The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-18
ARGONNE BLOW
BY AMERICANS
DECIDED WAR
Broke German Line NOvem-
ber I, After Battle of
81 Days.
HAD HARDEST OF TASKS
Twenty-One Divisions In Ac-
tiOn, Some of Them for
Three Weeks.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
PARIS, Nov. 17.-Out of the confusion
and daze of the crowding military
events on the western battle line since
late In September, when battle followed
battle until from Flanders to beyond
Verdun there was ceaseless action. II Is
now permissible to outline to a certain
extent the part played by the American
armies in the final decisive battle of the
war, which ended with the armistice
Of last Monday
Military reasons heretofore have pre-
vented accentuating the accomplishments
of the Americans except in a most gen.
eral manner The dispatches from the
field necessarily have been fragmentary
and possibly were overshadowed by the
accounts of the more dramatic opera
tlons over the historic battle fronts to
| the west
Twenty-one Divisions In Action.
But II now may be stated that twenty
| one American divisions. totalling more
| than 100000 American combat troops.
participated in the action beginning Sep
tember 26, known variously as tho
battle OF the Argonne and the battle OF
the Mouse, but which history may call
Sedan-the battle that brought Germany
to her knees, and as far as human fore
sight goes, ended the worlds bloodiest
and costliest war
In order to understand the military
situation which made the Argonne opera
tions the crux OF the war 1t Is necessary
| to go back to the reduction OF the St
| Mihiel salient In the middle OF Septem-
Der. This brilliant American accom-
plshment is still fresh in history. 1t
cut of at one stroke a menacing enemy
projection toward Verdun and weakened
the enemy's defensive by threatening
Metz, one Of Germanys two greatest
advance railway centres for distributing
troops and supplies along the Montmedy-
Sedan line.
Affected Entire Line.
Metz also was the pivot on which the
enemy swung through Belgium into
France, and therefore obviously 1t was
the pivot on which his retirement must
hinge. The Argonne. the next step be-
low here, threatened the great railway
kSrteries running westward from Metz
With the conclusion OF the St. MihIel
action the steady. inflow Of American
forces caused a displacement OF power
as between the allied and German
armies Thus II no longer was neces-
sary to pursue a policy Of reducing a
| salient or ntbbling at It. The American
troops had shown what they could do.
A broader policy of general attack
along the entire line then was adopted.
and the High Command called upon Gen.
I Pershing to take the Argonne sector. ad-
mittedly one OF the most, II not entirely
the most, difficult OF the whole front.
The broken terrain, the topography and
the lack of roads made problem diff
cult to desc -ibe. Germany had In four
| wears fortified IT TO the last degree OF
military skill. with superb roads, both
rail and motor, connecting up to the rear
! positions and bases.
Confined to the valleys.
| The outstanding feature OF the Ar
| gonne Forest Is a long chain OF hills
running moth and south, covered with
n dense growth of trees and underground,
making an advance difficult and offering
superb defensive qualities. Virtually no
roads exist in the forest, except for a
few t-ansversal passes running east and
west.
The soil is such that the least rain
converts It into a slippery, miry mess. In
other words. the physical condition Is
such that the line of attack for an ad-
yancinE 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 en-
envy possessed innumerable fianking po-
sItions. But beyond this difficult region
Law the Montmedy Sedan line, which re-
Gently was captured. A German order
described it as our life artery" II rep
resented one-half OF the German rail
supply on the western front. 1t meant
! death II cut.
On ArEonne Line in Nine Days.
The High Command told Pershing to
cut It. The American First Army was
nut In motion from St. Mhiel. In nine
days Il was on the Argonne line ready
for an attempt, the failure OF which
| might mean disaster and the success OF
| which would give untold results. This
quick movement Of an enormous body
~ men. the establishment OF new
line of supply and all the complicated
military preparations. was regarded
with pride by the American commander
The Americans knew what confronted
them. They realized this was no second
ST. Mihiel, but an enterprise at which
other armies had balked for four years
They knew that here was TO be fought
n fight to rank with the first battle OF
the Marne, with Verdun, with the
Somme and the Chemin-des-Dam and
they knew that on them depended the
fate Of the great attack on the rest
of the front. II forced back here the
enemy must give way to the west. II
he held he could hold elsewhere.
When the Attack Began.
It was at daybreak of September 2t
when the Americans went In. Using
nine divisions for the preliminary attach
and under vigorous artillery support
they advanced five kilometers the first
day. But the enemy was not taker
wholly by surprise. The second day
he threw into the line five counter at
tack divisions he had held in close re
serve. They were his best troops. but
they failed not only to push the Ameri'
cans back but TO check the gradual
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