HISTORY
OF THE SEVENTY SEVENTH DIVISION
Phase 6
The Capture of the Argonne
Part 2
One week had passed
since the Division had gone over the top and penetrated
the Argonne. Overcoats and blankets had been discarded at
the beginning of the attack, so that progress should not
be impeded by heavy equipment. A very limited amount of
food was carried by each man at the outset. As the
infantry plunged farther into the forest, it was only
with the utmost difficulty that food and ammunition could
be supplied to them. A great part of these supplies had
to be carried in on the backs of men. At all times,
rations were short and hunger was an ever-present
companion. On the night of the 27th it began to rain. The
downpour continued practically throughout the entire time
that our troops were in the forest. Nights grew cold. The
woods were damp and dripping. At the end of each day's
march the men had to dig in and shiver during the night
in funk-holes half full of water, bereft of the
protection of overcoats and blankets. Even this rest,
such as it was, was seldom undisturbed. Searching
batteries of Boche artillery were constantly seeking to
locate them throughout the night with high explosives and
trench mortar shells. The machine gunners from the
regimental companies and brigade battalions attached to
the infantry were obliged to carry their heavy guns,
tripods, ammunition boxes and equipment by hand as they
struggled bravely through dripping bushes in the wake of
the infantry line. At night, these heroes of the
Hotchkiss, exhausted as they were, posted their guns on
the flanks of the bivouacked infantry and guarded the
lines against counterattack. Their vigilance accounted
for many a Boche sniper, sneaking up along secret lanes
in the forest, who tried to use his automatic maxim on
our positions in the dark. (From prisoners captured it
was learned that a fresh division, the 76th Reserve
Division, had been thrown by the Boche to support the 2d
Landwehr Division holding the forest when the attack
began.) These were the heart-breaking conditions our men
were facing day after day, and night after night.
One Week Had Passed Since the Division
Went Over the Top - dressing Station in Church at La
Chalade, October, 1918
Amid these
conditions was born "The Spirit of the Argonne
" the spirit of indomitable determination to win
against all odds. When men are called upon to endure to
the utmost cold, wet, hunger and the hardships of
trackless passageway, when they are called upon to defeat
in unfamiliar territory an unseen enemy armed with the
deadliest weapons of modern warfare, fighting from
concealed positions skillfully prepared in the light of
perfect knowledge of terrain, if they have in their soul
"The Spirit of the Argonne," they win!
By noon of the 2d
of October, the 153d Brigade had fought its way to the
enemy entrenched and wired position on the heights of the
Bois de la Naza. Here they were stopped, as the 307th had
been stopped to the left the day before. All efforts to
break through this line at any point along the Divisional
front were checked by the murderous automatic fire of the
Boche. Bands of crossfire were so interwoven that not a
yard of ground was left unprotected. Halted in front of
this wire, our troops were placed just where the enemy
wanted them for his artillery. Down it came upon them in
a furious barrage from the 77's and trench mortars,
reinforced by showers of band grenades and rifle grenades
from the enemy's trenches.
At 12:50 A. M. on
the 2nd, a determined attack was made by the 154th
Brigade, with the result that six companies of the 308th
Infantry succeeded in penetrating a gap in the German
trenches which was found in the bottom of a deep draw
running north and south on the left of the brigade
sector. This force, under the command of Major Charles S.
Whittlesey, pushed forward as far as the ravine at
Charlevaux Mill, a distance of about one kilometer. On
its right, the 307th was again checked by the wire and
trenches. Up to this time, the left flank of the brigade
bad been partially covered, first by units of another
American division and later by a French division,
although at all times these units were to our left rear.
The six companies
under Major Whittlesey made their advance far to the
front, carrying out instructions from the Division
Commander to smash through the Boche, wherever a weakness
might be discovered, and to "push forward without
regard to flanks." In view of the enforced halt of
the 307th and of the fact, afterward disclosed, that the
enemy trench line which had hereto-fore checked our
advance continued to the left, where it was held in force
by the Germans who bad successfully opposed any advance
on this front attempted by the French, this movement by
Major Whittlesey's command left his two flanks
dangerously exposed. The German occupation of this line
of trenches made it possible for them to pass by the
flank in rear to the elements of the 154th Brigade, which
had moved forward to the vicinity of Charlevaux Mill.
When the situation
was reported, two companies of the 308th and the brigade
reserve were sent to protect the exposed left and had
moved well to the front before night set in. Co. K, 307th
Infantry, got through and joined up with Major Whittlesey
on the left.
Major Whittlesey
had orders, on reaching Charlevaux Mill, to hold that
position until the other elements of the line had reached
him. At daybreak of the 3d, the entire 154th Brigade,
less the companies with Major Whittlesey, attacked the
enemy front in a determined effort to push forward to the
line of Charlevaux Mill. At all points the enemy held.
