The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-05-23

| EADY FOR HIKE.
espite StiFenirrg of Ger
an Resistance Pro-
0ress Was Made Stead
ay Till End. =,

s@8IH0nne sector h3d t9FcErStst0 to ~
Tine running approximately east ana
sQnG from Brieulics to Chatei-
Sef,1nory. 4 situation had been created
gWn3ch rendered II at last expedient
k3o 11temd The offensive to the east OF
- Mouse
IN this r>r-1on- lying north and
Of yerdon. the enemy had
maxe Of powerfully intrenched lines.
E1rtly surviving from the period OF
4 INTENSE fght,ng known as the Battle
F04 verdun, ~ 1915, and partly OF
MDoRe recent construction hut amount
1a4 In effect to a clos weaving to-
sSR99hef Of AL the defensive zones
watch. further westward. were spread
Wn9 wider intervals across the country.
Directly moth OF Nerdun and east
~ Cnnsenvoye these defensive zones
AppcAf TO have consisted cf at least
~ man lines within depth of ten
4 kfICmet ers. the front line being called
t&e Brahsntar SteilunZ, which had
A1atnd II successfully the Hagen Stei-
4 lung. the Eolker StelGng. the Etzel
gtellung. the Cisellier Stcilung funfin-
sstneA), and the kriemhiide Steflung.
On October the american right
NnMk near BriauIlss was fifteen kilo-
y meters northeast Of the front Ger
S11Au trenches east Of the river, in
Esther words. an obtE$s salient had
been created containing the German
|S4k0Mt hmm esfistelv east NJ the Meuse.
The southside If this salient was held
by the Seventeenth army corps
tfrench). Of the First American
NxAf111y, in the stabilized entrenched
front north of Verdun, the southwest
L ride Of 1t was held by the Thirty
Rsthird United States division along the
sNwAsfern bank of the Mouse from
q y4ewrHytife To DanpeyAax and by other
#An1Aracan troops northwest of that
sssUint as .ar a. the vicinity OF
\ HFiGulies
Attack Deemed Imperative.
Not only would IL be advantageous
tank-rf!a-tsne.a ift-fhis newly
rreated salinet. driving northeast to-
ward the railroad line from Metz to
dexieres. closely threatening the Brfey
Iron mines arti Metz itself but II had
1 become imperative to do so, first be-
\ cause the German artillery and ma
Il chine guns from tho east of the Meuse
4 were constantly Calling the Ameri-
can troops west Of II while they were
engaged in their offensive operations
sst0Wnrd such places as Reruague and
Eanthevilie; second because the in
I cFeasing length Of the American line
along the Meuse offered to the enemy
s = collateral opportunity for a coun-
tAF Offensive against the right flank
d sDf the obtuse salient Regneviile-
Il Hfieulles- Argonna forest and third
i because the country east OF the Meuse
I and south nf Erieules must be clear
] "a before the American forces north
US the latter town could safely force
4 the passages of the Mouse and de-
Sh0Nch into Il bridgehead east of IT,
II WAS known in advance that the
~ enemy was peculiarly prepared "a
N offer desperate resistance in this re-
: zion, because he had massed many
y troops in the vicinity for the specific
81 purpose OF protecting Metz against
the direct American attack on that
place which he had long expected
Not only were his defensive zones
.p0werful in themselves. moreover
gStAey were batit- throaeh the exeep-
N30nAlfy rugged hills ard forests oil
-. nlAtA2H between The Meuse and
N@p4a4rr RI tbs Woevre, and they
Eere supplied with a vast concentra'
.s11oB of artiilerY and machine guns
NTS Three Divisions With French
k Early In October the Thirty third
Enitcd States division, in line the
Twenty SIX 4 and the Twenty ninth
n Untted States divisions were placed
a Nnder the cofrs command Of the
IN seventeenth French army corps tGen,
a&eml 0aude). The plans Of the lat.
Ss4AUcid be begun 10y mis- TWO French
4ivisions in lire. the Eighteenth ano
the Tween .y-si>th The Eighteenth
sM1ay in its trenches with it's left or
Ii the Meuse. a. Sanogneux. and it,
fight aboul two ard one-h half kiio-
Ss1natArs east ~ there The Twenty
snsxth lay ia The right of the Eigh
tecnth as e. Hs Beaumont, oiso on
Nx front of aoui tN" and halt
vi, H.
gAsysss a Frgucn colonial corps. with the
eighteenth Colonial division next e.
The right az ~ TwentN-s xth division
#4nd the TentA Colonial division still,
kfbe right ef that
The Edshfaeuth division was tn al.
tAck straigia, north. taking Hamnont
u Ahe Bots 10 Brahan. and Ormont
x1arm. The Twenty sixth division was
B1U take the Eois des Caures. directly
~ front. and later the village OF
p1abas, north and slightly east o'
~ woods The Fifteenth Colonial
1tviaion was to actively protect the
kSEht OF the Twenty sixth by advanc.
M and occIp>ing the ridge of Caur-
#y9ogAs ard The southern part OF
EfSkHerbehois. Tho Tenth Colonial
%A1xfhion, c1rving round the bend In
#1l1A front which ran soutL eastward
EeD1gArd Fresnes and the old st. Mihiel
lAS11bt, was ~ dlih last but READY 10
sack. II events warranted
SN Only after the Eighteenth Division
AOuiu have advanced some distan re
hWUuld IL be possible for troops of the
and Twenty ninth United
mites divisions to move forward
v3Aen they would cross the river and
ytng in on the left flank of the Eigh
onth division in the widening space
okween that flank and the Mouse.
~ this purpose, the Fifty~eighth
fOAde. OF the Twenty ninth division
&u1y, was a. first attached to the
11Ateenth French division, and was
bled on the west eide Of tho
En1. which had been wrested from
~ enemy, between Samopneux and
f4Aant From the latter point &c
70nmenvoye. two and one-half kilo.
&oters northwest. troops OF the
E1rty-thirF division lay west OF the
Ner ready 20 advance at the proper
Weeds 20 be Cleared.
The mission of the FIfty-eightt
Snde, Twenty ninth division, was te
1nr tho Bo,a de Consenvoye, tn,
wames and the edges OF the Basao!s
and the Bots Plat -Chene, north
lt, and thereafteF 10 direct rhei,
fGk nortneastward. The mission