| Show X general ings X X story of the A E F g 1931 in bythe north ameri by fall wl Gener w tyl X oa N pp ap alliance world right d ff g X include including the reproduction in Im aholo na john bohil haj J or in part prohibited W U 1 I pershing X CHAPTER XVI continued specialties ot of trench warfare at tome I 1 cabled washington september 24 1917 should noelle not be allowed to interfere i with rifle practice nor cor with int intensive L preliminary training in our schools of soldier comp company tiny and hot bat ullon it I 1 americans american retain M my y diary notes the following chaumont wednesday sept 20 1017 the french agree chilt we should retain exclusive Jurl jurisdiction sille over american soldiers in i france cli chief I 1 ef of ordnance at washington to n delays storehouse construction by requesting views of french commissioner regarding our necessities c essit les nave bove again cabled relative to carelessness and delay in loading of transports tile the war department had brought brou glit up the question of civil jurisdiction over the members of our forces in france rod and had inquired regarding the attitude of the french my judge advocate col W A bethel presented our opinion to the french authorities which was that according to tile the principles of Inte international roa law and in view of the conditions under m which the american arms was serving in france its members debould d not be subject to criminal pros elution in french courts but should be answerable only to our own military tribunals this view was readily accepted by the french and very properly the jurisdiction over our forces both civil and military remained in our hands great confusion at home there was ample evidence of great confusion at home due to lack of e efel fit dent c lent supervision even in new york harbor barbor where experts should have been easy to tc find ships were seldom loaded to their full capacity supplies i greatly needed were often left behind non essentials were being sent over many things were broken due to careless loading troops were often shipped to one port and abid their equipment to another the washington bureaus often followed blindly some out of date supply table perhaps drawn up under a former regime by an antiquated desk sol dier long since retired and forgotten As an illustration I 1 recall a bill of lading from one of our transports tant Z V pershing and joffre was presented to me about this time as a curiosity it listed a number of articles quite useless to an all army in the field and provoked the following cable for all departments recommend no further ship shipments menis be made of to fol lowing articles both bath bricks book cases bathtubs cabinets for blanks chairs except folding chairs cuspidors ors office desks floor wax hose except fire hose stepladders lawn mowers refrigerators settees set tees sickles les stools window shades further stop orders will follow soon we were shorthanded short abort handed both at depots and along tile the line of communications in all classes of labor that should have been sent over long before the quartermaster corps in r france rance was seriously handicapped in handling caring for and issuing its stores and supplies the need for stevedores had become most urgent combat troops were still being used to unload cargo and much time was wasted by the use of labor that was entirely unsuitable for this sort of work through lack of experience moreover it was urgent that enco the combat nibot troops should be sent inland to receive their battle instruction the french although short themselves had loaned us a few prisoners and also sonic some women as laborers to help out but neither class was satisfactory under the conditions there was danger that our ports would become hopelessly congested alth although jugh three weeks later and after further urgent appeals the war t promised to send stevedores ac once I 1 my diary notes the following chaumont thursday oct 4 1017 gen de Cast lenau called I 1 tuesday to discuss entry of first I 1 division iam la in the unit UD witnessed attack maneuver of the division yesterday and conducted critique ambassador sharp came today with mr joseph reinach for a visit and had lunch with us have cabled appeal for or off officers leers fitted tor for 1 ge general n era staff boalt tile the french always solicitous re garding the progress of our training were anxious that our most advanced american unit take its place in a quiet sector for the experience the main reason they advanced tor for sug gesting front line training at this time with which I 1 fully agreed was that it would give new encouragement to their armies and through them to the people the first division itself was keen to take a more active part and was ft us soon to have the opportunity tills this division had been billeted in the training area since july 15 and had begun to show the excellent effects of the system of training we had prescribed at the maneuver which I 1 attended the officers handled their units with considerable skill parti cu barly capt F 11 II burr who conducted an attack with his battalion of the twenty eighth reg regiment intent and maj theodore Then doie roosevelt jr who did a similar problem with his battalion of the twenty sixth regiment pleased with efficiency at the