| Show 9 Genel-al Genel shing Pershing's s Story Y of the Ao L a F. F COPY Copyright 1931 In by hy American Ameri Ameri- General d By 1 f can p a per Alliance World right rights reu orin Including in the Scandinavian Reproduction In whole J. J or put part prohibited d. d WN Senico eJI Bin 1 CHAPTER Continued As General Koch and the others were not arriving until later M. M and I driving together accompanied by Generals and In a separate automobile automobile auto auto- mobile went to the headquarters of the division Major General Glenn commanding which was billeted at not fur far from Ve e fell to discussing dis discussing cussing the probable situation of the various allied countries and their relative standing after the war M. M Clemenceau went to some length In his conjectures Thought Britain Finished Great Britain Is finished and In my opinion she has seen the zenith of her glory he said What makes you think so Air Mr Prime Minister I asked First of all he replied the Immense drain of the war will make It Impossible for her to retain retain re re- tain commercial supremacy and second the experience of her herNot v wv k V v Not Afraid of Gas colonial troops In this war ar will mule make their people more independent Independent Inde Inde- pendent and she will lose her control control control con con- over them I could not agree abree with Mr Ir Clemenceau's Clemenceau's Cle- Cle view and said Mr Ir rIme Minister I 1 think k you ou are mistaken about lt the British and I 1 believe we shall see them fully recover recover re re- re- re cover er from the effects of the war Continuing I asked What about Frances France's future Ah She will once more be the dominant power lower In Europe he re- re tilled plied re-I re CHAPTER hospitalization and md completion of ot three thre corps headquarters rs and staff or organizations occupied my attention attention at at- the last week weel of June 1918 1018 Twelve of our divisions were then either In line or in reserve J behind the French five the were In training In French areas and five were in training in rear of the British army urmy Of or those with the French seven se were concentrated In Inthe Inthe inthe the vicinity of and Thierry Chateau-Thierry between the trench French t front frunt and Paris The British seemed to think the French unduly nervous about the safety of Paris and that Foch was holing a greater proportion of American troops behind the French lines than necessary They believed believed be be- there was a strong probability ity of ot another attack against their front nud and felt General Foch was not paying enough attention to their situation However er they probably did not realize that a 8 counter offensive was contemplated on this front should the occasion present Itself Corps Headquarters Organized The First corps headquarters organized organized or- or In January under Maj Gen Gem Hunter Liggett with Col MalIn Craig as chief of staff had become a n smoothly working machine machine ma mn chine ready for active service ser anywhere anywhere anywhere any any- where but events had moved mo so swiftly s there had been no opportunity opportunity opportunity for tor the assembly of ot divi divi- With the Increasing size of or our army It was evident that a 8 greater number of divisions would be able to take talce part in operations at nt earlier dates dutes than we had thought possible Consequently the or organization of the Second Sc Third and Fourth corps headquarters tern ers was nt fIt once completed The Second corps Maj Gen George Head Read commanding with Col Cot Geor George e SImonds as ns chief of staff and a limited number of staff was ifs charged with matters of a administration and command pertaining to the divisions behind the British front The fhe Third corps temporarily under Maj Gen William William Wil Wll liam Elam M. M Wright Col Alfred BJorn BJorn- stall stad chief of staff starr continued to supervise training divisions serving servo sere ing lag In the es area The Fourth corps was temporarily under the corps c chief of staff starr Col Stuart with headquarters at Toul By the actual constitution of these corps they were expected soon to become efficient enough to handle units In operations French Hospitals Deficient As to hospitals wh when n our troops became suddenly engaged ed In the Chateau Thierry region we had to rely largely upon pon the assistance of ot the French Frend to care for our wound ed Although they had gl given gln n nse us ns e every ery u assurance that tint hospital arrangements arrangements ar ur for those operations would be complete and without question did dId their best hest it was only through the mobile hospitals We ne hud had organized that we were able ahle to give Ive our casualties proper attention In extenuation of the French e to take care of our casual casual- tics ties properly It must be said that when the lie Germans sw swept pt over o the lie ChemIn des Dames to Chateau Chateau- Thierry the French rench lost 4 I bells eds Included in some sonic of their best equipped hospitals We e had find no I hospitals on unit that front and with limited transportation found It dif- dif difficult difficult j to supplement the scant French facilities In fact the situation situa situa- I tion as us t to hospital accommodations for our troops