the latter, General Wright, asked permission to keep his troops in line. From north of Tailly large convoys of Germans could be seen leaving Stenay, and many vehicles were seen crossing the river behind Laneuville. The German rearguards, however, succeeded in holding off our main forces until their troops had crossed the river. Beaufort was captured Nov. 4, and on the following days units of the division succeeded in crossing the Meuse over partially destroyed bridges.

GREAT FEAT OF THE 2D

The 2d Division, on the left of the 89th, accomplished one of the most remarkable feats of the war. On the night of Nov. 3, after the Marine Brigade had broken through the enemy's positions, the 9th and 23d Infantry Regiments were formed in column on the road leading north to Beaumont. The 9th Infantry led the column with the usual advance guard and flank patrols. Beyond this protection there was nothing to prevent the entire brigade from being cut off. It marched all night long straight through the enemy lines for a distance of about eight kilometers, through the Bois de Belval, the Bois du Four, and the Bois du Fort Gerache. The enemy was taken completely by surprise. A few machine guns opened up on the column, but they were soon silenced by details sent out for this purpose. Other machine gunners were found asleep at their guns and captured. Many details of enemy troops were captured, and at La Tuilerie Farm the advance guard found the place occupied by German officers sitting around tables with lights burning. They were thrown into dismay by the appearance of American troops, whom they thought far to the south.

This rapid advance succeeded so well that the troops on both flanks, which had been held up, were able to move forward. The line was completely broken through and the enemy soon was everywhere in rapid retreat.

On the left the enemy's resistance gave way before the repeated attacks of the 78th and 77th Divisions, and he began to fall back so rapidly that his retreat bordered on a rout. Our troops

in this sector, in order to keep up with the enemy, were loaded on motor trucks. The enemy was compelled to abandon completely the Bois de Bourgogne. Outflanked by the French on the west, the Germans withdrew hastily. French and American troops joined hands at Chatillon-sur-Bar, and thus the last important bulwark which guarded the great German "Voie de rocade" was cleared.

On the right our men pushed rapidly down the left bank of the Meuse, harassing the enemy's retreat at every step.

On Nov. 4 troops of the 80th Division had reached the heights south of Beaumont, where they encountered the first organized opposition. The towns and roads behind the enemy's lines were crowded with retreating troops and transports. The enemy's confusion was great and there were all indications that he was throwing in his last reserves.

CROSSING OF THE MEUSE

The 5th Division learned on Nov. 2 that the enemy was withdrawing. Preparations were at once made for crossing the Meuse. This proved to be a most difficult task. After working around the edge of the horseshoe bluff north of Brieulles and taking Doulcon, an attempt was made to cross on the night of Nov. 3-4. In the face of a heavy fire two companies got across at Brieulles, but the others could not follow. These two companies dug in.

On Nov. 4 another attempt to cross at Cléry-le-Petit failed. Meanwhile the two companies of the 60th Infantry already crossed at Brieulles succeeded, by a surprise attack, in getting over the canal and organizing a bridgehead. Just below this point the 3d Battalion of the 60th crossed the river on rafts, duckboards, with poles and ropes, and by swimming, and established itself in the Bois de Chatillon. The following morning, Nov. 5, the Bois de Chatillon was cleared of the enemy and the left of the 5th Division was able to cross. The villages of Dun-sur-Meuse and Milly were captured, so that the net result of the day was the crossing of the river and the capture of the whole line of heights from Milly to Vilosnes.

On the extreme left the ist Division

on Nov. 6 relieved the 80th, while the 42d relieved the 78th. These two divisions reached on this date the banks overlooking the Meuse from west of Remilly through Allicourt to Mouzon.

About 2 P. M., Nov. 6, the commanding general of the 5th Army Corps came in person to the headquarters of the 1st Division and gave a verbal order for the 1st Division to march at once on Sedan. The 1st Division in its advance met part of the 42d Division in Bulson. On Nov. 7 it encountered the enemy on the front Bulson-Chéhery-Omicourt. He was immediately attacked and driven northward. Meanwhile, patrols of the 42d penetrated to the edge of the village of Wadelincourt across the river from Sedan. In the afternoon of Nov. 7 the 1st Division was withdrawn to the line La Bésace-Autrecourt. It had marched all of two nights and part of a third, covering an average distance of 53 kilometers in mud, darkness, and congestion of traffic. In addition, it had fought all of two days.

On the right the 5th Division continued its attack on Nov. 6, pushed forward with wonderful speed and captured Murvaux, while its left unit reached and held the Côte St. Germain. The advance continued on the following day, the 5th Division being far ahead of the units on its flank. The 90th had not yet got across the river, and the 17th French Corps, on the right, which was trying to converge on Breheville, did not succeed in getting forward until this day.

The 5th Division patrols on Nov. 9 reported that the enemy was in general retreat and an advance in force was ordered. The villages of Louppy and Removille were captured, and, in the evening, troops of one regiment swam the Loison and captured Jametz. The French took Damvillers, while two companies on the left of the 5th Division captured Mouzay, enabling the 90th Division to cross the river. On Nov. 10 the Forêt de Weevre, a "jungle of trees and heavy undergrowth with roads knee deep with mud," was mopped up. Here the division stood at the signing of the armistice.

