Show 14 4 A ener IS all counte let lea kr by the th north it mell news hance rig worl n agh to r 0 alu AO d 1 ka 0 escand scand al 11 vlen n re K production in whole or in part u gem service CHAPTER LI continued the edeny made a determined stand along the river and some of the i hardest of the period occurred I 1 st t this time august 3 the fourth dl di vision bellev relieved ed the forty second the third corps bullard with the he amerl con can twenty eighth and thirty second I 1 illusions divisions relieved the french thirty elath corps on the right of our first corps once established beyond the eurcil our two corps advanced rapidly I 1 toward oward the veste vesle river meeting with little opposition ave had in till nil nine american divisions equal to eighteen french divi lions gons engaged in this second battle of the marne tills this force together with the staff supply medical troops and aviation amounted to a total force of nearly actively employed during that period we sull suffered ered casualties CHAPTER I 1 attended a conference of commanders in chief at general fochs headquarters wednesday july 24 1918 1018 to discuss plans for offensive operations present were generals petain and buat field marshal hall halg and general lawrence and general conner chief of operations doyd boyd and hughes and myself there was pronounced good feeling and confidence 1 general foch gave a resume of the general situation lie proposed no definite plan but submitted his remarks as the basis of discussion the main point was that the fifth german offensive of the year had been checked checler and the allied c counteroffensive beginning july 18 had transformed it into defeat it was the general opinion that every advantage should be taken of tills fact and that the allies should continue their attacks with as much vigor ns as possible on par with enemy general foch said with satisfaction ahat hat we had now reached an equality IQ in cumbers of combatants and an actual superiority in rese reserves ryes As the enemy would soon be required to relieve a considerable number of tired divisions from the active front the allies would rapidly gain further superiority through the constantly increasing number of americans all information went to show that the enemy had two armies so to speak foch continued one on an exhausted holding army and the other a shock army already weakened maneuvering behind this frail front unquestionably we had material advantage in III aviation and tanks and to a smaller degree in artillery and this would be augmented by the arrival and armament of american artillery personnel As to the reserve strength behind the allies it would soon be powerful indeed if the rate of per month lit at which the americans were pouring in could be maintained one could sense an approaching crisis on the en side possibly not so very vary ye remote because of the difficulty lie he was having in keeping up the effective strength streng fil of ills his units allies now hold initiative beyond these advantages of material farce in our favor there was also the moral ascendancy we had rained guined by our recent victories and his failures foch felt as we all did that the allies now held the initiative and that from froin tills time on they should abari don oon the defensive attitude that had teen nen so long imposed upon them and continue Onti nue the offensive ive without c cessation ile he then pointed out the following offensives which it was evident would la 13 indispensable to later operations the release of the railroad carls agricourt avricourt aarl court in the marne re glon elon by the french the thea paris aliens amiens railroad by a concerted ac lion of the british and french the paris agricourt avricourt Av rIcourt railroad in the region of commercy commerce Com mercy by the deduc lion of the st Ali litel salient by S the me american army which by bv re me army which by bv re the front would bring us within reach of the bri ariey briey e y region and permit action on a larger scale between the mouse meuse and moselle selle I 1 further offensives were foreseen wing vang in view the release of thi the e mia og sections to the north by definitely iriving the enemy from the region of dunkirk and calais no mo idea of ending war in 1918 no one suggested that the plans of the ae moment or those to follow might 10 carried so far as to tl terminate rmina te the war in 1918 ConcernIng the part each should play foch asked expressions of pinion of the respective commanders in IQ chief as to how these or any otle other r operations durations de rations we might propose should be conducted on ducted marshal marsha I 1 binig gave his views view s and ans which agreed witt the general outline suggested ag as did f beneral pela fain who wanted further to consider the e possibilities As far as thesy preliminary operations applied to the americans they wre were sim simply ply e restate ot of the ie plans we had lieen een lead 8 UP P to 0 ever since cur car entry into le e war ar i therefore e that of organal alv a and supply were ere re elving every consideration lu in ul of the american army 0 do