Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-20
VITAL ROLE OF u. S.
IN WAR ADMITTED
Secret Files Show Battle
Americans Begun in 1918
Was Turning Point.
BY WILBUR FORREST.

morning fIeUCn anu hHISElCdH tlUOIlS
broke from the shelter of a protective
canopy of heavily foliaged trees in the
forest Of Villa Cotterets in France
north of the Marine, and opened what !;
TODAY, for the first time recognized by
military authorities both in Berlin arc
Washington, as the battle which was
thI turning point of the European wal
in favor of the allies.
With the official records of the Ger
min, French and British armies al
their disposal, officers of the American
ge,.r=aI ataff and Of the War College
have, It is learned, reached the conclu-
sion that the battle of July 10, 1918
was the operation which paved the way
for allied victory. From that time on
Gard until November IL, 1918, wher
Marshal Foch and German plenipoten-
tiaries signed the armistice on table
in a private railway car in the Forest
Of Compiegne, the German initiative
which had existed from August, 1914
ceased to be, and Germany assumed the
defensive.
The conclusion a few days ago in the
German war Office which was cabled to
this country was of especial interest To
high American Army officers in Wash
tngton who have spent years in study
of World War tactics because only re-
Gently a secret monograph had beer
prepared placing the so-called second
battle of the Marine in the category OF
battles which have long stood in history
as deciding factors in the outcome OF
wars.
Battle Was Important.
1t Is not permitted to quote from this
monograph except to disclose that II
finds the battle of July 10, 1918. In
which American troops took an i'm
portant part with heaviest losses, ar
allied failure from the tactical side, but
of the greatest Importance in view OF
what was accomplished.
It removed the German threat against
Paris by reducing the scissors Rheims
Chateau ThierTy salient, releasing the
important railroad along the Marine
Valley. It caused the army. of the
evacuate the salient leaving several
thousand prisoners, huge dumps OF sup
plies and munitions and hundreds OF
cannon. 1t failed to bottle the army
of the Kaiser's son, however, as 1t was
expected might be possible.
Important from the psychological
side, however, it shook the morale Of the
German army, including that Of its
general staff and resurrected the badly
shaken morale of the allies. It brought
to allied commanders tie conviction
for the first :ime that American troops
being rushed to Europe by tens OF thou
sands weekly at this period were going
to bear the brunt In winning the war.
Doubted United States Troops.
It is known IN Washington that Mar
shalS Foch and Petatn, the former al
lied commander in-chief and the lat
ter commander in-chief of the French
armies, were not certain Of the ability
Of American divisions to face the enemy
and had taken the precaution on all
occasions to place French troops in re-
serve behind them.
There were two divisions OF French
troops behind the American 1st and I'd
Divisions when they Jumped of" IL
years ago and between them was the
crack Moroccan Division from the army
Of Gen. Mangin. The two French divi-
SioTlS In reserve never came forward TO
relieve the Americans and Moroccans.
however, because this force--four- fifths
Of 1t Amer1can-gained its cbjectives In
the most conclusive fashion.
Had French, British and italian
troops, lighting across the top of the
inverted triangle, which had Rheims
for its eastern point, Scissors its vest
ern point and Chateau Thierry its
southern point, been able to have adj
vanced as far as the two American
on July ID and 10, the army of the
German Crown Prince would have been
caught and captured as were iCS sup
phes' munitions and ertillery.
Held Up other Allies.
The French, British and Italian
forces were held up by a determined
German resistance. Almost equally de-
ternlined were the Germans to halt the
Americans and Moroccans but they
failed. The sack was therefore but half
closed and out of it on the eastern side
escaped the army of the Crown Prince
Nature assisted the hurried mobiliza-
ton of the Americans and MoroccanS
in the wooded area known as the Forest
of villa CoterettS on the night of July
II. Men, guns and supply wagons ad-
Vanced into the forest to be hidden BY
the trees and their movements muflec
by rain, wind and frequent bursts oil
thunder. The Germans had no way OF
knowing that long before morning the
wooded area was teeming with fighting
humanity and all the mechanical de-
vices with which men fight.
The First American Divisior-18th
25th, 18th and 26th regiments-was
first in line. The Second American
Diyision-5th and 9Th Marines and 9th
and 23rd Infantry of the Regular Army
were late and forced to double
quick" into position. The Moroccans
took their position between the two
American divisions in good time.
Germans Were Surprised.
The first intimation the Germans hao
that battle was In progress was the
terrific artillery fire which opened from
guns placed in position under the pro-
If Tlaa invo
tons from these guns swayed the trees
and shook the ground under the feet
of marching men. A little later went
the troops into the open. The Moroc.
cans were khaki clad like the Ameri,
cans. Through waving wheat fields
studded with German machine guns
over the slightly rolling country anc
through villages they went. They
gained the German artillery positions
taking guns and prisoners.
The line of advance was south o.
Scissors. 1t cut into the German line:
so deeply that the security of the Grown
Princes army became threatened and h,
was forced to give order to retire from
the territory to the South. This made
1t easier for other French and Ameri
can divisions along the Marine to ad
vance northward and the heavy oppo
sititon which the enemy put up on Jul,
18 began to melt on the following day
On the eve of July 10 the Ameri
can second division had advanced
miles, captured more than 1000 pris
oneYS and had suffered the heavies
casualties This division was thel
withdrawn.
Suffer Heavy Losses.
The LIST Division remained in lin
despite casualties which were perhap