Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-22
|ST. MIHIEL BATTLE GLORIOUS
EVENT FOR AMERICAN PEOPLE
United States Army Broke Many Records and Made Bow
Full Grown Ally World War-Moral Value of Triumph
Incaculable- Began on Gen Pershine Birth
day-Pace of Offensive In Foch's Plan of Strategy.

| ton to strike at allied communities
tions from st. Mihiel. To take .
parallel. before Haig began his great
to seize the Messines Ridge, which
gave the enemy observation and
convenient base for attack on his own
troops preparing an advance. Thus
in sense, st. Mihiel was the founda-
ton OF two later operations. one east
ward from Verdun to Briey. another
eastward from Nancy into Alsace-
Lorraine. Moreover, the two might
ultimately be combined into an envel-
oping movement around Metz, exactly
like that which the Germans had at
tempted with respect of Verdun In
1914 and again in 1916. But again.
1t Is necessary to recall that the main
purpose had the present. not the fu-
ficulties Of Ludendorn in facing the
existing problem in the west.
Main Attack on South Side.
The main attack of Pershing had
naturally to be from the south side Of
the st. Mihiel salient. because here
the ground was more favorable and
the offensive could be made on wider
front, while owing to the tangled ma
ture of the hills on the north side An
advance on this side could only be
made after the enemy had become
weakened by the attack on the ex-
posed Pc ed side; The proSlem was s simple pie
vance a matter Of eight or ten miles
due north from the st. Mihiel-Pont-a-
Mousson line; such an advance would
cut all the lines of communication
from Metz to st. Mihiel in the Woevre
plain; meantime. slighter advance
along the heights would cut the roads
| leading over the hills to the German
rear.
If the two forces advancing behind
the nose of the salient could meet. and
before the Germans could get out Of
! the pocket, then the Germans in the
salient would be trapped and have to
surrender; in any event large num-
Der Of prisoners would be taken and 4
big haul OF guns. But 1t was essential
that the Americans should complete
the ring behind the Germans. and do
1t promptly. because IL the first as
sault were stopped the Germans would
| have time to retire out OF the trap.
even IL they were unable permanently
| to hold the line. This was what hap
pened in the case of the Marine salient:
MangiL did get forward far enough to
compel the Germans to retire out of
the salient, but he could not advance
| far enough or fast enough to block
I.the Germans in the Marine salient got
away.
Americans Broke Record. =
AS it turned out. the Germans were
prepared to quit the salient whenever
! a serious attack should be made; they
| had withdrawn some Of their heavy
guns and they were expecting an at
tack. but they were not prepared for
so heavy an attack or SO swift push
forward. for when our American
troops got started they broke all rec
| lance they covered without any real
pause. Thus all the German plans for
| an orderly retirement under pressure
| were upset; many thousands OF pris-
| oners and many guns were captured.
But, on the other hand. certain num-
Der of Germans escaped. because plans
had been made for a prompt retreat.
After midnight on Thursday. Sep
TENDER IL. our artillery preparation
| began. and at o'clock our troops
ray to Fey -Heye. south Of the "a
lient, and on shorter front on tho
north side. Rather less than TWEEN
ty-four hours later the attacking
the salient was thus abolished all the
| German troops west OF this moose
were either prisoners or destined to
become prisoners. The American line
ward Metz. well beyond Thiaucourt:
| all of the German positions on the
heights Of the Mouse had been taken;
| the line now ran straight from the
heights of the Mouse. near vigneulles.
| to the Moselle well below Pont.a-
/ Mousson.
Americans Were overeager.
Up to this point no local operation
| in the whole war had been O more
| complete success. American troops
had shown q certain overeAgernees,
which carried them beyond their OBJ
/ closed q lack OF determination. which
made the American overxeal advan-
tageous rather than costly. Seven
German and Austrian divisions, up
nearly $4,000. more than a quarter,
had been captured. and the total Ger
| man loss must have exceeded 10000
men. thus putting all seven divisions
long period Of time. since their agsre-
| gate loss had been above 80 per cent.
| In its larger phase the st. Mihfel
| battle was over on the second day,
although the Americans were still
pushing out toward that line which
the Germans had constructed across
| the base of the st. Mihiel salient
against just such an emergency rs
| had now arrived. Meantime French
and American troops inside the new
up" the Germans in the old salient.
| whose road Of retreat had disappear
| ed. So rapid had been the retire
| ment of Fritz that practically all Of
the thirty villages in the salient were
intact. Secretary Baker and Gen.
Pershing. with Gen. Petain. were able
to enter st. Mihiel on the Friday,
Pershing's birthday. there to be well
coined by Inhabitants who had been
| prisoners for four years.
/, We shall do well to recognise the
whole truth: we did not encounter
i picked German troops: we did not
confront such obstacles as Mangfn's
army was fighting before st. Gobain.
The enemy had prepared to leave the
st. Mihiel district when he was at
tackled. and we are not to conclude
that our troops are henceforth to
prove irresistible wherever they
strike or that they displayed . final
mastery of modern warfare. To reach
such conclusions is to open the way
for future disappointments and disil-
lusionment. But we did more than
| would have expected of an American
Army at this time last yea<. more
than they expected when The o&en-
sive was planned. for we dld IN ehat
could be expected at one bound As
they say in the newspapef old.
there was no second day stoey,e fAa
thing was complete In the INST eDA
ter. perhaps the best short e1 &c
the whole four years OF wr.
! And we have q right to 10 p1oUd,
not for ourselves. but for our men.
oficers and soldiers. eeichepfsy,
Cantigny even tho second Marine,
were brave and splendid achieve.
ments, but our part in them was either
small or the AFFAIR itself inconsidef-'