Show r itch r san a i i a cg s c ai twy t of f t h A E ad copyright 1931 in all the Nort hAmerl annerl BV general X arn an app r allin AI Kanoe world rf right including the reproduction in whole or 1 in part prohibited service john J gorshing Por shing X CHAPTER continued marshal foch expressed his than thanks k 8 tor for what I 1 had said and added that while it was true the american army was waa s still 11 I 1 young its spirit was splendid and it was tremendously increase inci easing every day in efficiency and in numbers ua ha then asked marshal hall hale whether in view of what general petain and I 1 had said he cared to modify his views on the terms of tin on armistice mi wi stice to which hall replied in tile the negative the conference ended here with marshal fochs request that each of us DB submit in writing what we had bad proposed CHAPTER returning to paris paria from the con ference arence of allied commanders in chief at t senias october 25 1018 1918 1 cabled a report of the proceedings to wash ansh ington In fiton including my proposals in detail as enumerated in the previous chapter marshal foch did not definitely express his bis views at the conference as may be recalled but the following day he submitted tits his report to prime minister clemenceau marshal fochs recommendations embraced the main points proposed by the commander in chief and were accepted by the supreme war council with practically no change in the light of later events we w e know germany was v as more nearly beaten than the allied lenders leaders realized at that time and was in fact in no position to resume the fighting even had her government remained intact iler her last division was in line her supply system was demoralized and the congestion behind her lines made it practically tilly impossible for her to move her armies in the face of the aggressive allies instead of requiring the german forces to retire at once leaving material arms and equipment behind the armistice terms permitted them to march back to their homeland with colors flying and bands playing pos ing as the victims of political conditions it if unconditional surrender had been demanded the germans would without doubt have been compelled to yield and their troops would have returned to germ germany any without arnis arms virtually as paroled prisoners of war the sur our render of the german armies would have been an advantage to the allies in the discussion of peace terms and would ive greatly facilitated their execution t in conversation with M some come time after the war he told me as president of the republic he was vas in favor of demanding the sur render of the german armies but that 11 clemenceau Clemenc piu his prime minister in bisted upon granting them an erml arm bolce the in insi st phase of the mouse meuse argonne operations was to begin november 1 the american army was now able for the first time to prepare for an of enslave with some home deliberation under reasonably normal conditions and more nearly on in an equal footing with the other armies we wid learned from reports and d an from taken by our aal vi acors that he file enemy had gre greatly itly strengthened the roost most points ewh of ai tits bis lines while cap aured documents indicated tits his anten tion of organizing a position along the lie west nest slopes of the barricourt Bar ricourt ridge the eastern spurs of this ridge corn banded till nil the eros crossings ings of tile lie aleuse and formed a connecting link with the high ground enst of the river about cote saint 4 the infantry advanced to the ns cault at BO tile the morning of novem her 1 following fin an R barrage of arill artillery lery and mitchiner gun fire which bent beat don lo german Je rest resistance stance over a zone tone of 1200 yards arda in depth stuart rons of swift flying combat plana s drove the enemy planes from the vilt and fired on the hostile infantry while the bombing slum irons harassed tin iiii port lint points behind the enemy s lines iines th the attack went forward with precision gaining momentum with every mile enemy badly beaten everywhere for the first time the enci enemas nys lines were ft ere completely broken thru through ugh although he had been badly healer beaten on all parts of the front lie had h hitherto I 1 been able to avoid this disaster ily by the magnificent dash of our first army however the enemy now found himself in the same situation that had confronted the allies earlier in the war the fifth corps in the center drove it a wedge into the gennan defenses swept through the zone of their artillery and by night had readied reached the heights of Bar barricourt ricourt live miles from the front of departure the lines had been dee decisively crushed thanks to the splendid performances of 0 the eighty ninth and second divisions