Show 1 t tt U all mR K II er ng countries count rica by the North American AmericanS t Newspaper t Alliance I I CeC 4 1 World re- re S t I ill t e. e A E F it including the i R y a Scandinavian t In whole R. R Ru- Ru a or in t part art prohibited i 04 Service v By Gene O T. T Pershing CHAPTER Continued Continued The Twenty eighth Infantry under undo Col Hanson E. E Ely designated for th the assault was reinforced b by machine guns engineers and other special units Additional French rench artillery artiller was sent tr to assist the artillery brigade of the division divis ion and par particularly to suppress the hostile batteries attempting to Interfere Interfere Inter Inter- fere fore with the consolidation of the new nea position after It should be captured Yanks Splendid Under Fire On the morning of May l 28 after afler r a n brief brier artillery preparation the Infantry Infantry try advanced on a front of ot a mile and anda andR a R quarter The T le village e of ot CantIgny and the adjacent heights were quickly taken r relatively heavy casualties were Inflicted on the enemy and about prisoners were captured Our troops behaved splendidly and suffered but slight ht loss Joss In to the actual attack Events developing farther east however how ever were seriously to complicate the success The German ns assault In force against the French along the ChemIn des Dames between Soissons and Rheims began on the morning of the Twenty-seventh Twenty and was making dangerous dangerous dangerous dan dan- headway By the morning of ot the twenty eighth th the gains of the enemy en en- enemy emy were such that the French high command was compelled to relle relieve e much of ot the reinforcing artillery behind behind be be- hind the First division and transfer It to that front The TIle enemy's artillery within ran range e of ny thus became superior to ours and was able to concentrate a terrific fire on the unsheltered d troops In the captured position Ills HIs reaction against our troops was extremely violent violent vio vio- lent and apparently he was del determined at nt all cost to counteract the excellent effect the American success had produced produced pro pro- upon the allies ames Under cover of heavy y bombardment n a series of ot counterattacks were made by the enemy but our young onn Infantrymen infantrymen tr men stood their ground and broke up every attempt to dislodge them The regiment sustained severe casualties from the large caliber shells poured down don upon It and had to be reinforced hy by b a battalion each from the Eighteenth Eight sixth Twenty and regiments It Itus was us a matter of to the whole A. A E. E F F. F that the troops of this division divi sion in their first first battle hattie and in the unusually trying unusually trying situation that fol ful followed followed lowed displayed ed the fortitude and courage of veterans held th their ir wins gains and denied the enemy the slightest ad ad- vantage U. U S. S Troops at Chateau Thierry The Tile alarming situation had caused General Petain to call caU on on me on the for American troops to be sent to the region of ot Chateau Thierry The Third division DIckman then in fn training near Chaumont haumont being the only division within reach rench besides the Second was ordered to move north im im- im mediately Dickman started ted his motorized motorized motorized mo mo- machine-gun machine battalion over the road on the tIie afternoon of Ma May 30 The Infantry and engineers entrained the same and tle divisions division's supply trains marched d overland o The first element to reach Chateau Thierry was the machine gun battalion which arrived the afternoon of May 31 anI and immediately went Into action against the enem enemy who then 11 held the half of th the town north of the Marne n By fly da daylight dalIght lIght on Tune June 1 nil all available fi guns buns had been provided with cover and were vere in their positions one company with eight guns gun and another with nine guns about yards ar s to the east g guarding the approaches to the nl railroad railroad rail rail- 1 road bridge From these positions the they repulsed nil all attempts by the Germans Germane to cross the Marne Meanwhile as the Infant Infantry of the division came up on June 1 its bat were put Into line to reinforce the French from Chateau Thierry east to Dormans The conduct of the time ma gun chine battalion in this this' operation was highly praised b by General Petain In a citation Issued later Stopped German Drive on Paris The Second division llund Bundy May 30 was near en Chaumont and wa was preparing to move mo-e northward the next day for concentration near neau Beauvais to relieve relle-e the First division at Can Can- tigny But Its orders were changed late that night an and the division movIng moving move ing by motor trucks was rushed toward to ward Maux twenty miles northeast of Paris Reaching there the leading ele ele- elements elements elements ments were hurried forward in the direction direction di dl- of ot Chateau Thierry The roads were crowded with French troops and refugees There was great confusion on fusion among the rapidly retreating French troops many of them sa saying to our all lost men that was y The initial delo deployment ment of the Second Sec See and ond division was made hy