Show noe all 11 II M countries countr le by the north american AmerIc Mn newspaper alliance ol 01 alae A ES F world woid nerved dinc including rights luding re t the h story atory A aal 0 0 production scandinavian in whole R re e or in part prohibited 3 gleim yatsu J service PTER continued h what we need now lg Is especially the british on nt at of the present crisis that ly the supreme war council rs ailles recommended that all ge be devoted to that purpose he ie time being I 1 hope that lea may send over as much ry as possible during the three ahree months the other arms your divisions can afterward what do you of that plan shing shang I 1 cannot commit my such a proposition if noth it infantry and machine gun ire brought over to the total it wll be october or iber aber before the artillery and iry troops could arrive and aid not foresee the formation american army until next i I 1 think your calculation Is pessimistic for we ire could bringing your other troops in t but without considering we can furn furnish isla you with ry and its personnel and you ave your divisions beginning with october would you propose in this tion hing 1 I think we should urn ilia transportation of infantry to ind and that the alie artillery and ry troops should come in they should not arrive han ban a month later than the y under conditions you employ the american in units t A final decision cannot be on that subject that will ly depend upon the degree ruction of the units in the that actually confronts the armies it Is effectives that k i the method of employing mits Is a question to be bani hani due course and according r efficiency hing I 1 would like to have editions under which these ire to be empl employed oyed deter now and to fix the time dur ilch the regiments and bri will ile be used separately make your proposition on inject en explained the details of tern tena that was being followed our divisions were in train th the french and the plan upon with the british I 1 that it was fully understood an emergency should arise our aur troops were in training go into battle as part divisions with which they erving shing refuses to consent ral mi foch then said not doubt the excellence ot of lethon but in the crisis it which we are passing I 1 rethe decision ot of the supreme nall ancil and I 1 ask you to trans aring may june and july infantry and machine gun will you consent ing no I 1 do not cot consent ose ise for one month to ship but infantry and machine its and after that the other nd ad service of the rear troops despond if you adopt the plan I 1 you would have by july OGO more american infantry ang you said just now iu would furnish the artil nd even artillerymen artilleryman artillery men which be joined with our infantry idlete our divisions then it A consent to transport our y personnel along with our y 71 1 I repeat that it Is the inot which we have the great d at this time I 1 would like e general bliss tell us the rut rations ions which led to the de taken by the supreme war at versailles 4 the alie collective note becom I 1 to the united states to aly infantry until the suwar council should give inns to the contrary the nent anent of the united states in ally with this note and with ommen commendation dation of secretary baker consented to this plan As AB far os as the employment of the units on the front Is concerned the question should be decided by general pershing according to agreement with the commander in chief to whose army they may be attached foch fears disaster pershing I 1 have been discussing this question of training our units for the last eight months first with general petain and then with marshal halff haig the method agreed u upon pon leads naturally to the formation t of constituted american divisions general foch said raid he wished to see american divisions constituted and an american army formed as large its as possible but the policy lie he was then advocating would have made it impossible to form an american army without serious delay if ever continuing he said but do not forget that we are in the midst of a hard battle if we do not take steps to prevent the disaster which Is threatened at present the he american army may arrive in france to find the british pushed into the sea and the french driven back behind the loire while it tries in vain to organize on lost battle fields over the graves of allied soldiers he was assured that it was fully understood that it if an emergency should arise while our troops were in training with the british or french they would go into the battle and do their part I 1 then gave him film the number to be shipped during may and told him that it had been agreed between the british and ourselves to consider the question for june later I 1 informed him that the british shipping authorities ties les now thought it would be possible within the next three months to transport to france men our troops surprised with reference to the german attack attach at seicheprey prey on the twenty sixth division the night of april 2021 20 21 mentioned at the beginning of this chapter that point was the focus of a german raid covering a three kilometer front extending west from the bois de it came