Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-08
GEN. JOHN J. PERSHING.

tor was afterward extended across
the Mouse to the western edge of the
Argonne forest, and included the I'd
Colonial French. which held the point
Of the salient and the 18th French
Corps, which occupied the heights
above Verdun.
THE preparation for a complicated
operation against the formidable de-
lenses in front of US included the
assembling of divisions and Of corps
craft, tanks, ambulances. the loca-
ton of hospitals and the molding
together of all of the elements of
great modern army, with its own
railroads, supplied directly by our
own service of supply. The concen-
tration for this operation. which was
to be surprise, involved the move
ment, mostly at night, of approx
mately 100000 troops and required
for its success the most careful at
tention to every detail.
1.-THE French were generous in CIV
ing us assistance in corps and army
artillery, with it's personnel, and We
were confident from the start Of our
superiority over the enemy in guns
of all calibers. Our heavy guns were
able to reach Metz and to interfere
seriously with German rail move
ments. The French Independent Air
Force was placed under my command,
which, together with the British
forces. gave us the largest assembly
of aviation that had ever been en-
gagged in one operation on the west
ern front.
From Les Eparges around the nose
of the salient It st. .Mihiel to the
Moselle river the line wars roughly
forty miles long and situated on COM
handing ground greatly strengthened
(S2d. soth. 9Th and I'd divisions) under
command of Maj. Gen. Hunter Lig-
eett. restrung its right on Pont-a-
Mousson, with its left joining our Sd
Corps (the seth. 42d and list divi-
sions), under Maj. Gen. Joseph r.
swing in toward Vigneulles on the
pivot Of the Moselle river for the ini-
tial assault. From xivray to Mouilly
the I'd Colonial French Corps was in
under command Of Maj. Cen. George
H Cameron, with our 18th Division
and a French division at the western
base of the salient, were to attack
three difficult hills-Les Eparges.
Combres and Amaramthe. Our LIST
sion. our 4th Corps the Sd Division
and our LIST Army the 35th and 91st
divisions. with the S0th and 35d avail
able. 1t should be understood that
our corps organizations are very
elastic and that we have at no time
had permanent assignments Of di-
visions to CORPS
after four hours artillery prepa-
ration the seven American divisions
in the front line advanced at 5 am
on September IL, assisted by limited
number of tanks manned partly by
Americans and partly by the French.
These divisions, accompanied by
groups Of wire cutters and others
armed with bangalore torpedoes,
went through the successive bands
Of barbed wire that protected the
enemy's front line and support
trenches, in irresistible waves on
schedule time, breaking down all de-
Tense Of an enemy demoralized by
the great volume of our artillery fire
and our sudden approach out Of the
fog.
"Our 1st Corps advanced to Thiau-
court, while our 4th Corps curved
back to the southwest through Non
sard. The Cd Colonial French Corps
made the slight advance required of
it on very difficult ground. and the
5th Corps took it's three ridges and
repulsed a counter attack A rapid
march brought reserve regiments of
division of the 5th Corps into Wig
neulles in the early morning, where
it linked up with patrols of our 4th
Corps, closing the salient and form
ing new line west of Thiaucourt
to Vigneulles and beyond Fresnes-
en-woevre. At the cost of only 1000
casualties. mostly light. we had
taken 10000 prisoners and 443 guns.