was about to reach rench a n critical stage e. e In this connection a D cable was actually submitted by Mr Casper Whitney from the New York Tribune Tribune Tribune Trib Trib- une which was vas scathing In its denunciation denunciation de de- of our medical depart ment The fhe censor Immediately Informed Informed Informed In In- formed the me medical representatives at my headquarters and General Ireland the chief surgeon requested request request- ed an nn Investigation In which was at once carried out by the chief of the Inspector generals corps General Brewster Mr Whitney was asked to be present at all the lie hearings and when the actual facts were I blou brought ht out showing the efficiency of ot the medical department he was most apologetic and thereafter was an enthusiastic supporter of or the wisdom of the censorship The Fourth of July found me In Chaumont The French rench people there never missed an opportunity to show their pleasure at having us In their midst and their appreciation tion of ot our aid to the cause The principal ceremony of the day was wasa a reception to the officers of my headquarters by the local French officials both civic and military and the prominent citizens at the Hotel de Ville This was an nn altogether altogether alto alto- altogether gether delightful social gathering Including g a series of ot suitable speeches The spirit of fraternity that prevailed pre pre- made It eos easy to respond In fact on this as often on similar occasions I found myself almost as enthusiastic as the French speaker though perhaps less content content content con con- tent with my effort The allies elsewhere did not forget forget forget for for- get that It was our Independence day and messages came from Clemenceau Clemence Cle Cle- I mence J Foch Focht and and many i others from all over o France Y Yanks In Hamel Attack Regardless of the distinct Understanding Under linder- standing that our troops behind the British front were there for trainIng trainIng train- train Ing lag and were not to be used except In an emergency the British made continuous effort to get them Into their lines They planned an attack by the Australians for tor the Fourth of July and requested Maj Gen George Read commander of the Second corps then still In training to permIt permit permit per per- mit some of the troops of ot the Thirty-third Thirty division to take part At first the British suggested four companies but later they wanted the number Increased to ten As the use of ot Americans AmerIcana at this time FRONT RYe Soissons ye elms MAY 26 O C R. R N GPS P Chateau Thierry Chalons Paris five e f Ground gained by German Offensives of I May June and July 1918 May 27 27 June fl 13 3 July 17 15 17 15 o 25 50 so Miles was directly contrary to the arrangement arrangement arrangement ar ar- ar- ar naturally It did not meet with my approval Having learned that such a combined combined com attack k was planned I spoke to Marshal Haig about It when 1 I saw sow him In Paris July 3 and ho he entirely agreed with my point of view It seems that General Read Head afterward In accordance with my Instructions told General Ha Rawlinson that I did not want partly trained troops to participate However er our troops had by this time become become become be be- come fully committed to It Although Although Although Al Al- though the British chief of staff had consented to leave our troops out when he learned from Haw Haw- that It would compel them to defer lIefer the operation he Informed Read Head that no change could he be made without orders from Field I Marshal Haig who he said could I Inot not be reached ached and so the attack attach I was carried out as ns 1 I learned the next day d y The fact that General Read and his ers and men were keen to get Into the battle batUe went far to excuse excuse ex ex- cuse use him It seems needless to add also that the splendid behavior of ot the time troops troop's In the lie operation was a alI lI decided argument In favor of leniency This d division also afterward after atter ward displayed the tile same eagerness to get at the enemy In several hard hard- taught fought engagements during the tryIng tryIng trying try- try Ing lIu days duys s 's of the Meuse CHAPTER A number of our divisions were quite prepared to engage In nn any contemplated offensive e and their location at the time moment lent hope for the early formation of one and probably two entire corps of Amer Amer- liS LIggetts LIggett's First corps had taken Its place In Sine line July 4 with the Second Second Sec See ond and division islon Harbord relieved on the by th the Twenty sixth Edwards Edwards Ed Ed- wards and n a French division under under under un un- der its direction The corps staff stat had peen been seen shaken down to the routine of Its work and had become In every ery respect an efficient nt group performing Its functions with the confidence and precision worthy of the more experienced experienc-ed staffs of the allied armies Durl During 1 an un Inspection trip July 12 to the headquarters of the First corps cogs I had lunch with General at sur Marne sur-Marne sur where hIs division was resting He ire told of t a 0 marine In his division dl who had captured 75 German Germun prisoners prisoners prisoners pris pris- Germans Attack Again Referring