the third corps had bad strongly supported the fifth corps the ninetieth division carrying all its objectives without a reverse and the fifth division on its right reaching the mouse meuse north of Brie ulles and capturing clery le grand on the left of the array in the first corps the eightieth division cooper co oper atad ted with tile the second division in the capture of Inie Ime court and reached tile the corps objective north of divry sivry the remainder of the corps was unable in spite spile of great efforts to make inake bitic annuli it headway against tile the hois bois des loges although uie the severity seventy eighth di division vi ion lid did gain a foothold in III that wood by the evening of nf november 1 the situation of the enemy was ns so merlou that he had either to deliver it strong counter attach or to withdraw front from all territory tei rHory south of kunnig boult wit aux mis the blow struck hy by the first I 1 iral army lind hoever giveins him such a shock that he was n unable to take strong offensive acolon although he still offered serious resistance germans hurled beyond meuse the attack continued with vigor no vember 2 and 3 tile the third korps hurl ing the enemy beyond the mue M ue neni neal iun sur und stenny tire the fifth hllen Hll tn on the iw and captured poulson doulcon and the ninetieth took lonk vill ers devant dun the lle following rini day the ilie Ninel leth pushed through the words woods on its franj ant and its title line along the heights overlooking the river in the neighborhood of Ville villefranche franche in the fifth corps tile the ninth division november 2 captured bailly tailly sadan plan of at tack of fir st ar my 1 igia J sf I 1 1 sip 6 aff 1 no 11 no W L N I 1 hed no first army C aps A n t e a R arnern 4 I 1 s gg s t e teb r p s arms m fit alfr Nai 9 D ti in the face of heavy gun tire fire rind and the following day seized baral court and drove hiroye the enemy backward to beaucl air the second division made a slight blight advance on this date resuming the attack attach the ard 3rd I 1 that night the third brigade col J james ames 0 rhea by a perilous night march through the extensive foret de dieulot passed completely beyond the lines and captured german troops in their billets by midnight the head of the column was in firm possession of la Tull erle farm just south of beaumont the success of the attack in the center Nov november emberl 1 compelled the re ti rement of the enemy on the entire front of the first corps the right eth division on the 2nd and reached the new german defensive position broke through it and took buzancy Buz ancy tile the fol lowing day against heavy pre ore the eightieth established its line along the road running southeast from st pierremont Iler remont the seventy seventh division now succeeded in passing and by the night of the 2nd and had reached Har harricourt Harrl ricourt court the following morning it drove the enemy to the hill north of st pierremont remont where it it was held up by heavy machine gun ire fire pershing spends day at front the seventy eighth division captured the bols bois des logos loges the 2nd and and es its line along the eastern edge of the hois bols de bourgogne north to and continuing on the ard 3rd rd captured germont and Verr VerrI lerea eres my diary notes douilly souilly RitU Sou llly illy thursday november 7 1918 had find long talk with stet philus about ordnance on monday visited second army headquarters and found indications of with drapal on that front spent the day at front went through grandpre overtaking dickhans Dick mans first corps head III al Harrl court he wa pushing troops toward returned hemmed through st kt juvin uno and found braf ti alc in many trucks haying havins run rim tiff off the road in the darkness gave cave direct directions lons to use lights on till nil motor transport ite dived letter from marshal foch today ashing for six american divisions for new offensive south of metz mem our advance tins been continuous lIp recommended commended harbord and il hI cAndrews for promotion to grade of lieutenant general by november 4 the enemy brentin desorg mazed was retiring before the vigorous pursuit of our tro troops opson on the entire front of the first army its his withdrawal was strongly protected bi b cleverly placed Ilic pd machine guns and well el 1 l delaying operations the follows following ng telegram came to in me e on the afternoon afler noon of the aith tile the operations begun began november I 1 by the first Anne american rican army anny due to the 06 valor of the command and to the energy and bravery of the troops have already assured results of great importance I 1 am happy to send you my congratulations CHAPTER our ou r success vess had been so striking since the 9 of the Novel november novellia lib