The Washington herald., 1919-06-01

Third Bavarian, Thirteenth Landwehr
Ninety-fourth, Sixty-fifth Reserve
Fifth Landwehr and 124th and Eighth
Landwehr Divisions of Won Fuchs
army detachment c.
These troops were part OF the army
group under Gen. Won Gallwitz. In
addition there were the 255th Division
and the Thirty-first and Eighty-fourth
Brigades of Gen. Won Bothmer's Nine
teenth Army. belonging to the most
southern German army group under
the Duke of Wurtemburg.
Huns Badly Hammered.
Something more than eight nominal
divisions thus faced our men. But
they were all much under strength,
badly hammered in northern battles
from which they had been withdrawn.
and were. moreover. demoraiized by
having had to watch the Thirty-fifth
Austrian Division leave their ranks
and march away home following the
Austrian armistice with Italy.
Our Second Army. on November 8,
two days before the attack. was hold
ing its front lines with four divisions.
From north to south. they were the
Thirty-third. Twenty-eighth, Seventh
.nd Ninety-second. In the north the
left of Gen. Billiards. army. the Thir
ty-third. was in contact with French
troops OF the Tenth Colonial Divisions.
which formed the right wing of Lg-
gett's First Army. In the south. Bull
lard's right, the Ninety-second. linked
up with the 165th French Division of
Gerard's Eighth army.
Behind our second army front in
support or moving up for the often-
sive. were our Eighty-eighth. Fourth.
Thirty-ffth and EiFhty-second Divi-
sions. the Twenty-sixth French Divi-
sion. and our EiChty-fifth Division.
which was to furnish replacement. ;
f1~ the others when the battle began.
Normal Size Insured.
The second army was divided into
three army corps. the Fourth and
Sixth American and the Seventeenth
French
As the battle continued and more
divisions were thrown i'm these corps
would have filed out to their normal
size of about six divisions each; out
at the time operations began on d
small scale and were halted before
they could proceed further the sixth
Corps was composed n. the Ninety
second and Seventh Divisions. and the
Fourth and Seventeenth Corps had
only one division each. the Twenty
eighth and Thirty-third. respectively
Most of the Second army's front Of
attack was the line reached by our
men after the election of the Boches
he 81 -
feared at the beginning of November
that the enemy would foil the plans
for the great attack. already far un-
der way. by executing a strategic re-
treat. and on November Gen. Bull
lard. after consultation with Pershing
and on instructions from Marshal
FoCh. issued Field Order Thirteen. ex-
planning to the troops what they were
to do in case the enemy bolted
Had Retreat Figured.
An advance all along the front was
Immediately to be commenced as soon
rs the German retreat had been con-
firned. Field Order Thirteen declared
that the Boche if he went hack would
pivot upon Metz. holding the ring of
forts seven or eight miles outside the
city. and the general line AmanviIler-
AnCy -Moselle- Vernv.
If this took place the order stated
that on the Second Army's left the
right corps of LiGgett's First ARMY
proposed to advance on Etain. OF
the Second Army the cd Division
was to march on CONTAINS, the 2Sth
and eth Divisions toward Vionville
and the 92d Division was to hold It's
ground. not attempting for the mo-
ment to push its line forward across
the frontier east of Pont-a-Moussop
Three days after the issuance OF
Order t.. on November 4 il became
known that the Austrian divisions
had withdrawn from the German
front. The 35th Austrlans left the
line opposite the American sd Diyi-
sion. while on our First Army front
the list and 1o5th Austrians had also
nuit. on this day Marshal Focb or
dered vigorous local operations along
the Second Army front to discover
what the enemy proposed to do in
consequence of this defection-whether
he would 20 back or stand his ground.
Germans Surprise Allies.
The Germans. somewhat TO the sur
prise of our high command. remain
ed where they were. Probably I,u-
dendorff, already despairing. had de-
cided to throw IN the sponge and
did not want to expose his weakness
to the world by ordering another great
retreat. Accordingly. on November 5.
Gen. Pershing issued detailed orders
for the attacks planned by our First
and Second armies.
The First Army operations were To
be In continuation of the long Of
fensive already carried out by L.ig-
gett. Before commencing his new
attack. Liggett was ordered to throw
the enemy off the heights of the
Meuse north of Verdun and south
OF the Foret de woebre and finish
cleaning up the region between TIE
Meuse and the Bar.
Then the new attack was tn con,-
mence by crossing the Meuse near
Stenay and Mouzen and driving the
Boche over the rivers Theinte and
Chiers. This was successfully under
way when the umpire called the game
at the historic II a. m.
Pershing's order directed the Secons
Army to conduct raids and local on
erations, push forward between ~.
Meuse and Lachaussee Lake towar6
Gorze and Chambley. and get ready
to attack toward Briey. This last
attack was the decisive Foch pusb.
CONTINUED ON PACE sr-yrN