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

The commander of the French Forti-
eth Division added to a polite protest
to the Americans the statement that
he expected to fire his artillery ac-
cording to previous plans. In other
words, it was our lookout if any Am
orleans were around when French
shells began dropping.
Things were now getting too warm.
The Fifth Corps and the First Divis-
ion were ordered to fall back COM
pletely out of the advance zone. The
Forty-second Division, hanging on the
heights of Sedan, was stopped in its
tracks. The word came down from
headquarters that the French, after
all, would occupy Sedan, and they did.
**#
In the six days since the first Amer
lean Army had set out on the final
dash for Sedan it had broken German
resistance and advanced twenty-five
miles. Our artillery, playing over the
railway line leading south and east
from Sedan through Carignan and
Montmedy, at last had cut the rail
way to Metz. For the first time since
the beginning of the war rail commu-
nication between the group of German
! armies in the north and those in the
south had been interrupted. The AL
lies were now in position to deal sep
arately with them.
Even before the outskirts of Sedan
were reached another great American
offensive, which might have outshone
the Meuse-Argonne in brilliancy, was
under way. The Second American
Army had been formed in October
under command of Maj.-Gen. Robert
Lee Billiard and was striking across
the Woevre plain to conquer the Bri-
cry iron basin and encircle the for
tress of Metz.
Now divisions in the First Army
which had advanced in the Sedan Of
fensive on November 1 were joining
in this great operation. The Third
Corps had wheeled across the Mouse
river early in November and was busy
cleaning the Germans out of the
heights they had held for so many
years, with the aid of French troops
on their right. The Fifth Division of
this corps, after encountering stiff
resistance for two days, crossed the
river at Dun-sur- Mouse on the morn
ing of November 5 on RATS, canvas
boats and even by swimming. And
let it be remembered that the Mouse
was pretty cold swimming in Novem-
Der.
, **#
The next day the Third Corps was
extending its successes east of the
Meuse, while the Germans were ap-
pealing for an immediate armistice,
and it continued to step out in the
general direction of the Moselle Val
ley, coordinating it's attack with that
,, of the Second Army, advancing north
ward toward Metz.
1t now appeared certain that the
war was about to end, but Marshal
Foch was urging the Allied forces on
everywhere, distrustful of the Ger
man overtures for peace and deter
mined to give the enemy no chance to
rally his disorganized forces. Conse-
quently, the Fifth Corps, with the
famous Second and the Eighty-ninth
Divisions, which had done magnificent
work in the advance on Sadan, was
pressed into action and on the night
2 of November 10 forced other cross
t ings of the Mouse but a few miles
J, southeast of Sedan itself.
For the morning of November IA
still another great offensive against
!, the harassed Germans was to begin
1 The French, with Americans cooper
ating on their left, were to strike
: southeast of Metz. A formidable force
3 launched against the weakest part OF
: the whole German front. Cavalry was
ready to follow up the pursuit which
: it was hoped would scatter the enemy
1 forces and send them in flight clear
back to the Rhine.
S This last great attack, of course
: never came off. On the chill, frosty
morning of November II came WORD
from Marshal Foch that the arms.
S tice had been signed, that the Allied
n forces everywhere on the Western
+ front were to cease firing at IL A. M
o and were to advance no further be-
e yond the positions they held at that
e hour.
: Virtually on the whole of the Amer
1 lean front the guns fired their last
e shots at 1885. Some advanced units
Il of the Fifth Corps, however, coulC
n not be reached in time with news Of
! the armistice and one regiment Of the
+ Second Division is said to have beer
l. banging away at the Germans acros:
IL the Meuse until nearly noon.
It Far to the north, where British anc
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