during a heavy fog and was a complete surprise to our troops who were considerably outnumbered seicheprey prey was taken by the enemy but operation cooperation co was reestablished established re throughout the division and the file original front was recaptured on the following day in tills this affair we lost one officer so 80 enlisted men killed 11 officers enlisted men wounded 30 officers enlisted men gassed and five officers enlisted men missing and prisoners CHAPTER the question of the shipment of american troops and particularly their allotment to the allied armies had assumed very great importance in the minds of the allied leaders accordia Ac accordingly cordin ij a 9 session of the supreme fsr w r lOin cil was called at Ab beville may 1 1918 and premier clemence clemenceau au opened the meeting by referring forthwith to the previous recommendation of the councils military representatives se to the disposition of american troops the military representatives he began expressed the oplin opinion in their joint note no IS that only infantry find and machine gun units should be sent to france for the present since then the agreement between lord milner allner and general pershing signed at london april 24 1918 1018 has intervened this agreement makes a change cl iange it had been understood at versailles that america would send men per month which the french and english armies would share equally under the milner pershing agreement it appears none go to france the french have not been consulted we might suppose that in compensation the american troops arriving g I 1 in june would be given to france but it now appears they are also to join the british I 1 wish vish to pro test that this Is not satisfactory 1 I am not discussing the figure of men I 1 aln ain prepared to accept that these men so go to the british in slay may I 1 am asking to receive the same number of troops la in june there are close to americans in france at present but only five divisions or about men can be considered as combatants that is not a satisfactory proportion lord milner arose touch much incensed at M Clemence alls statement which he considered quite unjust IM M clemenceau Clemenc cau has intimated ha asserted that there was something mysterious about the london agreement I 1 believe that an explanation Is necessary lie appears to believe that the agreement we signed is a reversal of the supreme war councils decision I 1 know only of a joint note embodying the rec of the file military representatives but it Is of no value without the approval of the governments ern ments besides al clemenceau seems to be under the impression that half of the american troops were viere to go to france and the other halt half to england I 1 do not recollect any such decision all that general pershing and I 1 have urged Is that infantry and machine gunners should be sent to france we had no intention of depriving france of any american troops I 1 do not know that anything has been said regard regarding lD their allotment on arrival in france we simply wanted to hasten their coming pershing upholds independence in making the agreement with lord allner 1111 ner I 1 interposed 1 I had in mind bringing troops as rapidly as possible to lo meet the existing situation lord milner Is quite correct in stating that there was no agreement as to the allocation of american troops either to the british or french armies there Is no agreement between my government and anybody an body else that a single american soldier shall be sent to either the british or french there is in existence an agreement between mr lloyd george and myself that six divisions be brought to france al clemen beau will remember that I 1 spoke to him about going to london to orrange arrange for the shipment of american troops to france and that he approved because it would expedite their arrival I 1 also spoke to general retain about it clemenceau Is insistent BI clemenceau remembered ray my speaking of it but disregarding ills his previous approval continued his objections saying we have been informed that nothing had been decided on at versailles but something has been decided on at london and france was closely concerned in this it was decided that six divisi divisions 9 should go to the british welon well I 1 will not argue about that you announce bounce to us artillery for the month of june where four are in alliance two of them cannot act independently nothing has been provided ded tor for france in june the appointment of general foch as commander in chief Is not a mere decoration this post involves grave responsibilities he must meet the present situation he must provide for the future 1 I accept what has been done tor for may but I 1 want to know what Is flit intended ended for june M clemenceau Clemenc enu said the french had not received certain specialists they had asked for and also q quoted bot from the conversation I 1 had held with general foch with reference to sending 0 over ver tr troops aop S in may and june mr air lloyd george then said 1 I am of M Clemence aus opinion the interests of the allies are identical we must not lose sight of that otherwise the unity of command has no meaning