Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1919-01-30
YANKEE drive
Death BLOW TO
GERMAN ARMY
Victory of Argonne Smashed
Whole Line in West.
use 75O,OoOC0MBAT TROOPS

eHS MOSI 1tiliCuII anu WOSI SIiSii-
tificaIIy Defended on Whole Front
Germans Finally Forced to Admit
Defeat When American Army
Breaks Through.
Out of the confusion and daze Of the
crowding military events on the west
ern battle line since late in Septem-
Der, when battle followed battle until,
from Flanders to Verdun, there was
ceaseless action, 1t is nov 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 signing of the armis-
tice.
Military reasons heretofore have pre-
vented a%ccentuating the accomplish
ments Of the Americans, except in a
most general manner. The dispatches
from the field have been necessarily
fragmentary and possibly were over
Swallowed by the accounts of the more
dramatic operations over the historic
battlefronts to the west.
But it now may be stated that TWEEN
ty-one American divisions, totalirg
more than 100000 American combat
troops, participated in the action be-
ginning September 20, known various
ly as the battle of the Argonne anG
the battle of the Mouse, but which his
tory may call Sedan-the battle that
brought Germany to her knees and, as
far as human foresight goes, ended the
worlds %bloodiest and costliest war.
In order to understand the military
situation which made the Argonne op-
eratiOns the crux Of the war it is nee
essary to go back to the reduction Of
the st. Mihiel salient in the middle
Of September.
Bring Threat to Metz.
This brilliant American ACCOMPLISH
ment is still fresh in history. 1t cut
off at n stroke a menacing enemy
projection toward Verdun and weak
ened the eEemy's defensive by threat
ening Metz, n of Germany's two
greatest advance railway centers for
distributing troops and supplies along
the Montmedy-Sedan line.
Metz also was the pivot on which
the enemy swung through Belgium in
to France, and therefore, obviously,
1t was the pivot on which his retire
ment must hinge. The Argonne, the
next step below here. threatened the
great railway arteries running west
ward 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 it NJ longer was neces-
sary to pursue a policy Of reducing
a salient or nibbling at it. The Amer
lean troops had shown what they could
do.
A broader policy of general attack
along the entire line was then adopted,
and the high command called upon
General Pershing to take the Argonne
sector, admittedly one of the most, if
not the most, difficult of the whole
front. The broken terrain, the topog-
AbphS olIu III y VI lOduS 1IltNC
the problem difficult to describe.
Germany had in four years fortified
1t to the last degree Of military skill,
with superb roads, both rail and motor,
connecting up to the rear positions
and the bases.
Physical Conditions Terrible.
The outstanding features of the Ar
come forest is q long chain Of hills
running north and south, covered with
a dense growth of trees and under
growth, making an advance difficult
and offering superb defensive quail.
ties. Virtually no roads exist in the
forest except for a few traversed
passes running east and west. The
soil is such that the least rain con.
verts it into a slippery, miry mess.
In other words, the physical condi.
ton is such that the line Of attack
for an advancing army is limited tc
valleys, chief among which is that OF
the Aire river.
From the edge Of the forest, where
the resistance was %viciously strong, the
enemy possessed innumerable thanking
positions. But beyond this difficult re
e gion lay the Montmedy-Sedan line
l. which las recently captured. A Ger
man order described 1t as "our life
artery" 1t represented one-half OF
the German rail supply on the western
front. 1t meant death If cut.
The allied high command told Per
shing to cut it. The American FRS
army was put in motion from st. Mi
hiel. In nine days it was On the Ar
gonne line ready for an attempt, tn,
failure Of which might mean disaster
6 and the success of which would Civ,
untold results. This quick movemen
of an enormous body of men, the estab
lishment of a new line of supply an,
all the complicated military prepare
tons, was regarded with pride by tn,
American commanders.
4 Va