Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-12-14
GENERAL PERsH|NG FILES
REPORT ON j. S. ARMY
Spirit OF Determination Animating
Every American Soldier Ended
Great Struggle.
TELLS OF RAISING FORCES
Says That Expcditionary Divisions
Drew First Blood at Passchcndaclc
Joined British in Attack.
TELLS OF RAISING FORCES
fRv Associated Press. !

fBv Associated Prcss.l
wASH1NGToN, Dec. 13.-General
.FershinS, in his special report to Sec
American army in France. says in eff
icct. although not i'll terms. that the
it Was i ihis sp Mp Of determination
says Gersral reT,shins referring e the
i RpG strassld 'r init, III i fIsS 10 a"'a"
French ssys Gen ara F fSqr
beaten forty-sevSn German. divisions.
representing % per cent OF the enemy s
entire divisional strength on the west
crn front; OF the enemy divisions.
twenty had been drawn from the French
front and one from the British front.
OF the twenty-five American divisions
twelve had At various times during this
period september &c to November. IL.
1919 heen engaged on other fronts than
GU! own. The First Army had suffered
loss Of about, ll5.0o0 in killed and
wounded It had captured 10000 pris-
oncrs, siI cannon. 5000 machine guns
and large quantities of material"
Army Held Heights.
With the American army holding the
heights dominating Sedan. the report
said. and the German line OF communi-
cations definitely sundered recognize
tiiities could save his armies from com
nisie disastsr he appealed for an i'm
General Pershng's report follows In
seas forces from the date OF his de-
psT!u5 Until Tth small STAFF May
900 men: Every step Of orEanization.
reached are recorded
The document, comprising a pamph-
iet OF about 100 pages. or $4,000 words.
rs Is di Gls into three sections: Period
ts SpRRtS; Combinations and Admin
Summarizes Situation.
Summar iz:ng the military situation
which existed in the spring of 1917.
with the allies, General Pcrshng said:
I'm the five months ending June 80,
1917. German submarines had accom-
9t dsn Sdo the ne destrurtion Of more than
ing three years Germany had seen
practically all her offcnsivcs except
rerdun crowned with success. Her bat
ne lines were held on foreign soil and
she had withstood every attack since
the Marine. The German general staff
G ;nsi;op ioT re- S now the COMPLETE elm
defeating Italy before the end OF the
year. and finally. the campaign Of
dsls against the French and British
terminate the war.
.,a tT,insncial problems of the allies were
n,i'meu.t' supplies were becoming OK
tremendous losses DscouraEcment
existed not only among the civil popul
iaGon' but throughout the armies as
Calls for I,oO0,ooO Men.
Within ono month of his arrival,
SSencra fershlnE recommended de-
n,nitely that 100000 men should be in
den ahe ,na nei" or May, 1918. i being evil
smallest unit which in modern wa,
va; WI DC = complete. we'll balanccd and
P iTiaTs'f for Tho fnShting orEanjzation
times this force" ''' %
oh me general was equally specific in
SuoosinS inc ground for American
opera tons. He says:
Our mission was offensive. and it
ma mas , GSsseniiai to make plans for strik :
,arF decision could he gained While
me allied armies had endeayored -
NAM ma ,nta ~, ne offensive, the British. in
committed TO operations in FIanJers
ana the French TO the portion OF tbn
ROM protecting Paris. Both lacked
scale. OH large
Fortified District I'm Ea.,
iris, inc east the great fortified dis
menaced Central France. protected tbc
most exposed portion Of the German
ME- Me- OF ns organizations. that between
ron IcEIon' from which the enemy oh,
famed the greater part of the iron re-
uujea ior 1Winitiops and material. The
.oa. nelds; faS Of Metz were also COW
eLeo DF these same defenscs A doom
SHEance east Of Metz. or the capf1rc
81 me Briey region. by threatening the
,hpds;on or rich German territory in
ne Mosei!e valley and the Saar Basin
;r nus curtailing her supply OF coal or
ron rom, would have a decisive effect In
a ION Morthern France. The military
therefore,. indicated Lorraine as Tie
neid promising tho most fruitfu, re
sults for the employment OF our
Americans First Rattle.
american arms drew first blond N.
report shows. AZ Passche ndacle Ridge
November CLIO. 1917, when The
i.!eNehth engineers joined the British
IN successful attack. which was part
.! general operation designed TO
Hlhder the German conquest OF Russia
ana 70 prevent. II possible. an attack
on italy, or in the Near East"
So afterward. however, came Tho 20,
lapse OF Russia and the Italian debacic
at Caporetto, with the result that the
eneHy's legions began to gather thick
~ III France. Allied CnrnranI.rs
viewed the situation with frank an
plsheis!on, General Pershing's rcport
linlcatcs' and the pressure for an ac-
ctIeratcd movement of American di
Hisions was felt from all sides Ar
ne same time came the suEeestion
maj AMERICAN units be hrigadcd with
french and British in order that no
''"e De wasted In training.
nav nC HOT