Show uns oute f Fiander b I Take Audenarde lA z 1 Western 1 et n iB Boys s End En n vy War a for Brussels Between tho the forested mountain of Alsace where sonic some of the tim American Amer jean ican divisions s served long tours of or duty in quiet sectors to tho the flat generally open seaboard plains in Belgian Flanders there aro great differences not only in the tho to topography of th the tho country but in tho the construction construction construction con con- of the villages and the Iho mode of lifo life of tho the people By far the greater part pare of or the thc combat divisions i of tho the American expeditionary forces fought their battles in the region between Metz and Soissons roughly midway between these two extremes both in location and character says Sll'S The Stars and Stripes But as ns though it were preordained that at least some American troops should experience battle battlo under nil all tho the conditions presented by bythe bythe bythe the western front tho an and ana divisions concluded ed their active service in that re region on close to the pea ea which for centuries has been known as ns Il the cockpit of Europe Tho very name of Flanders recalls these old wars in the Low rov Countries from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries when French English Spanish Austrians and Dutch by turns fought with one ono another over oyer its fertile fields and around its quaintly picturesque towns and brings bungs to mind the figures of such Buch soldiers of or old as William tho iho Silent tho the Duke of Alva AI Alexander Farnese Turonne Con Condo Conde e Marlborough Prince Eugene of Savoy Von Von- en- en dome and many others around whoso whose deeds tradition at nt least has hos woven volumes of romance With Bloody mat t But It is a n. land whoso quiet beauty contrasts sharply ply with Its bloody past Post Tho The villages and particularly th the tho farmhouses are aro much mich moro more numerous than In h tho regions of or tho the Argonne and tho the and tho the long Ion low low- roofed buildings building's are arc generally con- con of ot red brick Instead of stones Long straight roads bordered b by rows tOWS of or o erhan overhanging ln trees stretch away for tor fornillos miles toward the slender r spires of ot some Flame village church and hero and thoro winced broad d windmills crown rown tho UtA I summits of or th the gentle genUo hills while tho the thoc c courses of at tho the frequent nt canals and creeks ks are defined across the tho lowlands b by b- fringes of ot bushy basket poplars East Cast of at the tIle devastated do battlo battin zon zone extending from front southward to and L Lute few rugged spots mar the landscape All AU tho the country countr is ts neatly th tilled l or deep deeply 1 grassed the farms and villages Ho lie nestled among fruit trees and gardens gardana anti and there thero Is Isan an air of homely hamel comfort about even cn th tin humblest dwelling It was Into this land more symbolic per pcr- app 1 than thap an tny iny other othor In Europe of ot a old ure struggle lc between liberty and despotism In ono one form or another that lie Iho and divisions were seat shortly shortt after tho the middle of or October fresh freab from their Ir hard battles between tho the Mouse rind and tho Argonne Th The Tho tide nf of battle In tn Flander n ns everywhere else tilse had been hen steadily retting In favor of the allies all since tho Initial attack which In this region occurred on 28 S That at attack attack at- at tack had broken tho German front She bc- tween pros and nd anti later 11 had parried carried forward tho the line lino of the Belgian el British and l French rench armies operating In th tho army group roup of ot the king kluJ of ot the Belgians until by October 2 22 tho whole coast const was ws cleared tho the west h hank of or the ScheIdt river Ther was Wll occupied from onne to tr A b by General Plumer's British arm army while north of or J. J French and Belgian forces held a R. line crossing the Lys Ls to the frontier of Holland In order to bring the northern part of or this front up to the and to effect the th capture of ot Ghent the armies on that flank were reinforced and the and GIst United States divisions were ero placed at it atthe the tho disposal of ot the king Icing of ot t the e Belgians and by hy him assigned to tho the jurisdiction rt f f the commanding gen gen- of or the thc French arm army in Belgium This flue army consisted Of or three e corps which lay In- InIn i In line lino with tho corps corp on the tho left lert the In the center and tho the on Ort the right To the left of ot the tile French army lay that of ot the Bel Belgians gians gian tn to Its Us right the Second British army The rhe commanding gener general l of ot the French rench army pl placed ced the division IT in tho the or center corps corpe and the Slat In the nh or left leCt corps The mison mission mis mis- sion on o of the whole arm army was tho the same flame to drive the enemy across the SCh which on the on-the the front of ot tho the American divisions was about 14 kilometers die die- p. p jf Yanks Yanka nka Relieve On the Ule of at October 25 I and 30 04 O the division relieved the tho French division In the called no immediately east cast of the Lye Lys river and the Dist