At a conference held on July 23d, when the success of the attack on July 18th was well assured, the methods by which the advantage already gained could be extended were discussed in detail. The allied commander-in-chief asked that the British, French and American Armies should each prepare plans for local offensives, to be taken in hand as soon as possible, with certain definite objectives of a limited nature. These objectives on the British front were the disengagement of Amiens and the freeing of the Paris-Amiens railway by an attack on the Albert-Montdidier front. The rôle of the French and American Armies was to free other strategic railways by operations further south and east.

Following the brilliant example set by General Gouraud and General Pershing in their surprise attacks, the 4th British Army under General Rawlinson and the 1st French Army under General Debeney on August 8th made a sudden smash along an eleven-mile front. The surprise of the enemy was complete. As in the attack along the Marne, there was scarcely any artillery preparation. A rolling barrage was laid down at the zero hour and back of it came the infantry back of tanks wherever such maneuver was possible. The first objectives of the British Army were taken in an impetuous rush. Demuin, Marcelcave, Cerisy, south of Marlancourt all fell, and the defenses of Amiens, with the sole exception of La Quesnel were captured. Approximately fourteen thousand prisoners and four hundred guns were arrested from

the enemy. The 1st French Army also obtained its objectives along the line Pierrepoint, Plessier, Fresmont. They captured 3,350 prisoners and more than one hundred guns.

The battle line immediately broadened to a width of twenty-five miles. The German lines above Montdidier from Albert to the River Avre were smashed. The penetration of enemy territory in some places extended to a depth of fifteen miles. Pressure upon the Germans from August 9th to August 12th, resulted in the evacuation of Le Quesnel and in the re-occupation by the British of their old line from Roye to Chaulnes.

The Americans brigaded with the British under General Byng came into action on August 13th, when the 3d Army

jumped off in the direction of Bapaume. Tanks and armored car batteries kept pace with the infantry and mobile artillery swept a hurricane of shells into the ranks of the retreating Germans.

All along the line German snipers and isolated machinegun billets were extremely busy, but these were silenced one by one as the advance proceeded. The Germans made an extraordinary effort to blow up with field-gun-fire ammunition and other dumps which they had to leave. They abandoned

an enormous quantity of stores and ammunition. Allied cavalrymen operated for more than twenty-four hours for the first time in four years. They rode through great holes torn in the German line by the infantry. Allied airmen blew up many of the bridges over the Somme river. The British cavalry rounded up many prisoners, but the most of those taken in the early stages of the fighting were captured by Australians and Canadians.

The scene at Bayonvillers was typical of the rest of the battle area, broad fields of crops or brown grass fringed the

town and spread for miles over the surrounding country. Abandoned German field guns with little piles of empty shell cases and the bodies of Germans lay here and there, telling the story of what had happened. Lying off on the side of the road were enemy motor trucks, one of them with a trailer filled with artillery maps-some the headquarters staff could

not save.

The guns abandoned here, as elsewhere, were in shallow pits three feet deep. Little holes nearby, covered with curved iron slabs, showed where the German gunners lived before they were killed or ran to save themselves. Harbonnières was shelled to pieces. The walls showed the accuracy of the British artillery fire. Débris lay all over the streets, which bore little signs upon which German names had been written. Here the allied forces found the house which the German mayor of the town had occupied. The whole top had been knocked off and several shells had hit the walls, but there were evidences that the mayor had stayed until the last moment in a room on the ground floor.

Montdidier, an important supply center for the Germans, was captured on August 10th. When the French troops entered, the Germans had not yet completely evacuated the town, clinging to the outskirts of the place with the help of machine guns. Some of these were being served by officers of the detachments, all the men having been killed or wounded. Following up this victory, the French cavalry, pushing far ahead, threw the Germans into disorder as they sought to fall back. In the wake of the cavalry came the armored cars with automatic guns, which scattered terror and destruction among the retreating foe.

The 2d Corps, comprising the 27th and 30th Divisions of the American Army were assigned by General Byng to a position of high honor in co-operation with the Australian Corps during the assault upon the Hindenburg line. This attack was made from September 29th to October 1st inclusive at a point where the St. Quentin Canal passes under a ridge of hills through a tunnel. The 27th Division won glory for American dash and soldierly qualities when it smashed the Hindenburg line and pushed on beyond its objective until it

occupied the town of Gouy, back of the line. The 30th Division also smashed through the German defenses and captured all its objectives speedily. This assault was delivered through a maze of barbed wire entanglements, heavily fortified trenches and shell craters and through a scientific cross-fire from machine guns.

The 30th and 27th Divisions remained in action on this front until October 19th. In that period they captured more than 6,000 prisoners, sustained heavy losses and advanced more than thirteen miles.

Albert, Thiepval, Bapaume, Croisselles, Peronne, Pozieres and a "switch line" at Droucourt-Quéant all fell. Tanks and mobile artillery kept pace with the advance of the infantry and fast motorized machine gun battalions ranged ahead of the British, Australian, Canadian and American wave. Airplanes swooping like corsairs of the air attacked German infantry and supply trains, creating panic wherever they appeared. In the town of Doury a number of German officers were captured with their battalions. Mont Doury was

taken after a terrific assault.

In this advance, the Americans and Australians formed a friendship founded upon mutual admiration of soldierly qualities.

E

CHAPTER XIV

AMERICAN ARMY ORGANIZED

VENTS marched so swiftly that the American forces in France were now ready to act independently. True they had lacked the intensive training in battle areas that had been given to the soldiers of the French, British, German and Austrian Armies, but their vigor, athletic habits and mental initiative and resourcefulness had fitted them for the gigantic offensive which had been planned by Marshal Foch.

General Pershing to whom America had committed the direction of its forces in the field, after consultation with his associates in the American, British and French Armies, planned five army corps welded together in one great army under his command. His chief-of-staff was Major-General James W. McAndrew.

Organization was upon the most modern lines with all battle services represented in units proportioned to the duties encountered in a warfare which combined aviation, poison gas, flame throwers, trench mortars and other destructive agencies unknown in previous wars.

The arrangement by army corps as made just before the grand assault in the St. Mihiel salient follows:

1ST ARMY CORPS

Major-General Hunter Liggett, commanding.

1st and 2d Divisions, Regular Army; 26th, (New England), 32d, (Michigan and Wisconsin), 41st, (Washington, Oregon, North and South Dakota, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Minnesota), and 4ed (Rainbow, troops from twenty-six states) Divisions, National Guard.

1ST DIVISION-Major-General Charles P. Summerall, commanding; Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell King, Chief-of-Staff; Major H. K. Loughry, Adjutant-General.

1st Brigade, Infantry-Major John L. Hines; 16th and 18th Regiments; 2d Machine Gun Battalion.