its while at general fochs headquarters I 1 arranged with general retain for tile the expansion of the first corps then operating in the marne sector by which four american divisions were to be placed in tile the line with two in III reserve it was my MF hope that flint tills this would be the basis for the preliminary formation of an american army oil this front en eli route to chaumont I 1 stopped to call on liggett and apprise him of the possibility of at additional american divisions for ills his corps expedition to russia the supreme war council was prone to listen to suggestions for the use of allied troops at various places other than the western front one of these on which the british seemed to be especially insistent was to send troops to help the so coiled called white army to la russia to keep open the communications through Mur mansk in the archangel I 1 was opposed to any such idea as it would simply mean scattering our resources all of which were needed on the western front but president wilson was prevailed upon to help and I 1 was directed to send a regiment provided general foch had no objections As apparently lie he had already considered the question he fie gave tits his approval and a regiment was accordingly sent the three hundred thirty ninth infantry col george ceorge R E stewart commanding together with one bat battalion tallon of engineers find and one field hospital were designated for tills service first field army in view of the prospect for the lie early assembly of corps and divisions to form our army it became urgent that the organization be hastened with all possible speed the outlines outline s hail had be been en determined und and members of the first firs I 1 army staff were nt at work on the details my aly formal order creating the first field army was issued july 24 to take effect august 10 with headquarters at lit la perte ferte sous jouarre immediate consideration was div given en the improvement of the general supply system although the recent reorganization had helped it had been my purpose for some time to make changes in personnel in the S 0 S particularly in the position of chief which demanded great administrative ability after much thought the choice fell to general Ilar harbord bord ills knowledge of organization its his personality his energy and tits his loyalty made him the outstanding choice reluctance to lose his services in command of troops where he had shown himself a brilliant brill hint leader caused me to delay until his division could be relieved from the active front CHAPTER lill 1111 early in august 1918 1 I made an inspection tour of the service of supply to note the progress and acquaint myself the chief of staff and general harbord by actual observations with conditions the tour was made also with a view to such changes in personnel and lin prove ments in methods its as would insure complete fulfillment of the increased obligations imposed upon the service of supply by the tremendous task of receiving storing and transporting the enlarged troop and supply shipments our first stop was tours which being the location of tile the headquarters of the S 0 S with a huge american military garrison of 2400 officers and men melt had become a beehive of activity we visited every activity at tours beginning with the central records office a branch of the adjutant generals of large proportions where the personal records of every man in III the A E ri were kept we found that the railway operators numbering thousands comfortably situated in portable barracks barracca bar at C camp amp de grasse were putting every energy into the service certain engineer troops were kept at this central point for railway work really ready to respond to calls calla from any direction tile well callip of german prisoners under tinder col onel of tile the military police contained evril hundred men used as laborers A of british women known ns as lite women auxiliary aid corps were lent to us by their government to in clerical work the worn wom en located at tours occupied neat and t temporary barracks and presented a very military appearance on parade some fifty of them were III in quarters at the lie time and I 1 gave instructions that they should be transferred to our hospital resides besides dally these fine women under the proper restrictions that prevailed became a valued addition to the social side bide of life where they were stationed tills this force with us ua eventually numbered about speaks to tc men tn in hospital the base hospital at tours was then filled with men wounded in the recent engagements they were receiving the best of care under col A NI smith and tits his effi efficient clent group of medical officers and nurses passing through tile lie various wards of tills this hospital I 1 spoke to it line look ing young soldier who ans sitting up in bed and asked him where lie he was wounded meaning to inquire the nn na 11 1 1 M 9 J serving a field aun ture lure of his wound in reply he said do you remember sir just where the road skirts a small grove and turns to the left across a wheatfield and then leads up over the brow