(_October 1-31, 1918._)
The advance effected during the first stage of the attack brought the
American infantry face-to-face with fresh German positions, strongly
defended, bristling with machine-guns and automatic weapons, organised
one behind the other and connected up with one another. These positions
had to be reduced bit by bit.
The smallest wood or the least depression of the ground was utilised by
the Germans with the greatest skill. In the woods they made use of a new
type of auxiliary defence-works--barbed-wire entanglements
(Maschendraht) about nine feet in height, fastened to trees or to stakes
six inches in diameter.
The Americans on their side attacked desperately, and succeeded in
gaining the disputed ground, step-by-step, thereby laying during the
whole month of October the foundation of the operations which in
November were to end in the enemy’s capitulation along the whole front.
On October 1, a hard struggle began which lasted several days, with
alternate advances and retreats. The French, finally breaking the
counter-offensive on their flank, advanced along the Valley of the Aire.
On October 1 they occupied Binarville, Condé-lez-Autry and
Vaux-lez-Mouron, after capturing considerable material, including 200
narrow-gauge trucks and numerous trucks of normal gauge. The Americans,
on their side, in spite of the machine-guns, barbed-wire, and
counter-attacks supported by tanks, pushed forward bravely.
[Illustration: SECOND STAGE OF THE FRANCO-AMERICAN ATTACK, SHOWING
PROGRESS MADE UP TO OCTOBER 30 (30/10)]
On October 4, Pershing launched an attack along the whole Army front.
On the right, the American 3rd Corps advanced as far as the
Brieulles-Cunel road, which, however, it failed to pass. In the centre,
the 5th Corps reached Gesnes. On the left, the troops of the 1st Corps
advanced on the Forest of Argonne and reached La Viergette. On the edge
of the forest the same troops made an advance of about two miles,
reaching the outskirts of Fléville and capturing Chéhéry, as well as
Arietal Farm on the north of Exermont.
On October 7, the 1st Corps drove the Germans out of Chatel and Chéhéry,
and from the heights to the west of the Aire, as far as the outskirts of
Cornay, which they took on the following day.
But with the arrival of numerous reinforcements the German resistance
increased, and the advance became more and more difficult.
An extension of the attacking front was then decided upon, and the
French 17th Corps (Claudel), which was keeping watch on the right bank
of the Meuse, was placed at General Pershing’s disposal.
This army corps was reinforced by the French 26th Infantry Division and
the American 33rd Infantry Division, which were already operating on the
right bank of the river. These dispositions having been completed a
fresh attack was launched from the Argonne as far as Beaumont, to the
west of the Meuse.
On October 8, the German positions were violently bombarded, and on the
9th the troops advanced to the assault.
On the right, the French 17th Corps advanced as far as the southern
outskirts of the Haumont and Consenvoye Woods, but could not get beyond
these positions, which had been very strongly fortified by the Germans.
[Illustration: VARENNES. TELEPHONISTS OF THE 108TH REGT. (28TH D.I.)
WITH GAS MASKS]
Along the Meuse the American 3rd Corps entered Brieulles, while the 5th
Corps reached the main German line of resistance between Cunel and
Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, and captured Fléville. On the left wing the 1st
Corps occupied the heights south of Marcq and the woods of Cornay.
Meanwhile the troops of the French 4th Army on the left bank of the
Aisne swept the Montcheutin--Vaux-lez-Mouron Plateau and, on the right
bank, took Lançon, Grand-Ham and Senuc. The capture of the latter
village gave them one of the gates of the Grandpré Pass. The junction of
the French and American armies was effected at Lançon. On that day the
Americans, from the Argonne to Chaume Wood, on the east of the Meuse,
captured more than 2,000 prisoners, and the French 600, besides many
guns.
On the 10th, the French crossed the Aisne opposite Termes, which they
captured; they then occupied the railway-station of Grandpré, taking
numbers of prisoners. The enemy, in danger of being cut off, evacuated
the forest, pursued by the Americans, who, after progressing beyond
Marcq and Chevières, linked up with the French before Grandpré. Further
east, their line passed north of Sommerance and through the northern
outskirts of Romagne Wood and Gesnes.
