USA > Michigan > Lenawee County > Atlas and plat book of Lenawee County Michigan and history of the World War > Part 18
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SUMMARY OF 1917 CAMPAIGNS-Neither side could consider with unmixed satisfaction the results of 1917. The Allies saw with deep sorrow the disastrous defeat of Italy, who only by the most strenuous exertions was holding the foe away from her richest provinces. The loss of Russia and her vast man power and great resources-ail now open to Germany-was another and most severe blow. The expenditure of tens of thousands of brave men on the west front had made little change there. France was war weary and bled white, yet the German foe still held tenaciously to their lines.
The entrance into the war on the side of the Allies of the United States of America was, however, as staggering to the Central Powers as the defeat of Italy and defection of Russia had proved to their opponents. The vast resources, abounding energy and militant man power of the great Republic was being rapidly mobilized for the great work to which she had set her hand; and Germany waited with ill-disguised dread the opening of the campaign of 1918, when this new, fresh and most powerful of foes would show her real metal.
CHAPTER VI.
THE CAMPAIGN OF 1918-The first three months of the closing year of the war saw little actual fighting. They were important months, however. Two of the nations which had been aligned with the Allies-Russia since the very be- ginning of the war, Roumania, the other, since the late summer of 1916-were de- cisively defeated; and were suing for a separate peace. The opposing armies were apparently deadlocked in Flanders, northern France and northern Italy. The armies and the generals had been trying each other out for four years. Each knew the metal of the other. Each hoped for a strategic advantage, but both realized that this might not come soon. The Allies were pinning their faith to the United States, whence a steady stream of well-trained and finely-officered troops was flowing across the Atlantic ocean. The manner of warfare was new to these Americans; the United States troops must be trained to the minute before they
AMERICAN RED CROSS NURSES MARCHING THROUGH THE STREETS OF PARIS ON JULY 4TH.
entered the fray. Germany pretended to look contemptuously upon the men from overseas. But they had looked contemptuously on Britain's first hundred thou- sand, and Britain was now represented by four million men, as good soldiers as the sun ever shone on. America was shortly to give Germany another great les- son in what an aroused democracy could do.
Russia and Roumania were put out of the fighting in the first quarter of the new year. With the downfall of the Czar in 1917, a condition approaching anarchy resulted. In an official proclamation issued on February 10, 1918, the Russian government announced its decision to withdraw from the war. The declaration was "no war, but no peace"-Russia simply proposed to drop out of actual hos- tilities. This declaration did not meet with Germany's approval. Accordingly, on February 15, Germany announced that it had decided to resume military oper- ations against Russia. On February 18 this drive began, the Germans crossing the bridges over the Dvina river, which the retreating Russians had failed to blow up. All along a front stretching from the Baltic coast to Volhynia the invading Ger- man troops marched eastward. The Russian forces were demoralized and fled in complete rout. On March 3 a preliminary peace treaty was signed at Brest- Litovsk by the thoroughly whipped Russians and the victorious Germans. At that time the Germans reported the capture of 6,800 Russian officers, 57,000 men, 2,400 guns, innumerable machine guns and motor vehicles, 800 locomotives and enor- mous quantities of munitions and supplies. Russia was obliged to surrender terri- tory in the western part of the empire equal in area to all of Germany and Austria- Hungary. In addition it was obliged to agree to pay an indemnity of over $4,500,- 000,000.
Because of the collapse of Russia, Roumania found itself obliged to sue for peace. It was completely hemmed in by the Central Powers. Field Marshal von Mackensen, of the German army, sent an ultimatum to the Roumanian gov- ernment, on February 6. He demanded an immediate surrender. On March 5, at Bucharest, a preliminary peace treaty was signed by Germany and Roumania. Within two days (March 3 and March 5) Germany had signed peace treaties with two of the enemy: Russia and Roumania. The Allied war conference, consisting of the prime ministers and foreign ministers of Great Britain, France and Italy issued a declaration, on March 19, refusing to recognize these peace treaties and pledging their countries to continue fighting until they had "finished once for all the Germany policy of plunder and established in its place the peaceful reign of organized justice."
