The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-11-15

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! sight. The Americans, almost all
4 along the Meuse-Argonne front, were
occupying fine jump-off positions for
a sweep over the last series of ridges
between them and Sedan. In front of
i them was but one more fortified
trench system, the Freya Stellung,
which could not compare in strength
with others that had been overcome.
There were still woods from which the
enemy could offer strong resistance,
but there were high hopes on every
side on the night of October 81 that
Germans would indeed be on the run
within twenty-four hours.
Seven divisions leaped off on the
morning of the first on a front eX-
tending from the Aire river, on the
west, to the Mouse, on the east. The
attack was preceded and accompanied
the whole Argonne offensive. German
positions in the woods were drenched
with mustard gas. Their front lines
were pounded and when the Ameri-
cans crawled out of their 1ox holes to
start the attack they followed a dense
rolling barrage.
The morning was frightfully cold
and foggy. Overhead our planes
were seeking to add to the confusion
along the enemy front by dropping
bombs and machine cunning, but for
the first few hours they had difficulty
spotting their targets.
Of the seven divisions in line five
were National Army or drafted men.
They were, moving from left to right,
the Seventy eighth, Seventy-seventh,
Eightieth, Eighty-ninth and Ninetieth.
To the right of the Ninetieth was the
Fifth Regular Army division. In the
center and between the Eightieth and
Eighty-ninth was the famous Second
division of infantry and marines, the
spearhead of the attack.
##
Orders had been given that the adj
vance should be pressed with all pos
sible speed The Germans were to be
given no time to rest or reform their
lines. And that is about what hap
pened.
Except on the extreme left the at
tack was highly successful on the
n
the Germans to hold there if their re-
treat was not to be a disastrous rout,
and hold they did. There may have
been some evidences further north
where British and French were swing
ing in against the enemy, that Ger
man morale was low and seeds of rev.
olution already sprouting, but here
in the Argonne they were still bat
Ting tenaciously.
The Seventy-seventh and Seventy
eighth divisions on the left had made
but little progress during the day, and
as Gen. Joseph 7. Dickman, who COM
manded the First Corps ON the left
confessed, "the situation was disap-
pointing and there was gloom at oul
headquarters" But when the battle
= was resumed in the morning these di'
visions Constituting with the Eight
eth, the First Corps were in full
stride, swinging through Buzancy just
, as the report came that the Kaiser
had abdicated.
: There was day back early in Octo
Der when correspondents pored ovel
maps at Barbecue that Buzancy wa:
: an important name. The western edge
of the highest of the ridges the Am
: erican Army must surmount on 1T
way to Sedan and victory rested there
"When we get to Buzancy," staff Off
GERS used to say. But now we were a
) Buzancy and passing it scarcely will
) a thought of it's Importance.
So rapid had the German retrea
become that our weary infantry Il
many places couldn't keep up. Motto
cycles were ordered in pursuit as al
4 advance guard for motor trucks fillet
? with parties of doughboys in chase O.
the Germans. AS one may suspect
D this produced many thrilling encoun
a tiers where trucks ran by wooded posi-
lions still full of Germans, then be
= came aware of that fact and eithe
> had to stand ground and make figh
S of it or wheel in the road under no
: fire and make a quick retreat.
i Roads were congested, frequen
rains during November 2 and tn
night of November 2-3 made Their
g worse and the German artillery, i
: spite of the retreat, halted long enoug
after dark to plaster the America
front.
There had been no checking tn
5 Fifth Corps Ton the right of the First
: with the Second and Eighty-ninth di
5 visions The Eighty-ninth were Kan
u sas, Missouri, South Dakota and Ne
: braska men who had been trained a
e Camp Funston, Kansas, by Maj.-Ger
n Leonard Wood and looked man flo
e man taller and broader than any othe