The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-09-22

ters to discuss the continuance of the
attack on Rheims. 1 urged the neces-
sity for speedy action, so that we
mi ght retain the initiative on this battle
field also. with the capture of
Rheims the Marine pocket could have
been widened so as to be much less
of a trap
From the report of the chief of staff
| gathered that many days would be
needed for the preparations to continue
even this purely local attack. 1 was
therefore obliged to resign myself, but
l begged the German Crown Prince to
| build up reserves as quickly as pos
sible, and pointed out the probable i'm
mediate necessity of strengthening the
18th army and the right wing of the
| 9Th. Gle evidently expected Foch to
strike atNthe south flank of the Amiens
pocket held by the 18th German army,
| instead of the west flank of the Marine
! pocket. Foch had many of his reserves
| including Americans, concentrating in
that direction, but he fooled Ludendorff
| by shifting them eastward)
| The other fronts were. in my opinion,
sound. For the moment g. H. Q. still
chung to the idea of an attack in
Flanders. under the army group of
Crown Prince Rupprecht, although the
| hoped for weakening of the enemy had
| not come about. The railway trans
port of artillery, trench mortars and
| planes from the Rheims district had
begun according to play on the six
| teenth
TOLD OF AMERICAN SMASH
In the night of the 17th-1sth I my
| self went to the headquarters of the
army group of the Crown Prince, to
| re-inspect again the state of their
preparations. The attack was intended
! as a continuation of the one that had
| been suspended at the end of April. 1t
, was to be made by the 4th and 9Th
armies, north of the Lys. it's objective
| being the possession of the command
| ing heights between Poperinghe and
Balleul, as well as to the high ground
| round Hazebrouck.
During the discussion with the army
group of Crown Prince Duprecht on the
| morning of the 18th 1 received the
first news that by means of an unex-
pected tank offensive, the French had
| pierced the line southwest of Sois-
sons.
| Throughout his book Ludendorff
| ignores, as far as possible. the military
| feats of Americans. In THIS case he
gives credit for the break through to
the French, although the feat was ac-
| complished by the First and Second
| divisions, aided on the south by the
Moroccan corps. The Americans, SUI
| fering from long marches, loss of sleep
and hunger, smashed the front at what
he previously called the critical point"
penetrating in ploces more than five
miles and holding against the rein
| forcements rushed up by the Crown
Prince until relief arrived.
| At the same time the army group of
] the German Crown Prince announced
| that it had sent to the battlefield,
partly by motor transport those divi-
/ sions. in the first instance the goth
infantry division. which had been in
tended for the continuatin of the Of
| fensive up the Sardre. con the east
front of the Marine pocket)
| Immediately ordered the 5th infan-
try division to proceed by rail, via Laon
to the district just northeast of Sois-
| sons where the tunnel was already
| complete This division, which had
| been held at the disposal of G. III. @.
was quartered northeast of st. QUEEN
| tin, and all arrangements had been
made for its rapid movement by rail
| to any point.
GREAT NERVOUS TENSION
! | concluded the conference at the
army group of Crown Prince Rupprecht
for the last time that day. and our
relations then as ever, were cordial
reached Avesnes at p. m. and was
met at the statiin by the Field Marshal.
| We Immediately retired to the office
| The position of the left wing of the
9th army and the right wing Of the
It'll had become serious.
| Published by special arrangement
with the Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
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/ Belgium Holland. Russia and the Scan
dinavian countries.
/, fLudendorf tells tomorrow Of the
| despe rate fight by which he drew his
4 army out Of the Marine pocket. In
these operations more and more Ann
orleans came int the line 10 carry