s
PAGE FOUR
THE DALLAS POST
DALLAS, PA, FRIDAY, JULY 3, 1931.
My Experiences
In the World War
(Continued from page 3)
Serving a Field Gun.
The Thirty-third, Seventy-eighth,
Bightieth and Eighty-second divisions
had been training behind the British
front, one brigade of the Thirty-third
having had front-line service with the
British, and the Ninety-first division
had never been in the front line and
had received less than four weeks’
_ training in France.
Misleading the Germans.
The considerable circulation of
troops in the St. Mihiel area natural-
ly attracted the attention of the peo-
ple and of the officers and soldiers.
Although cautioned against such dis-
cussion, the probability of an Amer-
ican attack on the salient was dis-
cussed here and there.
To divert the enemy’s attention
from our real objective it was neces-
sary first to create some uncertainty
in the minds of our own troops. The
por was therefore started around
garters that our first offensive
Bp the direction of Mul-
thine valley, beyond the
ins, northeast of Bel-
5 $Q make a di-
version in that direction, Anas
preliminary step an officer was sent
to lease buildings in Belfort. At the
gate time confidential instructions
were sent Major-General Bundy, com-
manding the Sixth corps, to proceed to
Belfort with a limited staff and pre-
pare detailed plans for an offensive
with the object of seizing Mulhouse
and the heights to the southeast and
eventually establishing our line along
the Rhine.
In the letter of instructions seven
divisions were mentioned as having
been designated for the attack, and
three officers from each of these units
were detailed to report to General
Bundy to assist in the reconnaissance.
He was directed to expedite the work
of ‘preparation, as the movement
would probably begin September 8,
under my personal command.
An attack by the French Tenth
army, begun August 29, 1918, was un-
_dertaken to force the retirement of
‘the enemy from the Vesle and Aisne
rivers. On its relief from the Vesle
August 7 the Thirty-second division
(Haan) was assigned to the Tenth |
army and entered the line August 28,
immediately undertaking a ‘series of
local operations in which gains were
made in the face of very heavy fire.
Ravines and numerous eaves in the
region provided ideal cover for the
defending troops.
The general attack of the army the
following day met but slight success,
the enemy resisting desperately along
his entire front, but on the 30th, by
a flank attack from the south, the
Thirty-second division captured Ju-
_ vigny, pushing a small salient into the |
“ German lines.
Hard fighting continued August 31,
but by the end of the day the*Thirty-
second had reached the important
Soidsons-St. Quentin road, where it
|,
I
|
|
|
{
_it_ scattered among the allied forces,
Second army, was transferred to my
command on August 30.
The front included the St. Mihiel
salient, which: was between these
points, and embraced the permanent
fortresses around Toul. We had three
divisions in line on the south face of
the sector, but the mass of our battle
troops would not take over the
trenches until the night before the
attack.
Foch Springs Surprise.
August 30, the day I assumed com-
mand of the sector, Marshal Foch,
accompanied by General Weygand, his
chief of staff, came to my residence
at Ligny-en-Barrois and after the
usual cordial exchange of greetings
presented an entirely new plan for
the use of the American army.
The marshal began by saying that
the German armies were in more or
less disorder from recent attacks by
the allies and that we must not allow
them to reorganize, and that the Brit-
ish would continue their attack in
the direction. of Cambrai and St. Quen-
tin and the French toward Mesnil.
Then, much to my surprise, he pro-
posed that the objectives in the St.
Mihiel operation be restricted and the
attack made -on the southern face
only, and that upon its completion two
other operations be undertaken by
combined American and French, a
number of our divisions going under
French command. >
Pershing Insists on U. S. Army.
I repeated what I had often said,
that the American government and
people expected the army to act as a
unit and not be dispersed in this way.
I pointed out that each time we were
about to complete the organization of
our army, some proposition like this
was presented to prevent it.
The discussion was somewhat heat-
ed and much of it was carried on so
rapidly that it could not be trans-
lated. He continued to reiterate his
demands for the adoption of his plan,
but I had learned that it was-neces-
sary to be very firm in dealing with
him, and I finally said, in effect:
“Marshal Foch, you have no au-
thority as allied commander in chief
to call upon me to yield up my com-
mand of the American army to have
where Tt Wik 2#h-he, an American
army at all.” 7
He was apparently surprised at my
resentment of his attempt to confine
American- effort to subordinate roles,
and said, “I must insist upon the ar-
rangement,” to which I replied, as we
both rose:
“You may Insist all you please, but
I ‘decline absolutely to agree to your
plan. While our army will fight
wherever you may decide, it will not
fight extept as an independent Amer-
ican army.”
He said he was disposed to do what
he could toward forming an American
army. He then picked up his maps
and papers and left, very pale and ap-
parently exhausted, saying at the door
as he handed me the memorandum of
his proposal that he thought that
after careful study I should arrive at
the same conclusion he had.
Agreement Is Reached.
My chief of staff, General McAn-
drew, and chief of operations, Fox
Conner, were sent to confer with Wey-
gand September 1 and returned to
Ligny-en-Barrois with word that Mar-
shal Foch desired to see General Pe-
tain and me the following day. Mo-
toring to Petain’s headquarters with
Boyd and De Marcenches, we found
McAndrew and Conner had preceded
us and after lunch we went to Bom-
bon. ’
Opening the conference Foch re-
ferred to the note he had handed me
August 30 and to my reply and asked
my observations, Stating my attitude
on’ the desirability of carrying out
vigorous offensives to the fullest pos-
sible extent, I explained that if it
| should be deemed necessary to aban-
| don the St. Mihiel project in order to
was relieved September 2. The Thirty- |
second division
three miles and its success contrib-
had advanced nearly
| there
uted greatly to the forced withdrawal |
© of the German line to the Aisne. river. |
Pershing Takes Over Sector.
