The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-03-06
PERSH|NG TELLS
OWN WAR STORY
COMMANDER IN CHIEF GIVES
ACCOUNT OF YANk'S GREAT
EST EFFORTS
OUR BOYS BREAK BACK Of HUN DEFENSE
The Meuse-Argonne Campaign Will
Go Down Into History As Brilliant
And Masterfui Achievement

The campaign of the Meuse-ArgOnne
which broke the back of the German
army, will go down in American an
mails, and in the military history of
the world as well, as a tremendous
operation, mastery conceived and ex-
ecuted with brilliancy and daring.
Here is General Pershing's own ac-
count of the campaign in detail, the
browning achievement of America in
the world war, which ended when
the Yanks, having cut the main line
of communications Of the German
army, left humiliation or surrender
the only alternatives to the armistice.
The account, part of an official report,
was printed in a recent number of
the Stars and Stripes.
On the day after we had taken the
Saint Mihiel salient, much of our
corps and army artillery which had
operated at Saint Mihiel, and our di-
visions in reserve at other points,
were already on the move toward the
area back of the line between the
Meuse river and the western edge of
the forest of Argonne. With the eX-
ception of Saint Mihiel, the old Ger
man front line from Switzerland to
the east of Rheims was still intact.
In the general attack planned all
along the line, the operation assigned
the American army as the hinge of
this Allied offensive was directed to-
ward the important railroad commune
cations of the German armies through
Mezieres and Sedan. The enemy must
hol dfast to this part of his lines or
the withdrawal Of his forces with four
years accumulation of plants and ma
terial would be dangerously imperiled.
The German army had as yet shown
no decentralization, and, while the mass
of it's troops had suffered in morale,
it's first-class divisions and notably
its machine gun defense were exhibit
ing remarkable tactical efficiency as
well as courage. The German gen
eral staff was fully aware of the con
sequences of a success on the Meuse-
Argonne line. Certain that he would
do everything in his power to oppose
use, the action was planned with as
much secrecy as possible and was I'M
dertaken with the determination to
use all our divisions in forcing a de-
cision. We expected to draw the best
German divisions to our front and
consume them while the enemy was
held under grave apprehension lest
our attack should break his line,
which it was our firm purpose to do.
Our right flank was protected by
the Meuse, while our left embraced
the Argonne forest, whose r%avines,
hills and elaborate d~efenses screened
by dense thickets, had been generally
considered impregnable. Our order
of battle from right to left was the
Third Corps from the Mouse to Ma
lancourt, with the 33rd, 8Oth n
Fourth Divisions in line, and the Third
Division as corps reserve; the Fifth
with the 10th, 37th and 91st Divisions
in line, and the 32nd Division in corps
reserve and the First Corps from Vau-
Quois to Vienne de Chateau, with the
35th. 2Sth and 77th Divisions in line
and the 92nd in corps reserve. The
army reserve consisted of the First,
29th and SIND Divisions.
On the night of Sept. rs our troops
quietly took the place of the French,
who thinly held the line in this Sec
49, -,L.nL Lal 1~~- h@1n ;~n ntixa IN
the attack, which began on the 26th,
we drove through the barbed wire en-
tanglements and the sea of shell era
ters across No Mans Land, mastering
all the first line of defenses. Con-
tinuing on the 9th and 2Sth, against
machine guns and artillery of an in
creasing number of enemy reserve di-
visions, we penetrated to a depth of
from three to seven miles and took
the village of Montfaucon and it's COM
handing hill, and Exermont, Gercourt.
Cuisy, Septsarges, M%alancourt, Ivory,
Epionville. C%harpentry, Very and 9TH
er villages.
East of the Mouse, M of our divi-
SONS which was with the Second Co
lonial French corps, captured Marche-
vile and Rieville, giving further pro-
lection to the flank Of our main body.
We had taken 10000 prisoners, we
had gained our point of forcing the
battle into the open, and were pre-
pared for the enemy's reaction which
was bound to come as he had good
roads and ample railroad facilities for
bringing up his artillery and reserves.
Inn the chill rain of dark nights our
engineers had to build new roads
across spongy, shelltorn areas, repair