by h the Ninth infantry and the Sixth re regiment of marines marines ma mil- rines J June ne 1 1 across ucross the Paris earls highway at Luc Lucy Lucy-IL Lucy Lucy-le-Bocage In front of Mont Mont- LIons aux aux supposedly In support of two French divisions but hut the French had orders to fall hack back through the American Amerlan lines In the early morning morning morn morn- ing of June Tune 2 the tile Twenty third Infantry Infantry tr try then on the left ien was W-IS replaced b by bythe bythe the French One Hundred Sixty seventh division and when reinforced hy by one battalion of ot the Fifth Firth marines the Fifth machine gun battalion und mind some ell engineers It was teas deployed to the right between the Sixth marines and ud the Ninth infantry to fill a u gap gup in the French rench line tine and by June 5 the entire division became engaged Considering that this was its first experience in tit battle this division made marle madea marlea a splendid defense repulsed all German German German Ger Ger- man attacks and hy by Its timely arrival effectively stopped stopped the German advance advance ad ad- vance ance on Paris Bring Relief to French The sudden appearance and dramatic drama drama- tic entrance of the Second and Third divisions Into luto the shattered and broken fighting lines and their dash and courage courage cour cour- age In battle produced a favorable ta effect ef ef- ef feet upon the tile French It must have been with a decided feeling of relief relIc that the worn and tired French arm array army retreating before vastly superior numbers caught sight of Americans arriving In trucks at Meaux and und marchIng marchIng marching march- march Ing thence on foot hats off hurrying eagerly forward to battle And the Germans who had been filled with propaganda deprecating the American effort and the quality of their training training train train- ing must have been surprised and doubtless rather disconcerted by meetIng meetIng meetIng meet- meet Ing strong resistance by hy Americans on nn different portions of this active battle hattle battlefront battlefront front especially when our troops advanced ad ad- advanced at once to meet the attack in open combat This defeat of the French furnished the second striking confirmation of the wisdom of training troops for or open warfare Replies to French Criticism After the success of our troops we were in no mood to listen to self ap pointed critics M M. Andre called on me upon m my return to Paris and undertook to point out that our staff was Inefficient and offered criticisms CIU of our organization As this tills was as something he could not possibly know about I replied that he lie had got an entirely entirely en en- Urel erroneous Impression and that our staff was second to none nOlle In either ability or efficiency I advised him that we had ha quite enough of this sort of tiling thing from the French either military or civilian and suggested that if It his people would cease troubling themselves so so much about our affairs and attend att nd more strictly to their own we should all nil get bet along much better I did not fall fail to appreciate M. M Tardieu's Tardieu's Tardieu's Tar- Tar dieu's ability and find his helpfulness on man mane occasions many occasions but this this- constant inclination In Inclination in- in on the part of a certain ele ee- element ment meat among the French Drench to assume a u superiority sup that did not exist then or at any later period added to the attempts attempts attempts at at- tempts of some of them to dl dictate had hall reached the limit CHAPTER The sixth session of the supreme war council was convened June Julle 1 WIS 1018 The Important matter of further shipment shipment ship ship- ment of ot American troops was taken up up- As already indicated It was my mr opinion opinion opinIon ion that neither the character of the k i iw M ff k l S- S k w t f f d y ft Doughboys Bringing In German Prisoners ers troops to be sent over nor their disposition dispo sWon was within the province of the council to decide but hut that these Questions questions questions ques Ques- should lie hE determined according to circumstances and und after discussion with the allies So I objected to their consideration by the council as such and sug suggested Ested a Ii meeting outside the council which was approved Accordingly In the late afternoon General Geuer 1 Rich Foch Lord Milner British h war minister General We aud and I 1 1 with Colonels Conner and Boyd llod m met t in the premiers premier's room General Foch he began un I b by stating the serious condition ll of the tile allies and und proposed the continued shipment shipment ship ship- ment from America of at nothing but infantry in in- fantry and aud machine-gun machine units In June and Jul July In effect lect In each month g er Every one realized till thin gravity of oC the allied situation as as stroll strongly I as ns ashe ashe he did hut but as ns previously lre and persistently per per- persistently contended by me there were two sides to the question Foch Becomes Excited I was prepared to make male some concessions COli con cessions and stated slated m my s Ic s but bUI neither facts nor al' al arguments s' s seemed to make an any Impression General Foch Fuch especially was very positive posit