The Story of the Great War, Volume 8: Victory with the Allies; Armistice; Peace Congress; Canada's War Organizations and vast War Industries; Canadian Battles Overseas
History
The Story of the Great War, Volume 8: Victory with the Allies; Armistice; Peace Congress; Canada's War Organizations and vast War Industries; Canadian Battles Overseas
World War, 1914-1918
We had an enormous concentration of artillery and of aviation, thanks
to assistance from the French, but our aviation and much of that of
the French sent us was new. Our aviators lacked experience as
observers in keeping their liaison in directing artillery fire and in
informing the infantry of the movements of their units and of the
enemy's. Infantry and artillery commanders who had had little previous
battle experience, were not always fortunate in their efforts to keep
liaison with one another and with the aviation in view of the
aviation's inexperience. To say that the American army was ready for
such an offensive as that of the Meuse-Argonne would be unfair to the
men who began the battle and detracting from the glory of their
achievement. Her courage, eagerness, adaptability, and industry were
merits which were to overcome the handicaps in a way that made results
even more glorious in the greatest battle of our history.
Aside from the fact that two of the divisions in line were going under
fire for the first time there was not one of the divisions which was
not handicapped in some way for their effort, either for want of
artillery or because they had had no time to rest after hard marches
or previous battles. In the space of this brief review it is
impossible to tell of their actions in detail which reflected credit
on each one of the Regular, National Guard, or National Army
divisions, and which, taken together, reflected credit upon the army
as a whole.
On the right was Bell's 33d Division of Illinois National Guard. At
its back was the famous _Mort Homme_, or Dead Man's Hill, where
Frenchmen and Germans had struggled in the battle of Verdun, with its
shell craters now fringed with weeds. The 33d had to cross the Forges
Brook and swing in toward the Meuse River protecting the right flank
of the whole movement which rested on the river. On the left of the
33d was the 80th, Cronkhite's Blue Ridge Division, trained at the
British front and come from Saint Mihiel. Next in line was the 4th
Regular Division, which, coming fresh from the British front, had
fought magnificently in the Château-Thierry operations. On its left
was Kuhn's 79th, the National Army Division from Camp Meade, which had
never heard a shot fired until it marched up amidst the roar of guns
and artillery preparation. Then we had Farnsworth's 37th, National
Guard of Ohio, which with unconquerable persistence was to take the
wicked Malancourt Woods; and then the 91st Division of the National
Army from the Pacific slope which was to give such a remarkable
exhibition of continued and determined advance. Next we had Traub's
85th Division, National Guard from Kansas and Missouri, which was set
the dreadful task of taking the heights on the west of the Aire river
and of crossing the Exermont ravine. Next was Muir's 28th, or "Iron"
Division, National Guard of Pennsylvania, which was in the valley of
the Aire and faced the wooded heights of the Argonne which were thrust
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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