Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-05

( demonstrations Of the inquisitive by
/ ISLANDERS, but could not help graciouslJ
welcoming them as they appealed to his
memory CT those tragic hours.
| The marshal had arranged program
and the important thing in his opinion
was to follow the route from Chateau
de Mondement through the marsh OF
/ Saint Gond to Fere- Champenoise. the
rampant, the moat and the breach
which summarized his part in the battle
/ of the Marine.
| On September 7, connected on the
I left flank with the 5th Army, which was
making progress, and on the right flank
with the 4th Army which had great
difficulty in holding its ground, the 9th
Army was compelled to execute swing
| ing movement around the pivot consti-
tut5d in the west by the obstacles OF
| the marshes of Saint-Gond, by the
heights of Montgivreux, Mondement
and Allemant.
When, in the course of the day, fluc-
tuations occurred on the one side anc
the other of this rampant, its strength
! insured the safety of the maneuver. AL
our efforts were devoted to its defense
Gap Opens on Right Wing.
During the 9Th the turning movement
became even more pronounced. A gap
opened on the right wing, for the 18th
Corps had to fall back before a violent
attack launched before dawn and had
to abandon Fere-Champenolse.
The situation was grave. If the CEN
ter of the 9th Army split up, it meant
break in by the enemy on our rear,
the splitting of the French armies into
two fragments-in short, imminent
disaster
Before the end of the day Gen. Foch
succeeded in launching a counter
attack to stop this movement. 1t did
not attain its objective, Fere- Cham
penoise, but it held the enemy in check
and even thrust him back at some
points.
In the center, it wcs the part of the
Morocco division to tax back its line
as far as Mondement and intrench itself
there to hold the ground. Fortunately,
the gap on the right was closing up.
AS for the 9th Army. on the evening
of September 8 the battle resolved itself
into an attempt to maintain ground on
the heights of Mondcment and to re-
gain Fere-C hampenoise.
A characteristic Foch method-eX-
treme simplifications, but containing the
essential feature.
Difficulties Beaten Down.
For three days he had been maintain
ing his position, but under what diff
culties! The body of men strong
enough to attempt an attack of this
magnitude was the 42d Division. It
was engaged itself, and even more seri-
ously, on the extreme left, where. fur
thermore, it was advancing pari-passu
with the 5th Army.
In order to have this at his disposal
Gen. Foch during the night of the 9Th
9th made arrangements by telephone
with his neighbor on the left Gen.
Franchet d'Esperay, full of despair, with
the most perfect sense of the comrade-
ship of arms. gave him one of his corps,
the 10th, which could then take over
the task of the AID Division.
Meanwhile it was still necessary to
transport this division from the left TO
the right. The success of this rail
movement demanded that the 9th Army
should hold its position throughout the
day of the 9th.
Now, on the morning of September 8,
at the moment when this transfer was
taking place, the Germans launched
fresh assault with great energy and cap
tured the Chateau of Mondement. If
only they reached the ridge south of the
Height, the plain of Champenoise was
at the mercy of their guns, the move
ment of the 42d Infantry Division was
impossible, and the threat which had