again to m my diary Chaumont Wednesday July 17 Another 1118 Another German attack attack attack at at- tack bro broke e Monday Our For For- ty-second ty part of the Twenty- Twenty eighth and the Third became enga engaged ed The latter counterattacked counterattacked counterattacked counter counter- attacked and captured GOO COO prisoners Advised Ad Foch that the second and Twenty Twenty- ninth divisions are available a at once Five Fh-e other divisions di have been placed at his disposal Situation yesterday more favorable fa fn- favorable for allies General Bullard assigned to Third corps corgis corps and General Wright to Fifth The Intelligence services of aUthe all aU the allied armies hall had been exerting every endeavor to discover the enemy's enemy's enem ene ene- m mys my's s plans with the result that for some sonic days a s 's It appeared almost certain certaIn certain tain that his next move mo would be directed d toward the southeast on the ri right and left of Reims On the evening of July 14 1 a French raiding party from General Gouraud's Gou- Gou raud's Fourth army then holding that part of the line Une including Reims luckily lucidly captured prisoners who confirmed this belief and who gave the exact hour fixed for the attack which they said was to take place the following morning Our Third division still In line south of the lie Marne faced the enemy enemy enemy ene ene- my between Jaulgonne and Cha Chao eau Thierry and the Twenty sixth which as we have seen had bad relieved re re- lIe hewed the Second held a a sector between Torcy Torey and Vaux Vaut Infantry elements of the Twenty-eighth Twenty were south of the Marne serving ser with the two French divisions dh on either side of the Third the entire Forty Forty- second occupied a support position behind Gouraud's front the I First division lon was north of Meaux and the Second and Fourth were In reserve reserve re re- re- re serve ser near Chateau hateau Thierry The German offensive was launched on the early morning of July 1 15 5 as expected but It was met with a surprise barrage put putdown putdown putdown down by General Gouraud's artillery artil artil- artillery lery half hulf an nn hour before the start The Germans Germans' attack formations were thrown Into confusion and their force seriously weakened to begin with By evening thanks to the lie strong resistance the they encountered encountered en en- countered the tine situation In that lint Immediate Immediate immediate Im Im- im- im mediate sector was not unfavorable or able Our second Forty-second became engaged engaged en en- and sustained relatively hea heavy vy losses Its conduct on the first and succeeding du days s 's brought high praise from runt the French army commander Farther west the enemy crossed the Marne penetrating penetrating pene In one place as os far fur as us five miles He lie struck our Third division divi I sion slon which was posted along the therl rl river r. r In a determined determine attempt to force a crossing between and Varennes and the fighting became Intense some units of the Thirtieth and Thirty-eighth Thirty regiments holdIng hold hold- Ing lag this front being forced back The stubbornness of their resistance resistance resist resist- ance however broke up the attack as ns a whole and the Germans retired retired retired re re- re- re tired to the north bunk bank On Un this occasion a n single regiment regi ment meat of the Third division Co Col UG Thirty eighth wrote on one of the mo most t brilliant pages In our military annals It prevented pre the crossing at certain points on Its front while white on either lank flunk the Germans who had gained a n footing pressed forward Our men tiring firing In n three directions met the German Ger Ger- man lunn attacks ks with counter attacks at critical points and succeeded In throwing t two o German divisions Into complete confusion M Men Jl from three different enemy divisions rons were captured by the Third in the fighting of this da day By noon of oC the lie the attacks s against Its line came to a n halt haiL The Germans were stopped to the east enst of Helms Reims b by Gouraud's Fourth army with but hut slight gums gains while to the southwest t they got across the Marne and made some progress toward CHAPTER L L The Germans had a preponderance ance of rifles March 21 lUIS 1118 and und although this number had hud decreased they still had a superIority superiority superiority su su- su- su i of about May 27 July 15 this was changed and the allies then had bud the superiority by bythe bythe bythe the same number In other words the Germans were relatively worse off by rifles In July than In March Murch I This was accounted for almost entirely by the great Increase In Inthe Inthe inthe the numbers of Americans The French and British had not been en able to add odd to their strength but on the contrary they were being being beIng be be- ing reduced faster than the Ger Ger- mans muns The German offensive e south of ot Reims Helms July 1510 15 having ha been checked the moment was favorable favorable favorable favor favor- able for an nn allied counter counteroffensive The selection by the Germans of the Champagne sector and the eastern and southern faces of the Marne l pocket on which to make their offensive e was fortunate for |
