Winning a Cause: World War StoriesThompson, John G. (John Gilbert)
History
Winning a Cause: World War Stories
Thompson, John G. (John Gilbert)
Readers -- History; Readers -- World War, 1914-1918
It was now necessary to constitute a second army, and on Oct. 9 the
immediate command of the First Army was turned over to Lieut. Gen. Hunter
Liggett. The command of the Second Army, whose divisions occupied a
sector in the Woevre, was given to Lieut. Gen. Robert L. Bullard, who had
been commander of the 1st Division and then of the 3d Corps. Major Gen.
Dickman was transferred to the command of the 1st Corps, while the 5th
Corps was placed under Major Gen. Charles P. Summerall, who had recently
commanded the 1st Division. Major Gen. John L. Hines, who had gone
rapidly up from regimental to division commander, was assigned to the 3d
Corps. These four officers had been in France from the early days of the
expedition and had learned their lessons in the school of practical
warfare.
Our constant pressure against the enemy brought day by day more
prisoners, mostly survivors from machine-gun nests captured in fighting
at close quarters. On Oct. 18 there was very fierce fighting in the
Caures Woods east of the Meuse and in the Ormont Woods. On the 14th the
1st Corps took St. Juvin, and the 5th Corps, in hand-to-hand encounters,
entered the formidable Kriemhilde line, where the enemy had hoped to
check us indefinitely. Later the 5th Corps penetrated further the
Kriemhilde line, and the 1st Corps took Champigneulles and the important
town of Grandpre. Our dogged offensive was wearing down the enemy, who
continued desperately to throw his best troops against us, thus weakening
his line in front of our Allies and making their advance less difficult.
Meanwhile we were not only able to continue the battle, but our 37th and
91st Divisions were hastily withdrawn from our front and dispatched to
help the French Army in Belgium. De-training in the neighborhood of
Ypres, these divisions advanced by rapid stages to the fighting line and
were assigned to adjacent French corps. On Oct. 31, in continuation of
the Flanders offensive, they attacked and methodically broke down all
enemy resistance. On Nov. 3, the 37th had completed its mission in
dividing the enemy across the Escaut River and firmly established itself
along the east bank included in the division zone of action. By a clever
flanking movement troops of the 91st Division captured Spitaals Bosschen,
a difficult wood extending across the central part of the division
sector, reached the Escaut, and penetrated into the town of Audenarde.
These divisions received high commendation from their corps commanders
for their dash and energy.
On the 23d, the 3d and 5th Corps pushed northward to the level of
Bantheville. While we continued to press forward and throw back the
enemy's violent counter attacks with great loss to him, a regrouping of
our forces was under way for the final assault. Evidences of loss of
morale by the enemy gave our men more confidence in attack and more
fortitude in enduring the fatigue of incessant effort and the hardships
of very inclement weather.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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