of the hill well right there sir he was clearly describing the advance south of soissons Sols sons which pierced the chateau thierry salient of course I 1 was not there at the time but it 1 touched me that he should feel that I 1 must have been very close to him at the base hospital in bordeaux then under the efficient supervision of col 11 A shaw chief surgeon of the base section we found about COO of our wounded most of them soon to be sent home no matter how severely wounded they were I 1 never heard a word ot of complaint from any of our men there could not have been found in the hospitals of any army a more cheerful lot it was a lesson in fortitude an inspiration to see their alne courage some would never again see others would never be able to walk again but they all seemed proud of their sacrifice which many of their countrymen are often prone to forget all too soon we arrived at brest august 2 and found the commanding general 0 11 II lI harries arries and stale stair at the station to meet us base section no 5 was built around brest our leading port of debarkation bar kation the section included four french territorial departments another landing port for troops wis cherbourg Cher bourg A large locomotive terminal and repair shop were located at rennes and a coal port at Ginn gindville ville major ON ells eils secret after an inspection of the storehouses and the construction for additional storage on th the e piers I 1 asked for the chief stevedore major onell oneil who came up apparently quite embarrassed to put liliu him at case I 1 took him by the arm and till wo we walked together to where some lighters were being unloaded As the por port lind had made the record of handling arriving troops and their baggage tn in une day may 24 M entirely with lighters I 1 naked asked him to tell tile me about it uy by tills this time lie he hud had overcome his fright and pointing to two each down in the bottom of a lighter directing the work lie said sir do you see those two captains down there in their shirt sleeves well the secret I 1 say to them dont stand oft off somewhere and puff yourselves up in your your uniforms but take off sam brownes wid and your coats and got get down close to your men of course those captains cup tallis have now become experts I 1 did the same thing when I 1 started but since they are trained I 1 manage things generally and they carry out my orders I 1 can call wear my uniform now that I 1 have won tile right to wear it 10 well I 1 said oneil youre just the man I 1 have been looking for and I 1 am going to send you to every port we use to show shiow them your secret CHAPTER UV LIV tile the french government had expressed a desire to bestow their decorations on american officers ond mid mon men and asked it if I 1 would un an appointment tn in the legion of honor with the grade of grand officer As congress had recently granted permission for members of our forces to receive foreign decorations the french government was advised accordingly and it was to confer tills this lionor upon me that president dolif care paid his brief visit to chaumont august 0 1018 1019 I 1 met him nt at the station with a military escort and conducted him to my headquarters where the senior officers of the staff were presented after that formality we repaired to the small drea of barracks eliere tile the headquarters troop and hand band were drawn up in uno line for the ceremony I 1 was not hot insensible to the high personal honor but regarded it mainly as an appreciation anthe on the part of the french government of the assistance america had bad already given to the cause I 1 pershing takes command As the Ame american army was now an accomplished fact it seemed advisable to begin preparations immediately to carry out the plan of campaign adopted july 21 24 2 1 providing for a distinctive american operation against tile the st sal salient lent I 1 motored to I 1 sarcus august 9 and after discussing with Al marshal arshal foch the changed situation in the marne sector and the practical stabilization of tile the front on the vesle I 1 suggested the transfer of the first army headquarters to the st alphiel region where it could begin immediate preparations for the proposed offensive wo we considered the outline of my plans and without hesitation 31 marshal arshal foch acquiesced in the transfer returning to paris the same afternoon I 1 went to provins proving to talk the matter over further with general pe fain we took stock of available divisions for the st operation and he said I 1 could count on him definitely to do everything in his power to furnish whatever we might require having thus reached a n general understanding der standing regarding the preliminary details of the move I 1 drove the following morning to to la ferte sous soua jouarre to take formal command of 0 the first army and to give instructions to my staff regarding the movement of headquarters to TO BE CONTINUED AMERICAN IN THE N OF THE MARNE SALIENT W 06 J 14 1 4 loll 1011 av P 94 wt pw 4 A th aw il 64 st ito AV 0 14 44 k SEPT V twylo r W Z TL 4 t L r 19 I 1 AW aw A t 31 SIVA LUAU is loamy |