e T 1 attack that I 1 felt full advantage advant agi should he be taken of the possibility of at straying the armies arii iles on our front fron und in seizing tie the region upon which erm finy largely depended for het hei of iron and coal in accord acrive arive with these views the following order was issued to the first and second armies alie ie nerg stAc action of the first army completely ex pel tile enemy from the region between tile the mouse meuse and the gar bar within the next few days the results obtained by this army have been felt on the entire front from the moselle e to holland moi it t ts 8 desired that in carrying out oui tile the directions that are outlined lined I 1 herein corps corpa and division push troops forward wherever resistance la is broken without regail for fornsel forn fIxed sed objectives und and without fear for their flanks sp special alitt attention will be given to impress upon all off officers leers abid a tid soldiers that energy boldness and open warfare methods are de mandet by the present situation the and second armies will ot at once prepare to undertake 0 operations pe rations with the ultimate purpose of destroying the organization and driving him beyond the lie existing frontier in the region of larley and longwy longay i between tile tie mouse meuse and ahlers rivers north and nort northeast of plenay there was it a very strong position which commanded the crossings in that vicinity I 1 bell believed eved that it if we should cross the river south of stenny and move in the direction of Mont medy we could turn this position and have tin no excellent I 1 opportunity to capture tare larga numbers of german troops driven anck on the line sedan by this maneuver we would also be in an advantageous position to advance on the Im important I 1 supply areas of longay longwy and brley bricy an attack by the third corps to the east across the mouse meuse south of dun sur sui mouse meuse in conjunction with the northward movement by the french seventeenth corps was prepared as a preliminary to a new line of advance to tile the east november 3 4 and 5 the fifth division of the third corps in a brilliant maneuver on a wide front effected crossings of nf the mouse meuse and established MEUSE ARGONNE OFFENSIVE A NOV t 0 1 2 4 to ai remil 1 STA MILU zoa 8 aary v 11 0 now kulms 0 e 01 C 01 F 4 Y 0 fo a rr r r araw rat q L v warm a 1 1 ty t Y 7 V A dif 1011 loll M uny 1 I I 1 PV C G 0 off 4 itly Vil lerran N 1 ac 1 6 1 I 1 I 1 te bois 0 o if V A y ci 54 8 nv affe h 01 ar ta lie A 1 rf du n me 0 all M ar tandra prim tl x 51 34 wars c crap d ra 1 4 VV juin 2 11 0 1 1 U X evilla air rillon d ville dt d t cc I 1 chaumont chau moot AA N e ro k ot A south of dun sur meuse the heights of the meuse were gradually cleared by the third corps and the french second colonial corps which had relieved the french seventeenth entee nth corps now nov i for the first time since 1014 1914 the he french post t ions it round around verdun were ere completely free froni from the menace of these heights in these opera tlona the fifth divi slon blon insisted by a regiment of the secund second on november 15 had captured and established its line from there south to the bols de chatillon ry by night of the he wit uth it had ad valued to Ilem olville and north of stonny our was also extended to the south and by november 10 an excellent line of departure was secured for an offensive in the direction of alent medy tile the seventy ninth division lin in the french second co 1 elal corps met decided opposition in its of the fth rath and rth against the alie borne lie de cornouiller and ills his strong point was finally taken on the ath on the following lay day the seventy ninth with units of the twenty sixth division Ba bamford at jached ac tied advanced on I 1 itai ts entire front and on the aih took III e between november 3 and 7 the awen twenty ty sixth division on tile the right of tire the seventy ninth mode made no attack on the ath it took up tip the pursuit of the 1 et iring enemy and by night of the uth occupied a line which included vill ville e devant chaumont the eighty first division bailey entered the line fine as the right division of the french second colonial corps november 7 relieving the thirty fifth division traub Tr auh attacking on the jtb against stiff defense it captured manheulles and moranville reaching the meuse the division fifth corps overcoming stubborn opposition captured beaufort on tile the ath and reached the the foret de lauley was clea cleaned clearinda riNd up tip the following day daf and cesse vas vaa occupied the second division jn in its attric li of the ath suffered heavy heady losses aua made slight headway but during ane next two to days it rapidly and by night or of t the e jtb reached the south of ville rio TO |