battle in three distinct phases, beginning on the night of Sep tember T, when Americans quickly took the places of the French on the thinly held line of this long quiet sector. The attack opened on September 26 and tha Americans drove through entanglements, across No Mans Land to take all the enemys first line positions. Closing the chapter General Pershing says: ..On November division of the First corps reached point on the Mouse op posite Sedan, 25 miles from our line ot departure The strategical goal which was our highest hope was gained. We -