The sun., 1919-10-26
.BRIT0NS PRAISE
HIGHLY j. s. AID
IN HUGE DRIVE
Pershing Picks for His Own
Men One of the Hardest
Tasks at Front.
SUCCESS Is SEEN BY FOCH
Meuse-Argonne Attack Made
After Surmounting Many
Difficulties.
SUCCESS Is SEEN BY FOCH
by HERBERT BAILEY.

by HERBERT BAILEY.
London Times-PlbHc Ledger Corre-
spondent.
III.
Nothing the Americans accomplished
in France could better their work on
July IS in the Scissors sector. The Sec
ond Division was reduced to half. its
strength, but 1t was not in losses that the
work of the two American divisions was
to be estimated, 1t was the overwhelm-
ing surprise that their dash had brought
down upon the Germans. The enemy
never recovered; and although plans in
other sectors did not materialize, yet the
Americans feat had wrought lasting ef-
fects.
On the Marine front the Twenty-sixth
Division, holding the Belleau Wood-vaux
front, was to act as the pivoting. division
| for the whole counter attack OF the day.
Although the movement was very diff
cult owing to the fact that the different
regiments had to attack in slightly diff
| ferent directions. Belleau, Torcy and
Givry were in the hands of the division
by nightfall. but the thickness Of the ter
rain, the hills on the left from which en-
| flade fire cut into the American fianks,
| had made 1t a costly operation
Meanwhile the Thirty-ninth Infantry
Regiment of the Fourth Division. at
| tached to the French to the northwest OF
Belleau Wood. took Buisson de Cresnes
and Noroy. while the combined French
and Americans OF the Fffty-eighth and
| Fifty-ninth Infantry Regiments of the
same division took Hautevesnes and
Courchamps. Chevillon and the Sept Bois
south OF Montmen1on fell to the Ameri-
| cans also. 1t was a great day in Ameri-
hl.A Ill A-l.
! might well feel proud.
Germans Fight Desperately.
The following day the attack was re-
sumed. The Germans, now thoroughly
realizing the full menace Of the strategy
| of Marshal Foch, fought desperately for
time, and there was, Of course, nothing
| like the progress of the opening day.
| Nevertheless the Plossy ravine halfway
| between the Soissons-Paris and Soissons-
Chateau Thierry roads was captured by
| the First Division troops, who also be-
yond Chaudan approached Chazelle. All
| the tRks on this front were disabled
at the close Of the day, after as valiant
and as valuable service as it is possible
to conceive
The infantry certainly were most ap-
preciative and admiring of their au-
dacity and their work. South, in the
Second Division area, the Sixth Regi-
ment OF Marines, in spite of the resist
| ance of reenforcements that the Germans
had brought up during the night, won
two kilometers in the direction Of Tigny.
| The whole division. which had only had
| timed tomatoes for water and little food
for seventy-two hours was relieved dur
ing the night.
The units OF the Fourth Division at
the southern extremity of the salient,
a - 4,
| command. captured Priez and La Gre
bouillere farm. while the Twenty-sixth
Division halted while the French seized
difficult position on their left.
The third day the heaviest of the
| American fighting fell to the First Divi-
sion. They commenced an attack at
2:2e1n the afternoon toward Berry le
Sec and Buzancy. The Germans. pI,
vided with a deep line Of machine gur,S
fought with all their customary skill
and determination. and It was only the
still great impetus which the First Divi-
sion had that carried them to within
500 meters OF Berry Ia Sec.
The artillery had followed the infan-
try into battle. The gunners made their
own barrage tables as the infantry ad-
vanced. The next morning the attack
was continued.
GEN. Buck over with First Wave.
Brigadier General Buck himself went
over with the first wave. and the Ameri-
| cans reached Buzancy and cut the
| Soissons-Chat teau Thierry highway That
night they were relieved by the Fifteenth
| Scottish Division, to whom II fell to take
| BuZancy. The First Division had taken
125 officers 1915 men. 75 guns and 800
machine guns, but they had lost in total
casualties 2s5 officers, 1865 men-a ter
| ri IN
But the Germans, alarmed Cor tho
safety OF their forces in the Marns
salient had already commenced to with
draw. On the goth the Twenty-sixth Di-
vision had made an attack on the Bots
de Bouresches, while the Fourth Dvi-
sion units had captured Sommelans, fur
ther north. The following morning the
| Americans found that the Germans WERE
with great skill and coolness. extricat-
/ ing themselves from>the difficulty that
the counter offensive had placed them in
Crossing the Marne to the right OF
Chateau Thierry the Third Division ad-
vance units ascended the heights on the
| opposite side of the river while the
Twenty Division. to the left Of
| Chateau Thierry, pursued the Germans
with patrols followed by columns Of
marching infantry, until In the evening
heavy machine gun fire from near
l%plSuS SaAASh Aci q Iisilt lOl
the night.
Capture of Chateau Thierry.
The event OF the day, though, was the
evacuation of Chateau Thierry. 1t was
the first large town TO be retaken in the
counter drive. To all the fighting men 1t
slgnified the change of fortune 1t told
OF success and pursuit.
| The next few days saw the Americans
determinedly following in pursuit OF the
enemy toward the Ourcq and the Vesle
They had to pass through dense woods,
every inch of which was known to the
Germans, and to search through ravnes
and hillsides for the machine gunners
/ who poured flre into them. The Ger
| mans had adopted a system of rearguard
| tactics, later TO be developed to an or
ganized and skilful means of defence
which gave them what they needed most
! time to evacuate their main forces.
The machine guns were concealed in
woods and trees. and the Americans
| slowly moving forward were ever on the
alert for the sound OF fire. Sometimes
/ they came upon a heavily defended farm
and artillery preparation, followed by an
organized attack, would have to be called
| for Then the Germans would gas the
woods and shell all the roads.
1t was a strange adventure, but to men
sslnS forward II had . certain attrao-