Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-08


by the successful Franco.American local
actions of the last monh and by the
ravages of the Spanish grip.
On July Is De Goutte's front ran
from Faverolls, north Of the Ourcq. to
a point opposite Dormans.
As the world knows, the Germans
made initial gains across the Marne
under cover of a terrific bombardment,
but on the following day were checked
by counter.attacks, in which a newly
brought up American division had a
gallant share.
On the 18th De Goutte concentrated
attention on his own offensive, and the
army of De Mitry took over the charge
of the Marne region.
De Goutte then faced the problem OF
getting the most effective results from
the comparatively weak forces at his
disposal, most of whom had been en-
gagged for two or three weeks in con-
tinuous fighting. He adopted the fol.
lowing PLAN
On the front between the OurCq and
the Rue d'Lua. a rivulet, four miles
further south, he concentrated his best
divisions as a striking force, supported
bv tanks and a large part of his avail.
able artillery
The place formerly occupied by the
most northerly French troops across
the Ourcq was taken by brigade OF
the American division that had been
training with one Of it's units. of
which scarcely a single man had seen
a shot or shell fired in anger.
Americans Cleared Wood
Their mission was primarily to act
as cover for the blow on their right
,tFE lnt-
part. but in point of fact they per.
formed an extremely useful service IN
clearing Fresnes Wood, where the
French for a time We're held up by
machine guns.
Another brigade had similar duty
of cover on the right flank of the
striking force which was thus able to
operate without fear of being turned
on the wings. South or 1t was another
French division and then a Franco
American force in charge of an Amer
ican corps commander whose first
day's instructions were to act as
pendant to the striking force, in ex-
aCtly the same way as De Goutte him
self was a pendant to Mangin. and not
to attempt anything but the attain
ment of limited objectives.
Mangin had informed De Gouetts
that he intended to attack at $50
without artillery preparation. but the
latter felt that in his case he could
hardly take the risk with his more
limited forces and decided on a mid
die course That is, he ordered an hour
and a half of artillery preparation,
beginning at 3:2O, against the zone
| behind the enemy's outpost positions,
which zone was some 1900 yards deep
and directed that light forces should
go forward during the preparation and
occupy as much of this zone as possi-
| BILE. At 4:50 the main attack was to
be delivered against the principal zone
| Of resistance.
Gained Initial Advantage
The plan succeeded admirably. The
advance guard did it's work so well
that the main body was able to launch
an attack when the moment came
| from a line more than kilometer
| inside the outpost zone, which gave
it a considerable advantage.
The enemy resistance was feebly un-
exciting. The Germans had con-
structed only a fragmentary defensive
| organization and the four divisions
opposite the striking force We're
thrown back in confusion on the
Forty-fourth Division, which was in
reserve.
Remarkably enough, the French
American forces south of the striking
force were able to make progress tc
an almost equal extent. They, too,
drove four enemy divisions before
them, who were supported by the
Fifth Division of the Prussian Guard,
the enemy thus engaging ten divi-
sions on the first day
! During the first two days the ad-
vance was somewhat hampered by
| German resistance north of the Ourcq
where, as I was told. Mangin's right
| encountered strong opposition in the
region of Hautwesen wood.
De Goutte's striking force dared not
go far in its push ahead, lest it's flank
be exposed, but by the night of the
| 10th the obstacles in its way had been
removed.
On the following days the progress
Of Mangin's left forced the enemy to
withdraw from south of the Marne
and begin the evacuation of the left
hand corner of the pocket, where the
American advance was particularly
rapid, despite the obstinate p.achine.
gun resistance.
The rest Of the battle was a series
of bounds forward, followed by a
period of hard fighting as the enemy
threw in reserves including Guards
JdeSeTS ana OtneT 1lTSl-CidSS ulVlSlOIs
assigned by the Crown Prince.
Battle in Three Periods
Thus the battle fell into three pc
riods: The first on July 1920, which
the officer called the battle of Nuilly
st. Front to Chatillon; the second
after the advance-the battle of the
Epieds region, from the 21st to the
eth and the third-after another for
ward mOve-the battle of the Ourcq
from July % to August !. This, iT
turn, was followed by progress TO thu
line of the Vesle.
, How desperately the enemy strov'
, to avert retreat may he judged from
, the fact that no fewer than twenty-five
4 divisions were engaged against d.
: GOutte, of which four were who'll!
: fresh, from the, reserves of Grown
Prince Rupprecht. BY July 27 NOR
. than 5000 prisoners, 1lO guns, 6O
. mitrailleuses and so minenwerfers hat
j already passed through the Franco
. American depots, besides vast store
a of shells, and he said that nearly al
equal amount of artillery was yet t
@ be counted and further large capture
of prisoners and material.
e Three Score Captured Guns
Your correspondent lunched wit
y General Mangin and his staff at arm
' headquarters that lately shook to tn
thunder of hundreds of guns. Nor