Show iza THE BIG ARGONNE DRIVE j 14 the battle of the argonne part tit ji the general allied offensive thai abc Dro kethe war and started the uj fluctuation toward victory for tile the U and in which american troops lad iad their most extensive action bean baan nan two years ago september 26 I 1 att the american first army under ie eueral liggett united states mar ae corps operated with the french inder general gouraud over a froat it forty nilea miles the americans held tk he extreme east and occupied about aalf ot of the front frt at it was the second test of the sit CH kine rican in the worlds greatest anit var the american Ameil can army under beneral pershing had fought earlier j a a th month at st and ours burs praised the allies and germans by its and dash af at the meuse argo argonne ne offensive uong with the french british and belgians at other front the amerl pans ans numbered close to halt half a mill fi lland their success evinced ability io a operate on a large larg scale general liggett commanded the first army composed of the first third and fifth corps nine divisions his troops were regulars of the first and second divisions his own marines a part of the second division national guard tons ons and nathonal guard units which ruady many utah troops and particularly ticul arly boys from duchesne Du chesno and uintah counties even american blue jackets were there for in addition to the french t pounding the german line ss Es s s L ithe infantry attacked there were heavy guns of the american navy athe manned by navy gunners jhc whose e long range ability threw the ger macs into consternation far to the rear it was truly an all american division that kicked off soon after 6 5 4 clock the morning of september Septem bei 26 ozi on the night before the artillery had paved the way by a terrific bombardment the franco franc oam o am american front was orl on boch both sides of the argonne forest between tho the and mouse alv ers erg it was their task to paie the Q way for a movement toward Me P which with the ground gained by oy the americans at st would threaten the stability of the entire german line the first american larmy army at dawn advanced to the east ot of the argonne while general gou rands fourth french army took the west side of the forest jooa after noon the first objectives of american and french had been reached making a penetration of from two to three miles on a front of fourteen miles the germans had not cot been unprepared and the resistance si at some points was powerful the french artillery hold a I 1 supora arity of fire throughout and the american soldiers streamed thru the tha edges of tho the forest with a determination mi rai nation that endangered the morale of he enemy almott as much as the t terrific bombardment it was la in this section in tho the argonne bhat major lost battalion of the infantry of the seventy seventh division had its 2 day adventure the bat battalion tallon pressing on against the retreating germans found usein cut ot off arid and re an isolated the retreating germans found itself cut ob and remarried remained an isolated point in ill advance ot of the allied lines its men fighting desperately whenever the german showed himself but retaining the battalla battalion organization until a rescue was wag effected the capture ot of the americans first objective montfaucon Mont faucon threatened the german line this was a dominating position in front of 0 the famed mort homme hill the american infantry advance on its front ot of 0 le ie seventy miles never once fall fail pd d to heep heel the enemy moving back it the americans took bercourt Ger court Dan Vau quola and varennes almost with a rush but they were held off by the germans occupying montfaucon Mont faucon that position was v 1 strongly fortified and heavily armed and it was left until the next day when nhen artillery was brought up and it was hammered into submission in the first days fighting alone alobe the french and americans took dorile some prisoners and quantities ot at i i artillery ammunition and stores the american advance was arrested at cheppy chappy and varennes varen ties the germans had burned the over the alre aire before thy witha with their artillery the also lao held out until the next day L but the americans were not to be stopped by bridgeless rivers american engineers rs in the night threw pontoons pon over the alro aire at several important points and over these the field artillery moved before daylight on the morning of september 27 2 7 with this obstacle removed the advance continued with its old vigor the twenty seventh brought the fall ot of charpentry Char pentry and the third german line called the ili vomer varner line was stormed with the incidental fall of the and the important position of Mont montfaucon faucon the germans counter attacked against the americans east or at the argonne but this did not halt the ad nance ance the franco american lines were advanced still further on sept 30 in conjunction with an offensive ol of other allies to the west in this period the allies bombarded the german line from the river meuse to the channel in an action which was the biggest in point of extent ever undertaken by the allies it marked the crumbling of the hindenburg line with the tha subsequent break in german morale which paved the way for the arm ar matice stice and the downfall ot of the imperial german government in this action the first american army swelled to formidable proportions with a speed that startled uie the eneny acted with great credit in one olie of ine te most important points on the line proving its ability to act as a separate organization st billiel nd chateau therry had proven the metal etal of 0 the american in the welfare of sharply defined action the i argonne proved his ability to operate along ex tens lve military lines with no less of that agility and daring velch characterizes the american fighter and in which his was rivaled perhaps only by some of t the be british colonial ol onial troops |