we must mus I 1 consider what Is best for the common co cause what is the situation today the british army has had beav heavy y LAND LOCATION AMERICAN DIVISIONS u pres MAY 1419 18 bruxelles battle tine international abdy S numerals indicate di divisions visions i LAO 1 cir circled cleal numerals those not in line 0 so 50 MILES 1 0 so ISO kilometers aras akiens amiens quentin e sedan edanis j f M S i 1 sons R ims p 0 4 9 I 1 1 GERMANY 04 0 meau V er d lin Z r metz chalon abst paris bar ea r leduc le duc 26 0 inanc neu aweau D 3 depinal chaum nto I 1 col 0 C E alhouse bus lighting fighting and hns has suffered he heavy avy losses all available drafts havi haqq been sent to france and we shall send all who are available in may and june this would be the case even if nil all the Amer americans lenns who arrive in europe during these months should be assigned to the british army a at present certain british dl divisions have been so severely handled that they cannot be reconstituted general foch will remember the number yes ten foch answered As we cannot again put them in line mr lloyd george continued they must be replaced by new units the germans are now fighting with the object of using up our effectives if they can do this without exhausting their own reserves they will some time deal us a blow which we shall not be able to parry in the meantime I 1 suggest that the decision tor for the allotment of the american troops for june be taken up when that month arrives in may in fact either of our two armies may be hard bard pressed that Is the one which should be re enforced it Is not desirable now to decide how troops arriving in june should be allotted foch also cites frances need to this foch replied it Is undeniable that the british army is now exhausted so go let it receive immediate enforcement re in slay may but lately the french have had grave losses notably at and both during the last few days have been fighting shoulder to shoulder so american aid Is now needed almost as much for france as for great britain above this question of aid to the french or to the british Is aid to the allies we are agreed that the american army Is to re enforce the british army at once in june we too shall need infantry and machine gun units so let us make the agreement for june at once by saying the same shipment of infantry and machine guns as for way may if there is tonnage oval available able we shall devote demote it after that to the elements necessary for filling up the american divisions I 1 am sure that general pershing with his generosity and ills his breadth of view will grant the fairness of this view and will extend tor for june the agreement decided upon for slay may whereupon mr lloyd george gave support to the principle saying that british recruits would not be available until august and lie he understood it was the same for or rr france all ce nhen both would be able to furnish farnish their own recruits ile he then asked that the may program in be extended over june in which 31 clemenceau joined pershing insists on own army in reply I 1 said 1 I so do not suppose that we are to understand that the american army Is to be entirely at the disposal of the french and british commands M clemenceau said that of course this was not the intention continuing I 1 said speaking for my government and myself I 1 must insist upon our intention to have our own army the principle of unity of command must prevail in our briny army it must be complete under its own command I 1 should like to have a date fixed when this will be realized I 1 should like to make it clear that all american troops are not to be with the british as there are five divisions with the french now dow and there will be two more in a short time As to the extension of the slay may agreement to june I 1 am not prepared to accept it the troops arriving in june will not be available for the front before the alie end of july or the middle of august so we have the whole month of may ahead before deciding oling vili whether ether an emer emergency ency Is likely to arise in june I 1 have explained to lord milner bad and general foch I oab why I 1 do not wish to commit the american army so long in adva advance fice if need be I 1 shall recommend the exten sion into june I 1 can see no reason for it 11 now CHAP CHAPTER TEFt 1 I am commander in chief of the allied armies in france said general foeh foch and my appointment has been sanctioned by the signature not only of the british and french governments bat also by the president of united states hence I 1 believe myself in a position to insist there Is a program signed by lord milner and general pershing at london I 1 ask to be made a party to this arrangements arrangement since america has given me the strategic direction of the war or else I 1 have no rea reason on for holding the position so I 1 ask that an agreement be made this evening among lord milner general pershing Pe rilling find and myself extending to june what hot has been decided on for may 1 I cannot forget the atles weighing on me because 0 of the fact that the allied governments have In trusted to me the dl di of operations in prance france 10 TO IO BE CONTINUED |