Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1920-02-05
superiority in guns and av.

FOllOWlng three hours OF violent ar
tillery fire of preparation the infan-
try advanced 81 $50 a. m. on Septem-
Der &c, 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
defenses. Montfaucon was held tena-
ciously by the enemy and was not cap
tured until noon of the second day.
The attack continued without in
terruption, meeting six new divisions
which the enemy threw into first line
before September %. He developed
a powerful machine gun defense sup
ported by heavy artillery fire, and
made frequent counter-attacks with
fresh troops, particularly on the
front of the Twenty-eighth and Thirty
fifth divisions. These divisions had
taken Varennes, Cheppy, Baulny and
Charpentry, and the line was within
two kilometers of ApremOnt. We were
no longer engaged in maneuver for
the pinching out of a salient, but were
necessarily committed, generally speak
ing, to direct frontal attack against
strong, hostile positions fully manned
by a determined enemy.
At 5 80 a. NJ, October 4, the gen.
eral attack was renewed. The enemy
divisions on the front from Fresnes-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 were realized, except
by the first division on the right of
'the First corps.
On the 18th the First corps, with the
Eighty-second division added, launched
a strong attack toward Cornay, to
draw attention from the movement
east of the Mouse and at the same
time outfank the German position in
the Argonne. The following day the
Seventeenth French corps, Major Gen
eral Claudel commanding, initiated it's
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 fortifi-
cations and stubborn resistance, but
by nightfall had realized an advance
of six kilometers to line well within
the Bots de Consenvoye, and includ-
ing the villages of Beaumont and
HaumOnt.
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 retirements far
Their west and withdraw his forces
from northern France before the inter-
ruption of his railroad communica-
tons through Sedan.
We were confronted at this time
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-
tober 10 the former expressed his ap-
probation Of the fact that the First
army was striking the pivot of the
German withdrawal, and also held the
view that the allied attack should
continue. General Petain agreed that
the American divisions with the
French were essential to us if we
were to maintain our battle against
P4FOCs Liz CuSu wei u
however, straining every nerve to keep
up their attacks, and before those di-
visions with the French had been re-
leased it became necessary for us to
send the Thirty-seventh 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 12O kilo
meters; it's strength exceeded 1000
600 men; it was engaged in the mos
desperate battle of our history, N
the burden Of command was too h""v
for a single commander and star
Therefore on October IL that portion
of our front extending from Port-sur-
Seille, east of the Moselle, to Fresnes-
en-Woevre, southeast of Verdun, was
transferred to the newly constituted
Second army with Lieut. Ger Robert
l.. Billiard in command, under whom
1t began preparations for the extern
sion of operations to the east in the
n ire of D,,;ox