These troops had stormed the heights

east of the Meuse, had pushed a wide salient to a depth of 15 kilometers into the enemy's line, and had contributed materially to the advance of the 90th Division on its left and that unit's capture of Stenay. The 5th was five kilometers in advance of the troops on its left and two kilometers beyond the troops on its right. The division's report says: "Its operations form a brilliant example of what the American soldier can do in an emergency when he must go to the utmost extent of his power."

The 32d Division moved up to the right of the 5th Division on Nov. 10, taking over the sector of the 15th French Colonial Division. It advanced west of Brandeville in a fog that day and a new attack had been ordered on Nov. 11 when the armistice was signed.

OPERATIONS EAST OF MEUSE

The 17th French Corps, commanded by General Claudel, which was part of the French Second Army holding the hills north of Verdun, was left in place when the First American Army took over the Meuse-Argonne sector. One American division, the 29th, was assigned to it for use when the situation should so develop that the corps would come into action.

It was the general plan to make the main attack west of the Meuse while the 17th French Corps on the east bank held and protected the flank. However, our troops, as they advanced on the west bank of the Meuse, suffered severely from machine-gun and artillery fire coming from across the river, and it soon became necessary to push forward the line east of the Meuse so as to obviate this menace.

The Germans had massed their forces east and northeast of Verdun to protect Metz, as they had believed that our main attack was coming in that direction. North of Verdun from the Meuse eastward they had placed Austrian troops in line, and it was against this weaker part of the line that General Claudel struck. He thus violated the principle of attack; that is, instead of attacking perpendicularly to the axis of the enemy's line, he attacked across the

enemy's main front. In order to do this the 29th American Division was brought in behind the 18th French Division and then spread along the dry canal bed near Samogneux with the Meuse at its back.

On the morning of the attack, Oct. 8, the corps front held as follows: 33d Division, (on the west bank of the Meuse;) 29th, 18th French, 26th French.

The 29th Division was to seize the high ground up to the Etrayes Ridge and the series of intervening hills and woods, then swing northeast and east in order to push the enemy entirely from the heights of the Meuse into the Woevre plain, at the same time advancing to the strong position of Herbebois and to Flabas.

The attack was unusually successful. On that first day the 29th Division advanced from five to six kilometers. The 116th Infantry took Malbrouck Hill and pushed on through the woods of Consenvoye. This regiment reached the northern edge of the woods by noon, but the division on its right was held up in the Bois d'Haumont.

The 33d Division was required to cross over the Meuse at Brabant and Consenvoye. Bridges were built at these two places in broad daylight under unceasing artillery fire. The troops which got across dug in for the night in the Bois de Chaumes.

By evening of Oct. 9 five battalions of the 33d had got across the river. The infantry reached the further edge of the Bois de Chaumes by noon, and patrols pushed as far as Sivry. Late in the day the Germans counterattacked with considerable force against the right of the 33d and particularly against the 29th. There was great difficulty in maintaining contact between the two divisions. This lack of contact became more noticeable on the following day, when one regiment of the 33d, having advanced to the edge east of Sivry, was forced to dig in, in order to protect its flank. The troops of the 29th on that day were under a terrific concentration of enemy fire. They made a new attack in order to get beyond the Molleville clearing, but on the right no advance could be made. The left of the division succeed

ed in joining up with the line of the 33d in the Bois Plat-Chêne.

AT THE BOIS D'ORMONT The 33d Division held its positions without further advance until Oct. 22, when it was relieved. The 29th, however, struggled to get forward under an ever-increasing concentration of fire. On Oct. 11 a new attack made no progress. The following day the 114th Infantry, acting under the orders of the 18th French Division, on its immediate right, attacked the Bois d'Ormont. Later the 113th Infantry attacked from the northwest and reached the edge of the wood. These troops were unable to hold their positions. On Oct. 13 the enemy delivered two violent counterattacks on the 113th, but our troops held to their position.

This regiment, on Oct. 15, began an attack against Molleville Farm and up to the ridge of La Grande Montagne. It reached its objective on the left, but was held up on the right. On the following day the regiment was relieved at the edge of La Grande Montagne by the 26th Division.

On Oct. 23 the 29th Division, assisted by one regiment of the 26th, carried the Etrayes Ridge, finally occupying the Pylone, the observatory on its crest. On the following day the 29th Division repulsed a counterattack, while the 26th attempted to get through the Bois de Belleu. It repulsed three German counterattacks; the fourth, however, drove our troops out. Elements of the 26th moved forward again during the night and succeeded in reaching the northern edge of the wood. Further to the right, two battalions made two attacks against Hill 300. They took the hill, but were unable to hold it. On Oct. 27 the 26th Division, assisted by the right of the 29th, launched a general assault which finally cleared Belleu Wood. Advanced troops got into the Bois d'Ormont, but had to fall back.

The 29th Division, between Oct. 28 and 30, was relieved by the 79th, which had just been shifted over to the right by the 33d Division, this latter unit coming up on the main line of the Meuse heights from Fresnes to a point one kilometer