CZECH-SLOVAKIA DECLARES INDEPENDENCE-In the meantime, import- ant political events had been occurring in other parts of the war-stricken area. A declaration in favor of complete independence for Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia (provinces of the Austrio-Hungarian monarchy) and forming them into a unified Czech-Slovak state was adopted at Prague, Bohemia, on January 6, 1918. It created a new nation, unified according to language, rather than geographical lines. The Austro-Hungarian empire was beginning to crumble.
No important military events occurred on any of the battle fronts in January. In France and Flanders there were frequent isolated raids in many sectors, but no general engagements. In Palestine the British advanced several miles be- yond Jerusalem and firmly secured their conquest of that city. On the Italian front the Austrians were driven back across the lower Piave river, strengthening the belief that the Venetian plain would be safe from further invasion.
The chief military engagement in February occurred in the invaded region of Italy. In co-operation with British and French batteries, the Italians drove the Austrians from the positions which threatened the Venetian plains and captured several thousand prisoners. The pressure by the Teutonic invaders on the criti- cal fronts was relieved and immediate danger of a further offensive by the Aus- trians was removed. The British made further advances beyond Jerusalem. On the western front, in France, there were numerous skirmishes and trench raids, but no operations of consequence. The movement of troops by Germany from the east to the west deepened the conviction that this concentration was preliminary to an offensive on a wider scale than any since the first invasion.
American troops were flowing steadily into France. The embarkation of Amer- ican troops, since the declaration of war on April 6, 1917, and prior to the opening
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR
of the big drive in March, 1918, was as follows: 1917
November
23,016
May
1,718
December
48,840
June
12,261
January
46,776
July
12,988
February
48,027
August
18,323
March
83,811
September
32,523
October
38,259
Total
366,542
THE GREAT GERMAN OFFENSIVE-The most desperate and bloody battle in history began with the great German offensive against the allied lines in north- ern France on March 21, 1918. No less than 4,000,000 men were engaged along a front of 150 miles. The action is commonly called the battle of Picardy, taking its name from the old French province in which it occurred. General Ferdinand Foch, of France, was made commander-in-chief of the allied armies on March 28, so that the major part of this great and sanguinary battle found the troops of Great Britain, France and United States acting as one unit under one centralized command.
The Germans struck the allied lines from points where their railways allowed them the greatest possible concentration of troops and where the lines of the Allies, owing to the failures at Lens, St. Quentin and LaFere the year before, were relatively weak. They were aiming at three objectives: The British chan- nel ports, Amiens and Paris. They were prepared to sacrifice a million of men to win these objectives. They continued their old time policy of hurling immense forces in direct frontal attacks. Their men were mowed down, but line succeed- ed line in a seemingly never-ending stream.
After three and one-half years of terrific fighting, Germany still had a vast force of trained men on whom to rely. In September, 1917, the Allies made this estimate of German man power:
Men actually employed in army on the front, behind lines and in interior 5,500,000 Permanent losses 4,000,000
Permanently unfit
2,100,000
Men in treatment in hospital
500,000
Men required in interior for life of country.
500,000
Miscellaneous
1,500,000
Total 14,100,000
In the first phase of the battle the enemy swept everything before them down the Somme river and its southern tributary, the Avre, to within six miles of Amiens, and to within forty-six miles of the English Channel. They eliminated the remainder of the Cambrai salient, won by the British the preceding Novem- ber, at great cost. The Huns then concentrated their attack between St. Quentin and LaFere, near where the British and French armies joined. On March 24 the Germans succeeded in crossing the Somme river, south of Peronne. On the same day the towns of Chauny and Ham were captured by them. On March 27 the British began a retreat on a wide front on both sides of the Somme. On that day the city of Albert was evacuated. On the 29th, the French counter attacked and re- covered eight square miles between Lassigny and Noyon. West of this, however, the Germans, operating on a twelve-mile front, penetrated seven miles, enveloping the town of Montdidier.
The first phase of the battle was a decided German success. Within four days they had gained an area of about 550 square miles. During this first rush the Germans claimed to have captured 75,000 British soldiers and 600 large guns. The forces operating were enormous. The British troops numbered 675,000 on the advanced line, the French 1,575,000, the Germans 1,165,000, with heavy reserve forces ready for any emergency. No battle in all history found so many men concentrated in such a small area.
