The New York herald., 1922-07-30
Speciol Dispatch to I'll

New York Herald Bureau,
Washington. ID. G.. July 20.
OUR years ago this month Amer
leans. fighting in one of the
most desperate and most bril-
liant battles of history, on a scale
hitherto unknown. were proving to the
world the truth of their generals esti-
mate of them-that ''in every trial.
whether defensive or offensive" they
were equal to any troops in EAh'ope."
BY the same token they were bringing
to an end, at last. the German hope of
military domination of Europe and
the world.
So much has happened politically,
economically and socially since July,
1918. that already those first days of
real brightness for the allied cause,
after four long, heart breaking years
of struggle against the military power
of the German Empire, seem part of
the dim and distant past
But as history goes it was but yes
terday that the second battle of the
Marne was being fought by French
and American troops-the turning
point in the world war.
Only four years ago on July 30
the day when this article is to be
Observation-Disclosures were struggling
dying and being manned by the
thousands, but bringing to mag
nificent conclusion the great Aisne-
Marne counter offensive.
Remember the Newspaper
Headlines of July, 1918?
AS you read this article in your
Sunday New York HERALD it will he
interesting to shut your eyes and re-
member the newspaper headlines Of
July, 191S--remember how, after the
dark days when it looked as if the
American army had arrived too late
and Paris would fall before the last
great German offensive, suddenly the
whole aspect of the situation was
changed and events crowded on each
other with bewildering rapidity until
the allied world went mad with joy on
November IL, 1918. the day the armis-
tice was signed.
"The enemy" wrote Gen. Pershing,
Encouraged his soldiers to believe
that The July Is attack would conclude
the war with German peace"
1t was Germany's last almost
superhuman effort. If the American
troops We're the men and the soldiers
Gen. Pershing firmly believed they
were the German effort was doomed to
failure.
although the prevailing view
among the Allies was that American
units were suitable only for the de-
fensive," wrote Gen. Pershing, 'and
that at all events they could be used
to better advantage under allied COM
mand, the suggestion (that American
troops be concentrated under Ameri-
can command as striking force
against the Marne salient) was ac-
cepted in principle, and my estimate
of their offensive qualities was soon
put to the test"
Cantigny, Chateau-Thierry and Bel
.eau Wood with their glorious achieve
ments for the American troops were
behind. The st. Mihiel and Meuse-
Argonne offensive operation on
grand scale were still I'm the future.
There, facing the allied Generals in
July. 1918, was a critical situation, i'm
which Gen. Pershing made every
American division with any sort of
training available for use in the
counter offensive which Gen. Petain
was secretly preparing. The Germans
had been held along the Marine with
the aid of American troops in the
memorable action at Chateau-Thierry.
of which the commanding General OF
the Third American Division wrote in
his report: