OCR Text |
Show ANNIVERSARY OF CHAUTEAU THIERRY. This Is the anniversary of Chateau Thierry, when the American troops demonstrated their ability to meet and defeat the flower of the German army. On May 27, 1918. the head of tho German army, started a drive from north of the Alsne. intending to break ihrough and follow down the Marne lo Paris. Forty divisions on a front of over 85 miles were in this attack and they swept down to the Marne v.ittilri 8 few days forming the Sols-sons Sols-sons to Chateau Thierry salient. At the point of the salient was Chateau Thierry On July 14, France's national na-tional holiday, Ludendorff made tho" linal preparations for a blow which was to carry the victorious Germans over the top and well on the road to Parifl. The day before the kaiser had cone down from general headquar-iers headquar-iers m witness the grand triumph which was to mark the close of the w ar For the first time in the war large numbers of American troops were In position. Including the First, Second. Third, Fourth, Twenty sixth and For iy-9econd divisions At the first onrush a part of the French line yielded ground and the Americans next to them had to fall back to readjust their lines and avoid a gap. Then the American comman-! der sent word to the French that ho 1 was. going forward, that the Ameri can flag would advance. From then on the tide of battle was in one direction., direc-tion., with the Germans retreating Where soid divisions of Americans met the enemy there was no stepping back. One of the witnesses describing describ-ing the scene, said: "The hock troops of the victorious Prussians, at the height of their glory, came out of the woods at dawn. They had started cm the road to Paris, During Dur-ing the night America marines and regulars had moved up to the scene ot action, meeting an endless stream of discouraged French poilu The enemy did not know Americans were in front With three great waves of Germans in sight, the artillery back of the marines openod with shrapnel, the while puffs of smoke curling over the advancing forces There was a wavering, but the enemy came on, without seeking to dig in or gain cover Utmost confidence was being manifested Soon tho advance was caught in the machine gun and rifle fire of the Americans. There was n check, then a complete halt, confusion and at last a collapse, and the Germans Ger-mans broke " Tin v met tho unknown; had discovered discov-ered a new enemy and were perplexed. per-plexed. ' Then word came that the Americans were on the scene and the shock of that experience was felt not only at Chateau Thierry but far back : at general headquarters, and from. I then on the morale of the Germans was lowered They knew the submarine subma-rine had been unsuccessful; they I knew millions of American boys, of I the same type as the boys who had ' hulled them, were on the way, ther I knew endless supplies were available. ! and above all they at last realized : they were facing an enemy that could j not bo weakened by anything short of ! death. That was the beginning of the I end of the war. I oo |