Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1920-03-12

Nus time. while the Fourth division
'"ok up the task of the Forty-SeCuud
division and advanced with the Thirty
second to the Vesle river. where. on
Aug 6. the operation for the reduc-
toh of the Marine al.ent terminated.
Ia he hard lighting from July Is to
Aug q the Germans were NOT only
hhited In their advance hut were
lrlNeu back from the Marine TO the
NeSle aud committed wholly To the
defensive. The force of American
'rln> had been brought to bear IN time
10 enable The last offensive Ut the en-.
ruN Ia be- crushed
The FIRST and Third corps now held
continuous front of II kiloiueterS
along the NeSle ON Aug. - the Seven
'N-Serenth division relieved the Fourth
division on the FirSr corps front. and
the following day the Twentyeighrh
relieved the Thirty second division in
The Third corps while from Aug. 6 to
Aug 10 the Sixth infantry brigade of
the Third division held a sector ON the
river line. The transfer of the First
corps to the Woevre was ordered at
this time, and the control of this front
was turned over TO the Third corps.
On August Is Gen. Petain began an
offensive between Rheims and the
Disc Our Third corps participated in
thlS operation, crossing the VeSle on
Sept. with the Twenty eighth and
Seventy seventh divisions and over.
COMING cfnhhnrf 10 Al,
teau south of the Aisne, which was
reached by the Seventy-seventh on
Sept. l. Two days later the Third
corps was transferred to the region
or Verlun. the Seventy-seventh divi
sion remaining in line on the Aisne riv.
er until Sept. II.
The Thirty-secOnd division, upon its
relief from the battle on the Vesle.
joined French corps north of Sois.
sons and attacked from Aug. % to
81. capturing Juvigny after some
particularly desperate fighting and
reaching the Chauny-Soissons road.
On the British front two regiments
of the Thirty-third division partici-
pated in an attack on Hamel. July 4,
and again on Aug. 9 as an incident of
the allied offensive against the Amiens
salient. One Of these regiments took
Gressaire wood and Chipilly ridge,
capturing 700 prisoners and consider
able material
Emergency Had Passed.
The counter offensives against the
Marine salient in July and against the
Amiens salient in August had gained
such an advantage that 1t was ap-
parent that the emergency, which JUS
titled the dispersion of our divisions,
had passed. The moment was propi
tious for assembling our divisions. The
formation of the army In the Chateau
Thierry region and It's early transfer
to the sector Of the WOevre, which
was to extend from Nomeny, east Of
the Moselie, to north of st. Mihiel, was
therefore decided upon by Marshal
Foch and myself on Aug 8, and the de-
tails were arranged with Gen. Petain
later on the same day.
At Bombon. on July "a. there was a
conference of all commanders In chief
for the purpose Of considering allied
operations. Each presented proposals
for the employment Of the armies IN
der his command and these formed
the basis of future cooperation Of
the allies. II was emphatically deter
mined that the allied attitude should
be to maintain the offensive. AS the
FIRST operation Of the American army,
the reduction of the salient of St
Mihiel was to be undertaken as soon
as the necessary troops and material
could be made available.
On Aug. 20, further discussion with
> Marshal Foch was held at my head
quarters at Llgny-en-Ba At this
meeting 1t was proposed by Marshal
, Foch that the general operations as
far as the American army was con-
! cerned should be carried out In detail
by:
(a) An attack between the Mouse
and the Argonne by the Second French
army, reinforced by from four to six
American divisions.
(b) A French-American attack. ex-
tending from the Argonne west to the
Souain road, to be executed on the
right by an American army astride
the Aisne and on the left by the
Fourth French army.
To carry out these attacks the ten
to eleven American divisions suggested
for the st. Mihiel operation and the
four to six for the Second French army
would leave eight to ten divisions for
an American army on the Aisne. II
was proposed that the st. Mihiel OPP
Grafton should be initiated on Sept. 10
and the other two on Sept. Is and ~.
respectively.
The plan suggested for the Amer
lean participation in these operations
was not acceptable TO me. because II
would require the immediate separa-
ZION of the recently formed first Amer
lean army into several groups, main
ly to assist French armies. This was
directly contrary to the principle OF
forming a distinct American army, for