division school the bayonet exercises special target practice fir ing with trench mortars mortar s bomb throw ing and other trench training were well carried out I 1 returned nine lucli 11 pleased with the evidences of efel clency in this organization which was later to become famous among the armies on the western front my diary says paris wednesday oct 10 1917 spent sunday at Gondi first division field meet with general Flar harbord bord general and representative medill alck we lunched with bullard yesterday evening the officers at G n Q called to extend con granulations on confirmation of my appointment as general all heads of permanent staff departments appointed to grade of brigadier general A group of major gen generals ernis are over on tour of inspection the staff department heads bends who be came brigadier generals at that bitne were james 0 harbord chief 0 staff benjamin alvord adjutant get gen eral harry L rogers quartermaster quarterma general W A bethel judge advocate general edgar russell chief of signal corps G 0 williams chief of ord nonce nance and A E H bradley chief sur geon officers visit battlefields battlefield in accordance with my recommend a tion alon division commanders from the states were being sent over to visit the battlefields armies and schools in or der to become acquainted with condl condi lions and to experience the atmos phere of war it was important that they should appreciate the realities and become fully impressed with the urgency of thorough preparation of their commands it was thought they would become impressed with the rg ag grossly e spirit that characterized out oui training in france by coming into close touch with our methods these officers were sent to visit the allied fronts and to see demon stra eions at our own training fields and schools and were also ink taken along the line of communications I 1 took occasion to give them personally my con caption of the course of training that thai should be followed at home making an especial point of rigid discipline rifle practice and the instruction of junior officers in open warfare A number of the officers sent over were either physically unfit or had reached the age when new ideas fall to make much of an impression and consequently I 1 recommended that those of both classes be left at home for other duty or to be retired marshal joseph joffre upon my invitation vi arrived at chaumont orto octo her ber 15 1017 1917 to see our first division tile the french military officials were anxious to show their respect and li it was arranged to have both nn an american can and a french guard of honor drawn up to salute him upon his arrival at my residence these two small guards vied with each other and both seemed to get a great thrill out of the ceremony after at an interesting evening with the marshal and his staff as pur our guests we left the next nest morning by motor car for Tre veray accompanied by gen brals and alvord colonels de chambrun and mccoy and captain boyd the troops of the division were drawn up in line ready to receive us and presented a much better appearance than at the review by president poincare care the men were especially keen to be inspected by a marshal of france and their pride was clearly evident by their perfect lines as they the swung by in the march past the marshal in turn was waa enthusiastic over their vigorous appearance and military bearing one incident oc currad that wu was not on the program on the way to the field for the ceremony a well groomed mule that happened to be running loose pricked up his bis ears looked us over and decided to trot along with U ug a one of my staff wagered hagere I 1 that this w wise ise anew what W was a going on and would be present to see the march past sure enough when we reached our position this missouri product had preceded us cautiously approaching he displayed tile the greatest curiosity in the guest of honor r e q e r wartime picture of col E M house As all efforts to drive him away seemed futile he hovered near as an interested spectator of the proceedings much to the amusement of tile the marshal review other un units its I 1 gave a luncheon at Neut abeau chateau for the marshals party and my own and the senior officers of the first division after that we saw the training conducted by the first corps school and visited the american and french billets at the village of st blin where the one II hundred undred and first regiment twenty sixth division and the french sixty ninth passed in review to in excellent esc ellent form As we returned toward chaumont other american and french units were drawn up by the roadside in honor of the marshal it was vas rather late when we started and darkness overtook us while passing on foot through the lines the trumpets of each regiment regime rif sounded as we approached and with the lights from our automobiles close behind illuminating the trees that bordered the highway and the faces that peered through gli the shadows to catch a glimpse of the marshal the scone scene suggested some legendary painting finally we halted and the troops including the french one Il hundred blundred and fifty first Ili infantry fantry which had made a remarkable record at al verdun marched past us As the regiments came out of the darkness into the spotlight