New-York tribune., 1919-01-09
Haig Says U. S. Army
Was First Through g
"Hinde1nburgg Line
Field Marshal'ss Report Pays
Tribute to Foch and to
50 British Divisions Who
Defeated 90 German Units

LONDON, Jan. S.-Field Marshal
Sir Douglas Haig, whose report on op-
erations from the end of April until
the end Of hostilities was made public
here last night, pays a high tribute
to Marshal Foch, commander in chief
of the Allied armies, and alludes to
the splendid fighting qualities Of the
American forces" In concluding his
report the Field Marshal wrote:
cat the moment when the final tri-
umph of the Allied cause is assured,
we and all others of the Allied and as
sociated armies can look back on the
years that have gone with satisfaction
undimmed by any hint of discord or
conflict of interest and ideals. Few
alliances of the past can boast of such
record. Few can show purpose
more tenaciously and faithfully pur-
sued or so fully and glorousy realized.
Says Cause Was Just
"If the complete unity and harmony
OF our action is to be ascribed to the
justice of our cause, it is due to the
absolute loyalty with which that cause
has been pursued by all those intrust-
ed with the control Of the different
Allied armies which fought side by side
with ours"
The report takes up in detail the
fighting OH various parts of the Bit
ish front, which, the field marshal
states, was carried on as a part Of the
grand plan of the campaign laid down
by the Allied high command. At the
close OF operations, the report de-
clares:
"ln the decisive contests in the period
covered by the report the strongest
front were attacked, his lateral com
munications were cut and his best
divisions were fought to standstill.
on the different battlefronts the Brit
lsh took $4,000 prisoners and 1850
guns, bringing the total number of
prisoners captured during the year to
over 900.
So Divisions Whipped 80
"Thesc results were achieved by fifty
nine fighting British divisions, which
in the course of three months battle
engaged and defeated ninety nine sep
arate German divisions.
when the armisticc was signed by
the enemy his defensive powers had
already been definitely destroyed. Con-
tinuance of hostilities would have
meant only disaster to the German
armies and an armed invasion of Ger
many"
Americans Broke Line
American troops were the first to
break the Hindenburg line, according
to "The Daily News" in it's comment
on the report "The News' points out
that, at least, the first mention of
break-through contained in the field
marshal's report was in the course of
his description of the days work on
September 80, in which he wrote
North of Bellenglise the 3Oth Amer
lcan Division, Major General f. NJ
Lewis, having broken through the deep
defences of the Hindenourg line.
stormed Bcllincourt and seized Nourov.
On their left the 9th American Divi-
sion, Major General O'Ryan, met with
very heavy enfilading machine gun fire.
but pressed on with great gallantry as
far as Jouy, where a bitter struggle
took place for possession of the vii
lage. The fighting on the whole front
of the I'd American Corps was severe.
These points Of resistance were
gradually overcome, either by the sup
port troops of the American divisions
or by the 9th and Sd Australian divi-
sons"
Commenting on Marshal Haig's re-
port. "The Daily Chronicle" describes
the operations dealt with as "the most
glorious achievement in the whole
history of the British army"
"ln Marshal Foch's strategic scheme
the part assigned to the British was
most important and most difficult" the
newspaper continues. "Thc overcoming
Of the Somme defences in August was
superb feat, and the breaking of the
Hindenburg line with weakened forces