The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-08-18

GU pO0S4Ol0 W many VI Iu0M IA0S
three years had elapsed since they
made the famous charge that captur-
ed Gesnes from the Germans and
broke the Kriemhelde line. AS the
men of the regiment shook hands and
visited in the Legion hall in Butte,
old associations brought SO wildly
before them the atmosphere of the
battlefield that time was eliminated,
and once again they were marching
through the dust up to Epinonville,
through Cheppy Woods, and then on
through the Bots de Cierges to the
attack on Gesnes, in which nearly
every officer in the regiment was
killed or wounded, and the regiment
lost 500 non-commissioned officers
and enlisted men.
The 362nd was composed so large
ly of Montana men that it was recog-
nized as "a Montana regiment, and
its colors belong to this state. It has
claim to undying fame, for it was
the 362nd that first penetrated the
German fourth and last line of de-
tense in the Argonne, baptizing the
sod with the blood of many of its
men. No action was more decisive
in its results during the war, and no
regiment performed more CALAMITY
than these MOntanans in those hours
of desperate fighting that broke the
war spirit of the Germans
The events which led up to the
Argonne offensive are of interest in
showing the Importance of the terri
fic action around Gesnes. The St.
Mihiel salient had been reduced on
Contornho~ 1910 aud
American staff at Chaumont was TAX
ing up the task Of launching the at
tack in the Meuse-Argonne, which
had been planned long before by
General Pershing. The Germans had
planned to shorten their lines by a
withdrawal, which required vast
pivoting movement based on Metz.
This movement depended wholly for
its success upon the holding of the
pivot, and the line in the vicinity of
the pivot. The railroad line skirting
the Argonne to the north, through
Montmedy and Sedan, represented
nearly one-half of the wholly supply
and troop-moving power Of the Ger
man line of communications. Never
during the war had an essential
German position been so seriously
threatened. Its severance was the
cause Of the retirement and request
for an armistice.
The American Front
The American front, assigned for
their advance, extended eighteen
miles from the Argonne on the west
to the Mouse on the east. The coun-
try In this area was hilly, broken,
and q large part Of it heavily wooded.
It had been the scene Of the most fe-
rocious and deadly fighting after the
German failure at Verdun. but after
the Germans had been beaten back
by Nivelle and Mangin, the Argonne
became the scene of trench warfare,
with continual Smelling, gassing, at
tacks and counter-attacks, raids and
mining.
September 21 the 91st division, in
bivouac in the Foret de Hesse, re-
ceived its orders to attack almost due
north between Avocourt and Vau-
quois.
When the 91st division Jumped
off, on its first great adventure, the
American and German lines were sep
arated only by the narrow valley Of
the Buanthe. Both sides were pro-
their front lines were located, and
their observation Of one another's
trenches. But airplane photos and
statements of German prisoners
showed the main German defenses
to be composed Of four lines. The
first position consisted of q double
line Of trenches and wire. Between
two and three kilometers farther
north were the trenches, wire and
dugouts of the Hagen stellung. %
considered by the Germans as an
intermediate or first withdrawal line.
The third position. known. a. the
''Volker stellung. "-lay along q ridge
four kilometers to the north, which
was strongly fortified and dominated
broad stretches of open country with
the artillery behind It. Five to seven
kilometers to the north was the
Kriemheld Stellung.
Aside from these lines, the entire
country had been most completely
equipped with subsidiary defenses in
the form of minor lines and switch
trenches. organised woods and forti-
fled farms, ~ we'll as isolated ma
chine gun positions and nests so To-
Gated AZ to rake and cSoss-rake all
available approaches to main posi-
tfons. The Germans were also ex-
cellently equipped with observation
posts and wire lines to artillery and
machine gun positions. besides bal
loon and aviation service far superior
to the Americans.
Tho Attack BEGINS
The Germans. sensing the extent
direction and force Of the impending
blow. decided at once to abandon the