The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-02-25
YANKEES DIPPED
 FATE IN FOREST
Major Palmer Says Millions of Lives Were Saved By
 Fight.

New York, Feb. 25-Speed. will, endurance and Gen. PershIng's de- termination conquered all obstacles in the Argonne battle, resulted in the winning Of the war and saved per haps a million lives. Although this battle cost the American forces 15S O00 casualties it was fought almost year ahead of time and in utter de hance of fate.
 Major Frederick A. Palmer, chief censor for the expediuonary force, told members of the Advertising club at 47 East Twenty fifth street yes terday afternoon that the people at home have not yet realized the i'm pOrtanCe of the ArEonne battle. Be sides describing the events leading up to that fight the major told of the magnificent work of the expeditionary forces which never before had been under fire as a whole.
 The original plans for the Argonne battle,' said Major Palmer were that it should be fought in 1919. After St. NIihieI we were to spend the win ter in forming our new army and wait for all the supplies which were to ar rive from America, where we were just getting our stride in the nanu- facture of guns, tanks and ammuni- ton. We were in the midst of the St. Mihiel preparations when Marshal Foch and General Pershing decided to begin immediate preparations for the ArEonne offensive which was to commence on Sept. 26. All the old CT divisions were in the St. Nfihfel salient. We had to use new S'vis- Ions for the initial attack; two of them had never been under fire be- fore. We were short of guns and supplies. It seemed defying fate to make the attempt. But there was a chance that if we could drive through to the German lines of communica- ton the war might be over by au- tumn. The Germans expected an attack, but did not think that we could prepare so great en attack so promptly on the heels of St. NihieI. Originally the St. Mihiel drive was meant to go 10 Metz. But the decis- ion to strike in the Argonne limited the operation to the salient. The Germans were expecting us at Metz and we fooled them.
 The Boche put in forty divisions against us in the Argonne, and their best divisions. Speed, will, endur> ance and John Pershing's determina- ton conquered all obstacles. The battle cost US 15O,00O casualties, and perhaps saved us a, million that it would have cost us If the war had lasted till next spring. Nothing in our history approaches 1t, either as an operation as @ whole or in de- tail.
 T have seen Gen. Pershing's eyes full of tears when he spoke of the losses; but he put his own emotions under command as well as his men in his determination to drive through to victory, the sooner to end the fear fu1 sacrifice of blood and of material which the war enta11ed.
 Another thing have heard Is that we continued fighting with unneces- sary loss of life on the morning of Nov. Il. Our army had no official informa ton that 1t was to stop fight ing until word was sent from Mar shat Foch's headquarters after the ar misdce was signed. Even after the Allies had submitted their terms to the Germans the officers and men of the army doubted that there would be peace. They felt that they had been tricked too many times by German peace talk It was our business as an army to go on fighting until the flag fell. A small attack had been planned for dawn on the morning of the 11th by the Second Army. l. was carried out. If the Germans were sHn hesitatng about the armis- tee it might have been 2 convincing argument. The attack stopped in stantIy that word of the signing of the armistice was received"
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