The second phase of this great battle began on April 9. By that time the Germans had concentrated their positions on a front which had expanded from 75 miles to 125 miles. They had regained about 700 square miles of ground. The Germans struck between the important British depots of Arras and Ypres, forty miles apart, concentrating on a twelve-mile front. During the two following days the concentration moved forward five miles, penetrating between Armentieres and Messines. After eight days of terrific fighting the Germans had won 825 square miles of territory.
THE SECOND BATTLE OF THE MARNE-On May 27, General Ludendorff, in command of the German armies, began what is known as the second battle of the Marne. The engagement was on a forty-mile front. Ludendorff hurled enormous bodies of troops against the Allied forces in bloody frontal attacks. He forced the Aisne river on an eighteen-mile front on May 28. On May 31 he reached the Marne on a six-mile front, having penetrated thirty miles to the south. He had occupied about 650 square miles of French territory and had reduced his nearest approach to Paris from sixty-two to forty-four miles, and from the Forest of St. Gobain the German long range guns fired directly into Paris. Ludendorff reached the Marne between Dormans and Chauteau Thierry, at the identical spot where the Germans had made their first crossing on August 25, 1914. In the first three days of the 1918 Marne drive the Germans attacked with 225,000 men. By the time the Marne was reached they were using 400,000 men. When the drive slowed down, in the first days of June, they had lost fully thirty per cent of their number in casualties. Their victories were being dearly bought. On the other hand, the Germans claimed to have captured over 45,000 prisoners and 400 guns. General Foch was following his characteristic policy of holding his reserves in check and luring the enemy on, waiting for the psychological moment when he could strike, unexpectedly, with the larger force and to the best advantage.
On June 9, Ludendorff made a fierce attack on a twenty-mile front between Montdidier and Noyon in the direction of Compiegne. He gained seven miles, but later lost six, in French and American counter attacks. American marines and French troops not only held him in a vise for three succeeding days, but caused him tremendous losses. By June 12 Ludendorff's failure was an estab- lished fact. On June 15, this failure was acknowledged by the sudden launching of an Austrian offensive in Italy. Ludendorff was plainly attempting to divert a large force of the Allies from the French front to the relief of the Italians. His drive toward Paris had come perilously near to success, but the Germans were held at Chateau Thierry, within forty-four miles of the French capital.
THE VICTORY AT CHATEAU THIERRY-The noble victory gained by the Americans and French in the salient at Chateau Thierry on June 6 undoubtedly marks the turning point of the 1918 campaign-the date on which the Allies took the offensive on a great scale and started the marvelous advance which terminated on November 11 with the unconditional surrender of the German armies. The credit for the beginning of this great advance at this time belongs unquestionably to the Americans. It was an American division, consisting largely of American marines, that by a magnificent attack on June 6 halted the German advance and started them back toward their own lines. They drove the Germans back for nearly two miles along a front of several miles, captured over a thousand prison- ers and put to rout two crack divisions of Prussian troops that had been picked es- pecially to oppose the "Dogs of Americans," as the Germans affectionately called our troops.
Up to date the French and British, tired out by four years of warfare and weakened by the tremendous blows of the Germans, had stood strictly on the defensive. Encouraged, however, by this success, and by the constantly increasing number of fresh and vigorous American troops now arriving, they commenced the great offensive which terminated in November in the complete defeat of Ger- many. While we are not to forget that the vastly greater part of that defeat is attributable to the great French and English armies, yet we may ever remember that the beginning of that defeat, and the fact that it did begin on June 6. is attributable to the splendid courage and dash of the American troops, who, almost against the will of the Allied generals, attacked the Prussian Guards at Chateau Thierry on June 6, 7 and 8, and forced them back.
CANTIGNY-The success at Chateau Thierry was followed up by the Ameri- cans, who attacked the German line northwest of the town during the night of
June 19. They advanced more than half a mile. Cantigny, on the Montdidier sec- tor, was the scene of another fierce struggle on the morning of June 20, when American troops stormed the German trenches and machine gun nests in front of the village. Most of the German troops, acting under orders to hold their posi- tions at all costs, were killed.
By far the most complete operation planned and executed by American troops in the early summer fighting, was the American advance in the Marne valley on July 1, resulting in the capture of Vaux. The advance was on a two-mile front to a depth of about a mile. The Australians in their advance at Hamel of one and one-half miles on a four mile front, on July 4, had the assistance of the Americans.