As prearranged between
Petain and myself,
Port-sur-Seille (east
river) to Watronville (north of Les
Esparges), forty-two miles in extent
then occupied by the entire French
Eighth army and a part of the French
of
reneral |
the sector from |
the Moselle |
| ly
begin the larger offensive, which was
understood to be west of the Meuse,
I would abide by his decision.
In the ensuing discussion, while
was considerable sparring, it
was agreed the American army should
operate as a unit under its own com-
mander on the Meuse-Argonne front.
Marshal Foch concluded that the
date for the operation should be post-
poned so we could first carry out the
limited attack at St. Mihiel. We final-
reached the definite understand- i
ing that after St. Mihiel our First |
army should “prepare ‘to begin this |
Tater fman Sep-
CHAPTER LVL
“The First army attacked yesterday
and the reduction of the St. Mihiel
salient is complete,” reads my diary
of September 13, written at Ligny-en-
Barrois.
“Our troops behaved splendidly.
The secretary of war visited two corps
headquarters; returned to Ligny much
delighted at our success.
“Petain and I went to the town of
St. Mihiel today and were warmly
greeted by the people. This is my
birthday and a very happy one.”
The attack of the infantry on the
southern face of the St. Mihiel salient
started at five in the morning and be-
fore that I went with several staff
officers to old Fort Gironville, situated
on a commanding height overlooking
the battlefield: from the south. The
secondary attack on the west was
launched at 8 a. m.-as an element of
surprise for artillery preparation
there.
Weather Gives Advantage.
A drizzling rain and mist prevented
us from getting a clear view, but the
progress of our troops could, be fol-
lowed by the barrage which preceded
them. Notwithstanding a heavy rain-
fall the night of September 11-12, the
weather gave us an advantage, as the’
mist partly screened our advance from
the enemy.r
Overcome Entanglements.
Thanks to the thorough preparation
beforehand, the wire entanglements
were more easily overcome than we
had expected.
Trained teams of pioneers and en-
gineers, with bangalore torpedoes,
wire cutters and axes, assisted in
opening gaps in the masses of barbed
wire covering the German positions.
The leading troops themselves carried
along rolls of chicken wire, which was
thrown across entanglements here and
there, forming a kind of bridge for
the infantry.
In all their offensives the allies had
spent days destroying entanglements
with artillery fire or had used a large
number of heavy tanks, but we had
only a few light tanks, ineffective for
such work. The fact that we had
smatharel Ue enemy artillery wus Sg
advantage, as it enabled the leading
waves deliberately to do their work
without serious loss.
The quick passage through these en-
tanglements by our troops excited no
little surprise among the French, who
sent a large number of officers and
noncommissioned officers to St. Mihiel
several days later to see how it had
been done. One of these officers, after
his reconnaissance, remarked in” all
seriousness that the Americans had
the advantage over Frenchmen be-
cause of their long legs atd large feet.
Troops Overrun Objectives.
In making our dispositions for bat-
tle our older divisions, the First, Sec-
ond and Forty-second, had received
positions on the southern face oppo-
site the open spaces, to enable them’
to flank the wooded areas quickly,
thus aiding the advance of less expe-
rienced units assigned to these areas.
The whole line, pivoting as planned
on the Eighty-second division on the
right, advanced resolutely to the at-
tack. The entire operation was car-
ried through with dash and precision.
By afternoon the troops had pushed
beyond their scheduled objectives and
by evéning had reached the second
day’s objective on most of the south-
ern front.
The division of the Fourth corps
(Dickman) and those on the left of
the First corps (Liggett) overwhelmed
the hostile garrisons, and quickly over-
ran their positions, carrying the fight- .|
ing into the open. The German resist
ance on this part of the front was dis-
organized by the rapidity of our ad-
vance and was soon overcome. Al-
though the enemy was expecting an
attack, he did not think it would take
place so soon and it therefore came
as a surprise.
When the First division, on the
marching flank of the southern attack,
had broken through the hostile for-
ward positions, the squadron of cav- |
alry attached to the Fourth corps was |
passed through the breach. At 1:45 |
p. m. it pushed forward to reconnoiter |
gneulles, but en- |
the rodds toward Vi
countering machine guns in position
was forced to retire.
Western Attack Slower.
On the western face of the salient
- a
manding he French Second Colonial
corps, a regiment of the Eightieth di- |
vision (Cronkhite), in reserve, - was
sent to his assistance. .
On the afternoon of the Twelfth,
learning that the roads leading out
| of the salient between the two attacks |
were filled with retreating enemy
| troops, with their trains and artillery,
I gave orders to the commanders of
the Fourth and Fifth corps to push
| forward without delay.
progress was not so satisfactory. The
Twenty-sixth division, in its attempt
to make a deep advance toward
Vigneulles, met considerable resist- |
(m Using the telephone myself, I direct-
|
ance, and- except for a battalion of |
|
|
ed the commander of the Fifth corps
| to send at least one regiment of the
| Twenty-sixth division toward Vig-
| neulles with all possible speed.
That evening a strong force from
the Fifty-first brigade pushed boldly
forward and reached Vigneulles at
2:15 a. m. the 13th. It immediately
made dispositions that effectively
closed the roads leading out of the
(Continued on Page 5)
the division reserve had pot reached
the day’s objective.
The French at the tip of the salient
had attempted to follow up the flanks
of» our successful penetrations, but
made only small advances. Upon the
request of Gen. E. J. Blondlat, com-
7
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