Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-02-25
HAIGS STORY OF VICTORY
Official Account Of Last Days OF
the War
SPLENDID FIGHTING OF The BRITISH

In Detailed Report Field Marshal Toll
How Fifty-nine British Division
Defeated Ninety nine German Divi
sions and Brought the War to a
End.
Prepared as one has bsen by tn
daily kilograms and reports from tn
British front Of the remarkable serie
Of victorious battles which ended Il
the complete defeat Of the Germal
forces on the western front, 1t is no
possible to read without emotion 81
Douglas Haig's consecutive narrative o
the events leading to this result.
grimness and bulldog tenacity in de
feat, q magnificent dash and gallan
endurance in victory call forth 81
Douglas Haig's frequent expression
Of gratitude and admiration for tn
troops under his command.
The dispatch deals with the opera
tions Of the British Expeditionary fore,
in France from the end Of April to tn,
11th OF November. 1918, on which da,
the troops entered Mons and the arm
istice was signed.
The fierce onslaughter Of the Ger
man armies in March and April hat
left the British forces gravely weaken
ed and on the defensive everywhere
Eight divisions had to be written of
the strength, two divisions were great.
ly reduced and five divisions had beer
sent to a quiet part on the French
front for rest and training. There
were only 45 divisions available fol
active service. and Of these three
fourths had already been heavily en-
gagged with the enemy and REINFORCED
by inexperienced recruits.
All available men were being hastily
sent out from England and reinforce
ments were arriving from other fronts
All these troops had to be ossimilated
and acclimatized and trained before
they could be considered fit for front
line trenches The American arm,
was rapidly gathering and training
but was not yet in sufficient strength
to take any great part.
In fact, there was cause for grave
anxiety. it being apparent that the
enemy must strike again Immediately
in order to obtain every advantage
possible while he still possessed supe.
rior forces and before the weight OF
the American army could bo thrown
into the scale. The Allies had, there
fore to contemplate acting on the de-
fensive and on withstanding severe
assaults during the next three months
before they could expect to gain an
equilibrium Of strength.
The next two months on the British
front were spent In intense activity,
200 miles of broad-gauge railway were
laid and 5000 miles Of new defensive
positions were dug and built. The
enemy was harried by frequent attacks
and harrassed by artillery fire. The
strength Of the British divisions was
Increased from IS to 81. much artillery
was added, and by the end Of July the
British army was reconstructed and
had once more become an efficient
striking force. and the German High
command had missed an opportunity
which was never to recur to them.
German Surprise Attack.
The German high command having
been brought to stanlstiil before
Amiens, altered their strategic objec.
tive, and on the 27th OF May launched
a surprise attack on the Aisne, between
Scissors and Rheims. The five British
divisions constituting the ninth army
which had been sent TO that PORT tc
rest and train, thus suddenly found
themselves involved in the flglting on
tho French right, northwest CT Rheims
Despite the fact that their ranks had
but lately been filled up by youne
drafts still inexperienced in trench
warfare, they most gallantly held theil
own.
When the enemy broke through ir
the center Of tie line north Of Ffsmes
the left and center Of the ninth army
was obliged, after fierce fighting, te
swing back west Of Rheims. and finally
to withdraw across the river Vesle II
q southeasterly direction. The fight
ing ragged hotly until June s. when thu
enemy advance was definitely stayec
and Rheims was saved. The French
general under whose orders this Brit
ish army fought wrote Of them as FOL
lows: They have enabled us to es
tablish q barrier against which TIT
hostile waves have beaten and shatter
ed themselves. This, none OF TIT
French who witnessed it, will ever for
get. :" Sir Douglas Haig writes
Their behavior was magnificent. :.
The twenty-second army corps wa!
sent at the beginning Of July to tn
French front at the request OF Marsha
Foch and took part in the great counter
offensive Of July Is. After 10 days
continuous fighting they took Mar
faux and Montague de Bligny and com
pleted an advance Of four miles south
west of Rheims in most difficult an
trying circumstances.
The counter offensive proved strik
ingly successful, and by the end o
July the American army was begin
ming to make itself felt and Marsha
Foch arranged for plans for an omen
sive on all fronts from the Belgial
coast to the Swiss frontier. To tn
British was assigned the relief o
Amiens which. from the beginning Q
April had been under the fire OF tn
enemy's guns, and had become "a cit
Of the dead" The interruption
railroad traffic between Paris an
Boulogne and Calais at this point ha
been a serious and dangerous incon
venience to the Allied forces.
Elaborate precautions which wer
quite successful were taken TO decel'
the enemy. who was led to expect a
attack on the Flanders front. Mean
r