Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-23
Lost Battalion Relieved
by 18th Division as
Argonne Is Cleared
of German Forces.
BOTH DRIVES ENEMY
BACK SEVEN MILES
Foe Puts Up Hard Fight,
Contesting Every Inch
of Ground as Allies
Continue Victory.
CHAPTER LXXI.

CHAPTER LXXI.
TINE Meuse-Argonne operations
carried out between october
and II consisted of four speciec
4 attacks, as follows:
% October THE LIST Corps,
! employing the 82d Division between
| the list and 28th Divisions, attacked
the eastern edge OF the Argonne
( Forest.
az october s-The French 18th
Corps, reinforced by the American
| $50 and 29th Divisions, attacked east
of the MeuSe on the front Beaumont
Brsbant-sur-M Mouse. with the object OF
selling the heights there.
go October 9.-The 5th Corps. re-
irforced by including within its front
the LIST Division, to which was attached
a brigade from the 9lst Division. at
tackled the heights of the Bots de
Romagne.
"a october 10 and IA general
attack on the 20-mile front from Beau
| mont west to the Aire River.
p The French 4th Army had not been
| able to keep abreast of the American
| lst Army, and 1t was evident that
clearing the Argonne Forest would ma
terially aid its advance. The oppor-
J tunity presented itself just at this time.
Although on october the enemy con-
tinued to hold the heights Of Cunel
and Romagne, nevertheless sufficient
| space had been secured along the Aire
River to warrant an attack to the
west with the object Of striking the
rear OF the enemy's positions in the
AI'gonne Forest.
Lost Battalion Incentive.
There was another important factor
that entered into the decision to force
| the withdrawal Of the enemy from the
/ Argonne. This was the predicanent OF
| the lost battalion" which, under Mai
c. w. Whittlesey. had been holding
! out near Binarville since October 2, as
mentioned IN the previous chapter.
Efforts to relieve the battalion had so
! far been unsuccessful, and the men had
consumed their rations and expended
| most Of their ammunition, although our
avtators had tried to drop small amounts
to them. The battalion was resisting
| heroically against great odds, without
any thought Of surrender.
Pursuant to the plan an attack was
made by the 28th and SD Divisions
against the left and rear of the enemy's
positions in the region of Chatel-
Chehery and Cornay. After a night
march Of eight miles the S2d Division
| (Duncan) entered the line between the
28th (Muir) and the LIST (Summerall)
In series of daring movements to the
west by the 2Sth and s2d Divisions
Cornay. Chatel-C hehery and the DON'T
mating hills northwest of Aprenont
were captured.
The 82d Division captured Hill 18o
with dash on the 7th, but the attack
| against Cornay was broken up BY
heavy hre. After occupying the hill
north of Chatel- Chehery, which had
been taken over from the 28th Division,
1t suffered severe casualties In repulsing
an enemy counter-attack.
On the 9th, while executing a change
OF direction from west to north, ele-
ments Of the division entered Cornay.
but heavy Smelling, said to be from our
own Artillery, forced their retirement.
! The town was again occupied the fol-
lowing day, but was recaptured by a
| counter-attack of the fresh German
4lst Division. On this same day the
SD Division took over the front Of the
18th and made a substantial advance.
Argonne Forest Cleared.
The 2sth Division, October z, cap
tured Chatel- Chehery In splendid fash
ion. Troops OF the division crossed into
i the sector Of the 62d Division and oc-
cupied portion Of the hill north Of the
town, which had menaced its flank.
The 26th advanced on the 9Th
against heavy machine-gun fire, and the
! following day was relieved by the S2d
/ Division. For IL days it had faced the
almost impregnable defenses of the
Are with fine courage and endurance
and had well earned a rest.
Although the continued operation of
these two divisions was attended by
severe fighting the results were i'm
mediate. The enemy was forced to
withdraw from that region, the Argonne
Forest was cleared, and the nth Divi-
sion was enabled TO advance to the re-
lief Of its "lost battalion" 1t then
| pushed on TO the north in pursuit of
the retreating enemy.
Gen. ClaudePs French 18th Corps,
east Of the Meuse, attacked October 8
with the object of seizing the heights
northwest of Beaumont. At that time
| 1t consisted of two French and two
American divisions, the 33d and 29th,
making the corps in numerical strength
! two-thirds American. Though opposed
| by strong German resistance, the as
sault was successfully directed by Gen.
| Claudel, and our lines were advanced
during the next few days to the COM
handing ground between Beaumont
and Richene Hill.
In a well conducted operation the
$50 Division (BelD crossed the Mouse
early October by bridges constructed
during the night, captured Consenvoye,
and progressed up the neighborine
slopes. The following day a further
advance was made, but heavy fire from
the Borne de Cornouiller and the
failure Of the troops on the right to
keep up forced a retirement to the
morning line. This ground was re-
taken despite strong resistance, and
by night Of the 10th the division had
established itself on the west slopes Of
Richene Hill.
Extended German Front.
The 5sth Brigade Of the goth Diu-
sion Morton, under command Of the
French 18th Division, against consider
able opposition pushed forward into
the wood south of Richene/ Hill on
the 9Th, and during the next two days
completed the capture of those woods.
On the 18th the goth Division took
command of its 58th Brigade. It's 57th
Brigade, still under the French 18th
Division, on the 18th made important
gains in the Bots d'Ormont
This advance Of the French nth
Corps deprived the enemy OF many i'm
portant observation points and battery
positions. The main purpose of the at
tack, however. was to increase the fight
ing front Of the army and thus engage
and consume the maximum number OF
German divisions. In this latter re-
spect the attack was particularly suc-
cessful, aimed as It was directly at the
pivot Of the German line on the western
front. From this time on until the
armistice the threat in this region
forced the enemy to maintain east Of
the Melisa At least tun Additional II.