THE GERMANS ARE HELD-While the Germans had been successful in pushing ahead and capturing French territory, their failure to reach any of their objectives (the Channel ports, Amiens, or Paris), coupled with the frightful price they had paid in killed and wounded, constituted a German defeat almost approach- ing a disaster. The Germans had lost between 300,000 and 400,000 men and were no nearer victory than they had been when the offensive was begun on March 21.
PERSHING'S REPORT ON THE FIGHTING-In his report to Secretary of War Baker, General John J. Pershing, in command of the American troops in France, pays high tribute to his men who fought so gallantly at Chateau Thierry, Cantigny, Belleau Wood and Vaux. General Pershing states that when matters were the most critical for the Allies, in the first few days of the tremendous Ger- man drive, he placed at the disposal of Marshal Foch all of the American forces, "to be used as he might decide." This was one of the great turning points of the war. It made practicable the unified command, without which the Allies, fighting enemies under a unified command, could hardly have hoped to win. Marshal Foch accepted the offer and the American troops were employed to the best advantage, with undying credit to themselves and their country.
General Pershing makes this official report of the action of the American troops in the battle of Picardy, and the second battle of the Marne, between April 26 and July 4:
"On April 26 the first division of Americans (30,000) had gone into the line in the Montdidier salient on the Picardy battle front. Tactics had been suddenly revolutionized to those of open warfare, and our men, confident of the results of their training, were eager for the test. This division attacked the commanding German division in its front, taking with splendid dash the town of Cantigny and all other objectives, which were organized and held steadfastly against vicious counter attacks and galling artillery fire. Although local, this brilliant action had an electrical effect, as it demonstrated our fighting qualities under extreme battle conditions, and also that the enemy's troops were not altogether invincible."
There followed the German thrust across the Aisne river toward Paris- known as "the second battle of the Marne," and General Pershing continues:
"The Allies faced a crisis equally as grave as that of the Picardy offensive in March. Again every available man was placed at Marshal Foch's disposal, and the third division, which had just come from its preliminary training in the trenches, was hurried to the Marne. Its motorized machine gun batallion pre- ceded the other units, and successfully held the bridgehead at the Marne opposite Chateau Thierry.
"The second division, in reserve near Montdidier, was sent by motor trucks and other available transport to check the progress of the enemy toward Paris. The division attacked and retook the town and railroad station at Bouresches and sturdily held its ground against the enemy's best guard divisions.
"In the battle of Belleau Wood which followed, our men proved their superior- ity and gained a strong tactical position, with far greater loss to the enemy than to ourselves. On July 1, before the Second was relieved, it captured the village of Vaux with most splendid precision."
From this brief recital, it can be seen that the American troops stood between the enemy and his goal-Paris-like the proverbial stone wall. "They shall not pass" was their watchword, as it was of the French at Verdun. The heroes of Chateau Thierry, of Cantigny and of Vaux, held up the crack Prussian guards, and autocracy's doom was sounded in the roar of the heavy guns.
AMERICA TO THE RESCUE-While these great battles were going on, Amer- ican soldiers were reaching France in a constantly widening stream. In April, 117,212 had embarked from the United States; in May, 244,345; in June, 276,372; in July, 305,000. By the time the summer campaign was at its height America was landing soldiers in France at the rate of 10,000 a day. Germany now began to see the handwriting on the wall; began to realize that she was doomed.
On April 6, 1918, at the end of the first year of the United States' participa- tion in the war, this country had an army of 1,652,725 officers and men. Casualties in the first year of the war amounted to 2,368, distributed as follows: Killed in battle, 163; died of disease or accident, 957; lost at sea, 237; died of wounds, 52; other causes, 47; missing and prisoners, 63; wounded, 829. By midsummer there were fully 1,500,000 Americans abroad; by the time the war came to an end, in November, the number had increased to nearly 2,000,000. The other nations were wearied with four years of fighting; the United States came in fresh and strong. It turned the tide of battle and brought victory to the cause of the Allies.
