Bisbee daily review., 1919-08-10
Americans Struck at All Points.

A1GuS6-AISUIlHt Ddlll6 our CDlclS OD- served the phenomenon of the Ger mans sending their endorsements directly into the line instead of fol- lowing what had been formerly the invariable rule of withdrawing a shat tered division for replacements and training behind the lines. In several cases the units of division appeared at different places in the line This was due to the urgent necessity of stopping the gaps with whatever troops were available at the moment Our attack never slackened Each day brought an advance in one part or another of the battle line and each day brought threat from a new quar- ter for the Germans. Consequently it was necessary for the German command to move quickly whatever troops. were available to the threat, ened point. This continued shifting of troops within the battle area caused great confusion One notable instance of this was when the 45th Reserve Division which had been resting in Alsace was entrained for Flanders on September 27th. The seriousness of our attack west of the Mouse could then be judged by the enemy and he was able to stop three trains carrying troops of this division and divert them to the Argonne front. The troops of this division, therefore, appeared simultaneously at several places opposite us, making the prob lem of control and supply of these units increasingly difficult.
 
 In various other instances the re- serve regiment of a division was shifted out of it's sector to aid divi- sion on it's flank. All these things showed the great need of man-power behind the enemy's line. On Novem- Der 11th, the day the armistice was signed, the enemy had Al divisions in reserve. Of these 41 divisions only one had been out of the line for the necessary period of rest, that is, one month. The others had either been just taken out or had been rested from few days to week or two and according to the generally accepte standards were unfit for offensive ac. tion.
 Hun Morale Lowered.
 
 the day of the opening of our great battle, which was launched in con. junction with attacks by our allies along the entire front, the Germans had at their disposal only a limited supply of reserves, a supply which was fast dwindling In addition to this there must be considered the fact that the German morale since early in August had appreciably low. cred so that the German fighting man of September 26th was by no means the same man who advanced against the British and French on March 21 He had lost faith in his cause and he knew that the great peace offensive had failed. War-weary and disheart ened as he was, he faced the disagree able task of endeavoring to stave off complete defeat at the hands of the enemy numerically superior and sup ported by the faith in victory that only long series of successes car give. . '-
 It is certain that up to November ] the Germans expected to break dowr our offensive by the stubbornest ma chine gun and artillery defense that has been known since the beginning of the war. The enemy delivered only local counter-attacks but he took full advantage of every position which could be organized for defense. Wher our new attack of November 1 began the enemy still hoped to hold us off To do this he threw in three new di visions on November 1, three more on November 2 six on November 8 two on November f and three or November 5. Then he saw that a withdrawal behind the Mouse was in evitable and he attempted in the nexi few days to eXtricate his badly tang led troops from the very dangerous position in which they found them selves. In this connection, it is g point of interest to note that the Ger man communique on November 1 ad mitted for the first time in four an( a half years of war that their line had been broken through. The Brit ish at Cambrai broke through the first two German lines but the thirC held long enough for the necessary endorsements to arrive.
 The following table shows how th' Germans made their last attempt tC protect the Metz-Longuyon railroad west of Mouse:
 Date Divs. in Line
 Oct. 31 -....Germans 10; Americans Nov. 1-......-.Germans 13; Americans