The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-05-01

swept all before them, taking Bellevue
Farm. Reddy Farm. Chamery. LIE Mon
eel, Coulonges, Villome and Cohan
without great difficulty. At Cohan the
enemy hung on for several hours, but
the Americans, by another h%eadlong
Dravengny making the enemy posi-
tons at both Conan and Dravegny un.
tenable. Thus at the end of 70 hours
strenuous, uninterrupted fighting
against great natural difficulties
there was only one narrow road which
could be used for conveys in bringing
forward rations and munitions and it
had met and mastered all it's objec-
tives. On August 2 alone nearly seven
kilometers Give miles) had been nego-
tiated against resistance.
Despite the fatigue and privations
Of the leading units, the pursuit of
the Germans was taken up at day
break August 3. The line which
passed through Les Bouleaux was
easily reached, but there the enemy
turned and faced the Americans with
his numerous machine gun sections
and powerful artillery which showered
the villages of the valley, the cross
roads and the ravines with a hail Of
projectiles.
1t then became necessary to proceed
with a methodical rolling back of the
enemy, and around his
strong points which permitted the
Americans to reach the slopes of Mont
Saint Martin and Saint GILES. With
this advance the division added an
other seven kilometers to its gains
against resistance.
Capture of Fismes
With the capture of these two
heights, a last and supreme effort was
made by the Americans to capture
Fismes and reach their objective, the
Vesle river. On August 4 the infan-
try combats opened with unheard of
bitterness. The outskirts of Fismes
were strongly held by the Germans,
whose advance guards put up a most
stubborn resistance. by the use of
81 nm. guns and light mortars the
artillery succeeded in reducing the OPP
position, while the infantry advanced
slowly and tenaciously during the day.
By night they had advanced to within
one kilometer of Fismes, having be-
come masters of ~Villesavoye and the
Chazelle Farm.
During the night heavy rain on
tinued to fall. greatly increasing the
difficulties of the next day, but not
w~ithstanding this, the attack was re-
After a well regulated bombardment
of the city by the artillery, the final
assault was launched. The Americans
penetrated into the city and then COM
menced the difficult task of cleaning
up the isles" of resistance which still
remained. Evening saw this task ac-
complished, and night fell on the
Americans the masters of the south
ern part of the city as far as the
Rheims road, with patrols searching
the northern part. A few patrols even
succeeded in crossing the Vesle river
for simple reconnaissance. There re-
NAMED nothing further to be done but
complete the cleaning up Of Fismes
and fortifying against a co~unter-offen-
sive movement by the enemy.
Such was the march of the 32nd
American division under the command
of Major General w. A. Ham, N. A..
which having started from Roncheres
on July 80, VIGOROUSLY covered IL Kill
ometers lover IL miles) against stub
born resistance in less than a week.
browning it's success with the capture
of Fismes.
ITO be Continued)