Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1920-01-30

superiority In guns ana aviation, and
the enemy had 10 tanks.
| Following three hours of violent ar.
tillery fire. preparation the infan-
try advanced ut J:30 Il. IN. on Scptcin-
Der 2G. accompanied by tanks. Dur
| ing the first two days Of the attack, be-
fore the enemy was able to bring up
his reserves. our troops made steady
| progress through the network of the
, defcnScS Montfaucun was held tena-
! ciously by the enemy and was not cap
! tured until noon of the second day.
| The attack continued without in
, corruption, meeting six new divisions
! which the enemy threw into first line
| before September 30. He developed
powerful machine gun defense sup
ported by heavy artillery fire, and
made frequent counter-attacks with
| fresh troops. particularly on the
front of tile Twenty-eiEhth and Thirty
| fifth divisions. These divisions had
taken Varennes. Cheppy. Baulny aud
Carpentry. and the line was within
two ki'ometerS Of Apremont. We were
| no longer engaged in u mancuvcr for
the pnchins out OF Il salient. but were
necessarily committed, generally speak
Ing, to direct frontal attack against
strong. hostile positions fully manned
by determined enemy.
At . 30 a. H., October !, the gen
| eral attack was renewed. The enemy
| divisions on the front from t'resncs.en-
| Woevre to the Argonne had increased
| FROM ten in first line to sixteen, and
Included some Of his best divisions.
| The fighting was desperate and only
| small advances We're realized, except
| by the first division on the right Of
the First corps.
On the 7th the First corps, with the
| Eishty-second division added, launched
strong attack toward Cornay. to
| draw attention from the movement
east Of the Mouse and ut the same
time outflank the German position in
the Argonne. The following day the
Seventeenth French corps, Major Cen
eral Claudel commanding, initiated its
attack east Of the Meuse against the
exact point on which the German
armies must pivot in order to with
draw from northern France The
troops encountered elaborate FORTH
cations and stubborn resistance, but
BY nightfall had realized an advance
or SIX kilOmeterS to line we'll within
| The Bots de ConsenvOyc. and includ-
| Ing the villages of Beaumont and
Haulnont.
Foe Fought Stubborniy.
| Continuous fighting was maintained
| along our entire battle front. with eS.
| pecial success on the extreme left
where the capture Of the greater part
OF the Argonne forest was completed
| The enemy contested every foot OF
| ground on our front. in order
to make more rapid rctircmcnts far
ther west and withdraw his forces
from northern France before the inter
ruption OF his railroad communica-
tons through Sedan.
We We're confronted at this time
by an insufficiency Of replacement to
build up exhausted divisions. We still
had two divisions with the British and
two with the French. A review Of the
situation. American and allied. espe-
| cially as to our own resources in men
for the next two months. convinced
me that the attack Of the First army
and the allied armies farther west
| should be pushed to the limit. But
If the First army was to continue it's
aggressive tactics. our divisions then
| with the French must be recalled and
requirements must be obtained by
breaking up newly arrived divisions.
In discussing the withdrawal of our
divisions from the French with Mar
shall Foch and General Petain on Oc-
tobcr 10 the former expressed his ap-
probation Of the fact that the First
army was striking the pivot of the
German Withdrawal. ano also held the
view that the allied attack should
continue. General Petaln agreed that
the American divisions with the
French were essential to US If we
were to maintain our battle against
the German pivot. The French were,
however, straining every nerve to keep
up their attacks and before those d.
visions with the French had been re.
leased it became necessary for us to
send the Thirty-seyenth and Ninety
first divisions from the First army to
assist the Sixth French army in Elan.
ders.
First Army Of 100000.
At this time the First army was
holding front Of more than 100 klIo.
meters; its strength exceeded 1000.
600 men; 1t was engaged In the most
desperate battle of our history. and
the burden Of command was too heavy
FOR single commander and staff
therefore on October 12 that portion
OF our front extending from Port-sur-
Seille, east of the Mosellc, to Fresucs-
en-. Woevre, southeast Of Verdun, was
transferred 10 the newly constituted
Second army with Lieut.. Gen. Robert
l.. Billiard in command, under whom
T..