Olst bt division dl T relieved lIe tho the French division on the fl fr front nt between the tho villages of ot and tn Steenbrugge e farther south n a little farther tarther east of lh lilt ho To Lys The divisions lonA of at the and corps no now stood from left lort to right French U. U S. S R. R French and Slat t U. U S. S divisions All attacked tO toward their respective objectives on th ScheIdt at tIle the same ROme zero hour lour roM rn n n. n m. m October 31 ti n nut But ut as tho the two United States divisions did not attack side BIde b by skis It t will be as well wen to trace tt the course ourse of their operations separately separately sepa sepa- The division commanded b by MaJ Gen Cen C. C S. S occupied lt HI sector Bector with the infantry in inthe tho the front line tine on the rl right ht and two battalions of ot the Infantry on the loft left tho the Infantry being In division dl- dl vision reserve reser on the right and the In corps reserve on the tho left crt v the greater reater part of ot the en en- en held IteM a n support position in the center Artillery wa wan being furnished hed by tho the artillery of tho the French division while the nero aero squadron balloon company No 87 and anda a a. cavalry cn squadron all of ot the tho French army wore also attached Tho The front approximately OO meters r in tn In length 1 lay along the tho embankment of ot the railway ay between Ghent and the tho German positions to be attacked occupying tho the gradual 11 slop elopes on of ot the Ute rIdo In front just jual beyond which at t ata a SL distance from irom rom tho the Lye Lys of t tour four ur I and n n a half kilometers lay the mn village e of or This ridge 1 was practically all open with fl a a. surface of cultivated cui- cui fields separated from ono one another by hy hedges and fences fence and thoro thore were several everal farms and small email patches o of woodland scattered over it I whore machine guns Juns might be bo em- em placed The Tho hf high h road b between tween Cruy- Cruy tl ant and the village of ot Olsene on the bank of th the Lye Lya Immediately In the rear Icar of ot tho the center of ot the tho division waa wu tho the axis of ot liaison Balson between thIS the right and left brigades Tho The enemy's posItions positions posh posh- wore not entrenched hut but he still had plenty of or artillery and machine guns and ml might ht be bo e expected to resist strongly for tor tho the sake sako of protecting approaches to tho the city of ot Brussels which lay almost directly cast at nt n D distance of or about GO CO kilometers An artillery pr preparation of or only five minutes preceded the attack on the morning of or O October tober SI Sl and tho the en enemy on- on em emy responded Immediately with a n heavy preparation counter in which ho he 1 w. w ft A which were er peculiarly lai effective ite ii e eb b because ulI i that morning the wind chanced chancel to bo be from tho the cast east and tho the gas g was waR carried as asfar asfar astar far tar back as division headquarters at four tour kilometers northwest northwest northwest north north- west of Olsene However the Infantry started over oer at with a a. rolling barrage barrage bar bar- rage ahead and In apito of ot the heavy shelling especially on tho the roads progressed reseed rapid rapidly reaching Ita its first ob objective objective ob- ob practically pr way half to Cruy- Cruy by S 15 0 a. a m m. Prisoners however how how- ever eor taken as e early as ns 73 declared that the greatest opposition would be encountered at tho tilo crest of ot tho the ridge The Tito division on the left leet was already held up by machine gun Iun fire from irom tho tile considerable woodlands in its front but though It did not carry those thoRO woodlands until 2 p. p m m. the tho lith division after atter a n brief brier pauso pause on its first objective went ahead again at ot to toward rd tho the crest of ot t the tho o ridge Th Tho German artillery fire tIre was waa vcr very destructive l on Olsene Oleno where there a nu-m nu number number num ber of or De Belgian lan civilians cI were killed or wounded but but aside fr from m the tho Inconvenience Inconvenience Inconvenience Incon Incon- caused by the frequent cutting cutting cutting cut cut- ting of oC the Uie forward orward telephone communications it did not have much effect on tho the Infantry advance nor Mop atop tic fie on tho the well paved roads where tho the American ambulances were ere able to give prompt attention to the wounded Having S' S approached close to th the tho top of ot tho the ridge the infantry halted between be- be tween 10 and 11 o'clock Awhile tho the artillery shelled the er of ot the sloping ground in front Upon re resuming ro- ro suming the tho advance the infantry reached tho the crest first early in tho the afternoon the being held back backon on Oil the left partly because ouse of ot resistance resistance resist resist- ance and partly because the divIsion division divi divI- sion was not up on the Iho line lIno At about 3 p p. p m m. a n united attempt was ordered or or- dered ered to clear the lovel level top of ot tho the ridge so eo that command could be bc so- so cured over Crush village and tho the valley In which it lies This Tills result had been substantially accomplished in