of our autos they made a picture never to be forgotten denies false cable rumor returning to parts paris october 19 1 I learned that a dispatch from berlin to the new york times represented me as having said that the german lines were impregnable the report might igat have been idle gossip but tt it was more pro probable babiy circulated to cre ate the impression that our armies were starting on it a forlorn hope tills this report was so far from the truth that I 1 cabled the secretary of war that it was absolutely false and without any foundation whatever in every reference to our future operations I 1 had strongly maintained that it was not only possible to break the german lines but that it would be done the very system of training that we were persistently following was based on the determination to force the germans out of their trenches tren dies and beat them in the open on no DO other theory could they have bave been defeated defeat edL yet let without question there were not it il few amone our allies and probably some in n our own army who thought the task impossible supporting their view by citing the failures allures of the previous throe three years especially that of the spring of 1017 1917 it was none the less it a surprise however ho weer w when it en a report came directly to ML me that such views had bad actually been expressed in the presence of civilian visitors by officers of rank in our army I 1 was indignant to learn of that kind of talk and in comment commenting ng on it to the americans who had heard such statements made I 1 said that the german lines can be broken they must be broken and they will be broken and those present will recall thit that it was said with consider abis emphasis positive steps were taken at once to eradicate such notions or at least prevent them from being openly S stated and I 1 was determined to relieve immediately any amy officer without regard to rank who should express any such opinion first division moves amov in my general impression of the situation of at this time was set forth in a cable to october 21 during the last week the water soaked ground in flanders and on the western front generally has ha prevented further development of offensive movements summing up wastage of germolai gerami army in this years campaign a single offensive olten she such as the anglo french in flanders in progress since july 31 Is insufficient materially teri ally to weaken germanys germanas Germ anys man power next year jear must see two offensives fen continuously maintained throughout summer it if s lye result Is to be obtained this can only be secured through aid of effect effective iv e united states army on this side the troops on the vi western front have been re enforced by one C erman dirk aon from the russian front As tile the training of the first division had now progressed sufficiently it was put into line in the quiet sector northeast of Lu huneville Lunel neville lle under the supervision of the french for actual trench experience the division was and short of horses clot clothing bing and many other things lings ti especially rolling kitchens of which a few had only recently been received and trucks which were borrowed borrow ed from th the french eFrench stressed need of winter clothing my repeated cables beginning in july for winter clothing had received scant attention and with the coming of colder weather the shortage became critical the initial stock requested was disallowed the monthly allotments were totally inadequate and the depots were practically empty the explanation that came from itile quartermaster generals office that our requests could not be granted on account of the needs at home showed a total lack of appreciation of the necessity of properly clothing the fighting man actu at the front above all others after another urgent appeal a partial supply was sent but we had succeeded in obtaining a quantity of clothing from the british to tide us over amr CHAPTER upon the lie invitation of general retain petain petit tit in I 1 went to the french front to be present at their second offensive since general Nh mulles mu lles elles failure in april arriving by motor ht at the headquarters of general dUs dEs perey perey commander of thi the group of armies of the north on the evening of october 22 1917 the plans for the attack were explained to us and from the extreme care taken in working out tile the details and from their accurate knowledge of the forces and his position there see beeme nield d to be little doubt of success soon after their victory near verdun in august the french had begun to prepare tor for this offensive in which they could not well afford to fall the advance was made by eight dl of the sixth army on a front of only sever sen and a halt half miles extending along the ainne aisne with the object t 4 general pershing Pe rilling inspecting ot of gaining a more advantageous p position for the winter and ateo aiso still further building up french morale general Mal maestre the army commander gave the operation his personal attention prescribing an artillery preparation covering six days during which the expenditure of ammunition was even grenter greater than in tile the offensive of august 20 the long period of artillery ire was considered necessary as the |
