File:The Literary digest history of the world war, compiled from original and contemporary sources- American, British, French, German, and others (1919) (14780308635).jpg

Identifier: literarydigesthi05hals (find matches)
Title: The Literary digest history of the world war, compiled from original and contemporary sources: American, British, French, German, and others
Year: 1919 (1910s)
Authors: Halsey, Francis W. (Francis Whiting), 1851-1919, comp
Subjects: World War, 1914-1918
Publisher: New York, London, Funk & Wagnalls Company
Contributing Library: Columbia University Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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r intended to com-pel the Germans to weaken their front in Artois andFlanders, to confuse and further disorganize their plans andconsume their reserves, to keep them busy and prevent anyeffort on their part to regain the offensive. It w^as not anoperation aimed at Metz, w^hich was the strongest single posi-tion in the world, nor was it a thrust toward the Rhine.Any such thrust would have had to be made from the eastside of the Moselle south of Nancy. Thus St. Mihiel was nota major offensive at all, only one more of Fochs manyblows; an advance which, if it could be held, would changethe whole aspect of the Western Front, remove the singlewedge the Germans had been able to maintain in the Frenchdike on the old frontier, and greatly facilitate later opera-tions toward Briey, or into Alsace-Lorraine between Strass-burg and Metz. The Germans offered little resistance. Oc-casionally stray machine-gun and automatic rifle-fire weremet, but it was evident that the main forces had withdrawn 372
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373 ON THE WESTERN FRONT to the second line and hence the American losses were very-light. Dawn had seen a whole squadron of tanks moving out oftheir shelters. At one point near Seicheprey, machine-gunand automatic rifle-fire swept down upon the American rightflank. But tanks and artillery were quickly moved in thatdirection and the Americans went steadily forward. By 7oclock the tanks had disappeared in a smoke-cloud over theridge in front of Seicheprey and the Americans started for-ward through the valley. The sun was now streaming acrossthe fields, casting shadows from the melancholy wrecks ofvillages. The American army had attained- its majority.Of its fighting quality there had been no doubt sinceChateau-Thierry. Our men had received their brevet whenFoch picked them out, with the flower of the French, forthis new effort against Ludendorff. To them fell the honorand responsibility of delivering what was thus far the mostambitious of Fochs ofl^ensives measured in miles. The gainsm

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