inthe tho the center by about C Ii p p. p m m. when tho the troops were ordered to halt holt and In In- In trench for tor tho the night on the tho line occupied pled pied 1 although both wore were still sharply r refused for liaison with the tho adjoining divisions Eleven German officers and lOG enlisted mon men had been boon captured durIn during the days day's operations operation Hun In Ind d With the crest crost of oC tho the highest point between th the Lya Lys and tho the Scheidt practically secured tho at at- at tack tacit of ot November 1 I starting at a. a m m. proceeded rapidly Tho The enemy wa was obviously ob withdrawing an and usInG only machine to guns guna cover their retreat re re- re treat despite the tile fact that of or prisoners Indicated that ho had hadon on this front all nIl or parts of or five rive divisions divi the tho and Infantry tho the Hid Landwehr the tho dIsmounted dismounted dis die mounted cavalry and the tho Guard Ersatz divisions By 7 o'clock clock the tho battalion of ot the Infantry pushing down the re reverse reverse reverse re- re verse slopes had passed paused through the meandering streets of ot and 20 minutes later Inter Lodo was occupied The forward movement was waa wasso wasso so BO rapid that it was difficult for tor higher commanders to know where their front were especially as ns the reconnoitering recon- recon airplanes could not the white cloth panels spread read out by tho the Infantry to indicate their positions because so eo many enthusiastic Belgian inhabitants were wore waving chiefs By 13 11 o'clock however the lino line was reported by to be within a a. kilometer of or the tho t end and by 6 C p. p m. m both advance regiment w wr w r firmly established on the thi west t- t tb b bank k I the tho holding the o of or 1 and the tho the village of or Byne farther tarther south having advanced about eight kilometers since morn morn- ing Orders were now received from General Gen Gen- eral oral Fenet commanding the Thirteenth corps torpe to pus push detachments across th the th river and tho artillery of ot the French division was directed to assist tho advance by sanding Bonding light batteries close behind the infantry with heavy batteries supporting tho the attack from positions further back The enemy w was s stiffly holding tho hills about kilometer east of ot th the tho river while artil tut lery Jory was wa swooping the tho n marshy hy ground Around in tho the valley the Steep bluff at t Eyne and Bourne and tho railroad emb embankment embank embank- mont moat of ot the tha Ghent railway at its bl bus base se Tho The attempt to cross crosa at Heurne resulted in a a. hard struggle By Dy In tho the morn morning In small email detachments detachments detach detach- ments meats of ot the tho Infantry forced their wa way over oyer on bridges improvised from r 7 4 I 1 V AND I ST ll I ta i IN i cHEN M. M 31 J av 3 H t Nov t I- I I cL'S c 4 J LS L'S 4 1 e I ct I e i vest Q A It 0 I ft s Ic Au guILi guI- I. I ADiV Li V V V I I V V V 4 0 V I 3 i io V VI a I I L L- L I j jf I w f- f V V V From the Stars and Stripes fallen trees and the wreckage of ot houses In tho the town and two hours later about men were over hut But tho the violent fire of tho the German artillery with both high explosive and nd gas had hod practically destroyed and movement was almost impossible im un- un possible on the exposed bluff blurt west of oC tho the river Tho artillery fire Ciro of or the tho French and tho the U. U S. S divisions divisions divi divi- alone was directed to covering tho right flank Clank of ot tho the troops beyond tho the river but tho the Intention of ot throwing d it pontoon bridge at was abandon abandoned abandoned aban aban- don d owing to the Iho In Intense ten so firo at that point and tho the bridge material was shifted to Ene Byne where a bridge was vaa gotten about 6 p p. p m. m af after at- at ter darkness had fallen tallen Meantime into lato In the afternoon about fifty tiny mon men monor of or tho the infantry had made their way W over on tho the temporary bridge of tho the Infantry and during durin tho tho night the and battalions of ot the latter hitter regiment also abo crossed a a. I pontoon bridge having boon completed complot d. d while about midnightS midnight ono other battalion batta- batta batta batta- i lion of oC the got over on a 0 foot foo footbridge I bridge Just finished by the engineers I hUe WiiLie the Ibe Push ruh nt On Though the enemy continued to cc concentrate con n- n the most strenuous opposition opposition tion by means of ot artillery and machine guns sun against the tho forces debouching across tho the scheidt and though ho employed as ss many as os ten airplanes at ata atU u a time machine gunning tho the bridges the passage continued steadily A regiment of ot the Slat division which was now nor held up before the city of ot of Audenarde was wall authorized to cross on the foot toot at ot Eyne for the purpose of making a flank attack on the en enemy's cli- cli hemy h- h emy's emya position on the tho heights east of the river from Aud Audenarde but tho the regiment eventually failed to utilize the crossing Two Two- companies les o of ot Infantry infantry try and ono one of ot machine guns gung from tho the French division however wont over early In In tho the |