I ve and earnest and aud In fact became quite excited ex ex- excited cited waving his hands and lInd repeating The battle the battle nothing else counts With equal emphasis I 1 urged ur ed that we must build buld up our organization us fast as possible to carry carr on the battle hattle to the end and that our program had been seriously Interrupted by concessions concessions conces conces- already made I called attention to the fact that the railways all ail over o France were on the point of ot breaking down for lack of efficient operators and find of skilled wor workmen workmen work work- men to repair rolling roiling stock that our ports would be hopelessly blocked unless unless unless un un- un- un less we could Improve the he railways this his plan would leave us men short to complete combat units and till nil up special organizations that were absolutely necessary In the S S. S 0 O. S. S and finally that the restriction of our shipments to Infantry and ma ma- chine sun un units would he a very dangerous dangerous dan clan and short sighted short sighted poll policy C To much of this he paid little or no noI attention and replied that all these I things could be he postponed Wanted Wilson Informed Graeme Thompson British expert on transportation and supply came into the room at this point with Mr Lloyd George and General Sir Henr Henry Wilson and to took lc part In the discussion Mr Lloyd George said he thought President President dent Wilson would he tie deeply ply Interested Interest Interest- ed to g got get t General Foch's Fochs view of or the situation and added that tha as America had hind no prime minister present he thou thought ht It would be Inconvenient for forus forus forus us to make a decision but hut that this subject should be ought brought before the whole council I then called attention to a cable from Secretary of War ar Baker Balser already quoted showing that the President had been heen much embarrassed by representations representations made inane to him personally b by time tile French and British ambassadors and had suggested that flint the matter might he hee settled by hr a n conference between General Foch and myself I pointed out that the cable did not mention the supreme war Will council and I again stated m my opposition to making the subject one of general discussion il by byall byall byall all allied representatives s and anel their staffs I did not fall fail to point out further that the President was tru trusting m my Judgment In this matter As nothing was being accomplished and hoping the number of participants In the discussIon discussion discussion dis dis- might be limited d I proposed we adjourn until the following day Pershing Again Answers Foch The next nett afternoon when we assembled assembled as as- M. M Clemenceau was waiting for the rest of us and instead of there being fewer conferees the number hail had increased ed Not ot unlike t the e situation at nt Abbeville a month before everybody e was keyed up Ul and as we WP had expected expect expect- ed the question had to h he fought all allover allover over a again aln General Foch supported by M. M Clemenceau Clem Clem- and Lloyd George Georg wanted nothing hut but infantry and machine gunners gunners gunners gun gun- ners In June and July to which I was strongly opposed again insisting that sufficient importance hal had not been at at- tacked to to my reasons for fOl the necessity of the auxiliary troops omitted in III June Tune Foch resorted to hi his repeated often question whether I was willing to take the risk to which I replied ver very positively that I 1 was ready to assume any responsibility m my proposal might entail en en- tall tail but that I must have a n greater reater proportion n of other troops to keep the American organization from going to smash Men Called In May Untrained Other objections which the allies apparently overlooked o were ere that the time untrained men ca called led out in hl May could not possibly be ready for fOl service until untila a considerable time after arrival and that neither the French nor the British could provide all nIl the equipment and land transportation the they would fleet need In accord accordance ne with my m program I wa wn way s swilling willing to agree to the shipment of fully trained infantry not needed for forthe forthe forthe the instruction of new nety drafts hut but felt fell that this point should be left to the Judgment of the secretary of war Mr Lloyd George then concluded udell that as a consequence July Tuly would b ht hI hIa hta a blank and In a rather dejected tons ton he said the allies s were In a sense In Inthe Inthe inthe the h hands grinds l of the lie United States II- II spoke c of the generous g and chivalrous attitude of President Wilson and said all they could do was to acquaint him with their needs need and call upon lon him hlin to come to their aid more particular particularly ly Iy to the aid of France at ut the period of nf the most terrible extremity that she sitE had hail yet et encountered CHAPTER Further conversation et at the session of the supreme war council showed the time uncertainty In the minds of the allies Prime Minister 1 Lloyd George reverting to losses said that before the great grent German attack In May lIay he had bud been Informed |