Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-07-28
Chief of Staff Says Present
Month Is Expected to Set
New High Record for Trans
porting Soldiers Abroad.
JUSTIClA T0RPEDOING
NOT TO RETARD FLOW
5000 Browning Machine Guns
Completed and Ready To Go
Forward; Fighting Front Has
Been Reduced 10 Miles.

10y GoRnIHd soURHAL sPsetAL tsAssp wiRGl
Washington, July 27.-With 10000
troops sent last week. the number of
American troops transported over
seas during July is expected to reach
record of 100000 Secretary Baker
and General March. chief of staff.
today told members of the senate mill
itary committee.
with the shipment of men last
week the total number of American
troops embarking for France was
1850, 600. Secretary Baker told the
senator's that he did not believe the .
torpedoing of the Justicia would in
terfere with the transportating of
American troops.
Secretary Baker said so far 1853 of
the Havlland-F Four airplanes have
been completed in this country and
more than 400 shipped to France. "a
Secretary Baker said that General
Pershing had criticised some of the
Haviland machines, suggesting struct-
ural changes.
Five thousand heavy Browning ma
chine guns, Secretary Baker said.
have been completed but have not yet
been sent to General ,Pershlng. QUAINT
ity production of both the heavy and
light Browning, he added. Is increas-
ing. ....
Major General John Ruckman has
been assigned to command the north
Atlantic coast artillery district. Gen
eral March announced.
The chief of staff said it would be
the policy of the department to con-
tinue organizing additional divisions
as those in this country are sent
abroad.
Four Divisions Completed.
General March also announced the
army divisions, among the first to
be sent to France, They follow:
"First division, sixteenth, eight
eenth, twenty sixth and twenty eighth
infantry; fifth, sixth and seventh field
artillery.
second division, fifth and sixth
marine regiments, ninth and twenty
third infantry; twelfth. fifteenth and
Seventeenth field artillery.
Third division, fourth. seventh,
thirtieth and thitry-eighth infantry:
tenth eighteenth twenty sixth field
artillery.
Fourth division, thirty ninth, for
tulf
nnh infantry and thirteenth, six
teenth and seventy-seventh field ar
tillery.
The most striking advance since
last Wednesday which General March
noted was by the British forces just
west of Rheims. This advance OF
mile and a half on a four mile 'front.'
he said, marked special source of
danger to the enemy. placing his
forces to the south In an awkward
position.
French Are Advancing.
As result General March said. the
French are already beginning to ad-
vance northward from the Marne
against the enemy forces in the pock-
at on that side OF the salient.
The German attacks at Epieds only
delayed the American progress and
these troops are again moving for
ward
The French advance from Dormans
northward on the Marne, the chief of
staff pointed out, Is across precipitous
and wooded terrain, making progress
necessarily slow.
The principal portions OF General
March's statement follows:
The lines around the south OF
Scissors are still in the same position
that they were last Wednesday. when
| talked to you. The distance across
from the lines at Scissors to those
near Rheims is exactly as II was when
our counter offensive began.
Going Forward Steadily.
"The general driving, back of the
German forces has been toward the
center of the salient. The falling back
has been on a line which remains
approximately perpendicular to the
railroad line through Fere- En- Tarde-
nois. There have been local attacks
by the Germans, particularly at Gri-
solles, against the French and at Epi-
edes against the United States forces.
Epiedes was taken and retaken by our
forces and the Germans four times
by successive counter-attacks. but it
finally remained in American hands
and while it delayed their advance
there, it only delayed it; we are goiie
forward steadily.
"on the Marne, east Of Dormanss
the progress of the allied forces has
been difficult because the terrain IL
Yerv difficult The hills ara rrea,irila