GERMANY'S LAST OFFENSIVE-When Germany, on July 15, began her last offensive, she attempted to hurl through the Allied lines a mighty army which she had been preparing for a month. Save for a costly attempt to carry Rheims by a prodigious assault on June 18, the German armies had been on the defensive for a month on the three fronts-in France, in Italy and in the Balkans. They had lost a total of almost a half million men since March 21. During the same time the loss of the Allies had been around 150,000. On July 15, General Luden- dorff risked everything on one more drive. He opened it up along a sixty-mile front from Chateau Thierry on the Marne, up the river beyond Dormans, then northward across the Vesle and around Rheims, then due east to a few miles west of the Argonne forest. For this he had well on toward 800,000 men. On the 15th he attacked the Americans northwest of Chateau Thierry, at Vaux. Twenty-five thousand Germans crossed the Marne. The Americans counter attacked and drove 15,000 back across the river. The rest remained as casualties or prisoners. That night General Foch is reported to have said: "I am content."
FOCH OPENS HIS GREAT OFFENSIVE-It was at this juncture that General Foch, who had been biding his time with characteristic patience, seized the oppor- tunity to deal a crushing blow. He suddenly assumed the offensive. On July 18 he ordered an advance along a twenty-eight mile front between the Marne, near Chateau Thierry, and the Aisne, west of Soissons. It was a complete success. The entire line advanced from four to six miles, thousands of prisoners were taken, and a blow of far-reaching effect was delivered. From that day on the tide never turned; the Allies swept on to ultimate victory, a victory in which the stars and stripes played a most heroic and important part.
The exact number of German troops in action when Marshal Foch began his advance can be estimated with fair accuracy. On March 21, 1918, when General Ludendorff began his offensive, there were 1,430,000 German soldiers, together with 299,000 reserves, a total of 1,729,000 men. Approximately one half of these men were on the casualty lists by the last of May. Reinforced, however, by troops brought from other French lines and from Russia, it is probable that the Ger- mans had around 1,750,000 men under arms on the French front when Marshal Foch began his offensive. With these men the German general was attempting to defend a line 250 miles long. This meant an average of 7,180 men to the mile, whereas, with a line only 175 miles in length and with more men at his com- mand, Ludendorff had an average of 8,666 men to the mile when he launched his spring offensive. For the first time in the four years of the war the Allies were able to assemble a greater army of men and a larger supply of guns, shells and munitions of all kinds than their opponents.
The Allies' offensive was begun on the morning of July 18. American and French detachments under General Mangin, of the French army, attacked the Germans under the Crown Prince. The attack extended from Ambleny, six miles west of Soissons, south to Bouresches, five miles northwest of Chateau Thierry -- a front of about twenty-eight miles. The troops advanced six miles the first day. In two days the Allies took 17,000 prisoners and more than 360 large guns. By
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR
Page Eleven
July 23 the Soissons-Chateau Thierry line was almost entirely in the hands of the Americans and French. The Americans had advanced to six miles beyond Chateau Thierry. The booty amounted to nearly 25,000 prisoners, over 400 guns and vast stores of supplies. The Allies for the second time forced the Germans back across the Marne. The end of the first week of Foch's offensive found the German Crown Prince using every effort to save his armies from being surrounded and his guns and supplies from being captured, by hurrying them to the north.
On August 1, the official French report gave the total number of prisoners taken since July 15 on the Marne and Champagne fronts at 33,400, of whom 674 pere officers. On August 2, the French occupied the important manufacturing and strategic city of Soissons, which the Germans had captured in their advance on May 29, 1918. The Crown Prince retreated along three lines: on the River Lys salient north of LaBassee, in the region of Albert, and between the Avre river and the town of Montdidier.
While these events were transpiring in the Marne sector, Marshal Foch launched another offensive on the Picardy salient, between Albert and Montdidier. The Allies' objective was the line between Peronne and Roye. The attack was launched as a surprise, the Germans being taken unawares. Americans, British and French pushed determinedly ahead. On August 10 Montdidier was captured. 25.000 prisoners being taken. The total casualties of the Allies were less than 6,000. Over 100,000 German soldiers had been pushed back. By August 12 the region known as the Massif of Lassigny had been taken and the number of prison- ers had increased to 40,000. By the 18th, British, under General Rawlinson, were only one mile from Roye. Artillery, infantry and cavalry (used whenever possible in open fighting) were augmented by aeroplanes and tanks. In the first month of Foch's offensive, the Germans were outgeneraled and outfought by the Allies, and had lost much valuable territory previously conquered, which in the spring they had squandered hundreds of thousands of lives in taking.
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