The arrival of American reinforcements in ever-increasing numbers
enabled Pershing to extend his operations.
The American Second Army, which had just been constituted under the
command of General Bullard, lined up on the right of the First Army
(which had now passed under the command of General Liggett). To his
command were joined the 33rd and 17th French Corps, wedged between the
two American armies.
The three corps of the American First Army, after the promotion of
Generals Liggett and Bullard, were commanded as follows: The 1st Corps
by General Dickman, the 5th Corps by General Summerall, and the 3rd
Corps by General Hines.
This was the state of affairs on October 14, when the general attack was
launched.
The 1st Corps captured St. Juvin and reached the outskirts of St.
Georges. In the centre the 5th Corps passed Cunel and Romagne, and
reached the outskirts of Landres-St. Georges village. Along the Meuse,
the 3rd Corps passed Forêt Wood, while on the east of the Meuse the
French 17th Corps fought a violent engagement in the woods of Coures and
Ormont.
The fight waxed furious. On the 16th, the Americans took the Hill of
Châtillon and the village of Champigneulle, while on the following day
they were definitely masters of Grandpré. To the west of the Argonne the
French, who had entered Vouziers, on the 12th, after a very hard
struggle and in spite of several counter-attacks, cleared Termes and
entered Mouron. On the 14th, they drove the enemy back beyond the
Grandpré--Vouziers road, and two days later took Talma and Hill 222 to
the north-west. The Germans, whose resources were fast diminishing, made
a desperate but unsuccessful resistance, and there was much confusion
among the enemy units engaged in the valleys of the Aisne and the Aire.
The battalions withdrawn from the firing line were hastily reorganised
at the base, and at once despatched to the most critical points. The
main positions were held by picked troops and especially by
machine-gunners, whose numbers and stubbornness caused great ravage in
the Allied ranks. From Grandpré to Rethel the country had been
inundated. Apparently, the enemy were constructing a new line (the
“Freyastellung”) to the north of the “Kriemhilde” position. The new line
passed north of Landres and Bantheville, through Hazois Wood, the Farms
of La Dhuy and Grand Carré, and along the northern slopes of the valley
of the Andon, between Bantheville ad Cléry-le-Petit.
[Illustration: VARENNES. RENAULT TANKS WITH 1-1/2-IN. GUNS, USED BY THE
AMERICAN FORCES]
On the 17th, fierce fighting took place between Olizy and Grandpré; the
French advanced north-west of Olizy, but after a violent bombardment
were forced back from Talma by a counter-attack. On the 18th, they
crossed the Aisne to the north-east and east of Vouziers, capturing
Vandy and Pissois Farm and reaching the western outskirts of Chestres.
Meanwhile, American patrols entered Loges Wood, Landres-St. Georges and
Bantheville Wood, all of which had been abandoned by the enemy.
From the 19th to the 30th a desperate battle was fought to the east of
Vouziers. Every advance was followed by German counter-attacks, the
positions constantly changing hands. On the 19th, the French Fourth Army
broke a vigorous German attack carried out by parts of seven different
divisions. On the 19th and 20th, Chestres, Macquart Farm, Hill 193 to
the east of Vandy, and Terron were taken, but the Germans recaptured the
last-named village. On the 22nd, the French had reached the outskirts of
Terron, the woods to the south-west of the Malva Farm, Landêves, Chamiot
Farm, and the suburbs of Falaise. Terron, retaken by the Czecho-Slovaks,
was held in spite of repeated German counter-attacks. To the west of
Grandpré the positions were strengthened, while the Americans checked
the Germans north of Bantheville and advanced into the woods of Loges
and Bourgogne.
A period of calm followed, and thus ended the second stage of the
offensive, during which the Americans had captured 7,000 prisoners and
fifty guns.