During the night he had moved up and occupied trenches
already constructed covering the ravine through which our
advance force bad passed, and he had placed new wire in
the bottom of the valley. Two other attacks were made
during the day, but failed to make any impression on the
enemy line, and at night the conditions were unchanged
communication with Major Whittlesey being cut off.
Meanwhile on the
right that same day, desperate efforts were made to break
through and gain the heights of the Bois de la Naza. Our
fighting patrols kept in contact with the enemy, but
encountered strong machine-gun resistance everywhere and
suffered heavy losses in attacking individual machine-gun
nests. A general attack was launched by the 2d and 3d
Battalions of the 305th Infantry at 4 P. M., but it was
impossible to make headway against the intense
machine-gun fire. In this attack the 2d Battalion of the
305th alone lost five officers killed and over two
hundred men killed and wounded.
On October 3d, a
communication addressed to the Commanding General, 77th
Division, from the Chief of Staff, 1st Army Corps, was
received, containing the following words of high
commendation:
"The Corps
Commander has directed me to extend to you and to the
entire 77th Division a most cordial expression of his
gratification at the steady, solid progress made since
the beginning of the operation now under way.
"The
difficulties of the terrain are fully understood and the
amount of ground gained is noticeable, while your
supplies and communications are thoroughly satisfactory.
"
The history of the
next three days covers one of the most heroic periods in
the story of the 77th Division. There was no such thing
as rest or relief, no concern for food and water, no
regard on the part of anyone for the wet, the cold and
the exhaustions that all were suffering from. The one
thought in the minds of every officer and every man was
to fight through at all costs to Charlevaux Mill. The
heart of King Richard had been thrown far into the enemy
lines and way must be won to it.
Up to this time the
fighting had been bitter enough. Henceforth it was to be
a supreme test of Yankee pluck and endurance against
German automatic skill fortified by strength of position
and perfect knowledge of terrain.
Our attacks increased in violence. The Commanding General
of the 154th Brigade put himself at the head of his men
and in person led them through the woods against the
Boche batteries. Combat patrols were sent out from the
305th and 306th to encircle the machine-gun nests in
front and desperate hand-to-hand fights ensued. A
bayoneted Boche sniper beside a smashed Maxim told the
story.
On the left, the
French made repeated attempts to turn the enemy's right
flank. Locating the principal strong point in the German
line at La Palette Pavillion, from which the enemy was
directing his harassing attacks on our beleaguered
battalion, the divisional artillery directed its fire on
La Palette Pavillion and converted it into the warmest
spot in the Argonne Forest.
With the French
working away on our left, a battalion of the 307th was
moved over to the right, and reinforced by units from the
153d Brigade, this force started to move up the ravine
south of' Bois de la Naza in an effort to break through
to the beleaguered battalion on its right flank. To
divert the Boche attention from this column, the 308th
and remainder of the 307th made a noisy demonstration
along the whole brigade front. The ruse was successful
and the relief column had made considerable progress up
the ravine before it was discovered by the enemy.
Thereafter, it had to fight its way, especially against
point-blank machine-gun fire from the Bois de Apremont on
the right flank. But with the incentive of starving,
battling comrades in front, whose motto had become "
No surrender, " the column forged slowly but surely
ahead to the cry of " Never give up."
Liaison became
increasingly difficult. One of the greatest problems our
troops had to face in the Argonne was proper maintenance
of liaison. Communication, not only with neighboring
divisions on our right and left, but also between the
units in our own line, was kept up only with the greatest
difficulty. Companies would proceed for a way, side by
side, then suddenly a deep ravine would step in between
them. Supports, in as good order as permitted by the wild
growth they were struggling through, would be following
somewhere behind the front line, when suddenly they would
find themselves floundering in a swamp. Runners and
connecting patrols were called upon to accomplish the
feats of Iroquois Indians.
Frequently night
advances were necessary, especially at times of reliefs.
Heavy mists blanketed the woods after dark. Compasses
were then of little use because lights were out of the
question. If the runners and guides found themselves
confronted by a hard task in daylight, they simply had to
develop a sixth sense by night.
Even messages had a
way of getting distorted in the dark. One column filing
through the woods, each man with his hand on the shoulder
of the man in front, started a message from the head to
the rear-" Watch out for holes. " In about ten
minutes, the indignant lieutenant bringing up the rear
made his way to the head of the column and demanded to
know what the Sam Hill kind of a drive this was to send
back the message "Wash out yer clothes. "
The proper
formation of advance was also an ever-present problem.
Paths were dangerous to follow because the Boche had
every path covered with machine guns. It was equally
dangerous to go crashing through the trailless forest
because he could detect your position by sound and bring
the Maxim into play with deadly accuracy. Where there
were no trails, he had constructed other lines of fire in
the form of barbed trip wire concealed along the ground
and chicken wire, hidden by trees and brushes until you
suddenly ran tip against it.
A Lean, Lank
Infantryman Was Being Littered into an Advance Dressing
Station
It was a hard thing
to determine what was the best method of proceeding and
keeping all elements in touch with one another.
"Just put your head down and batter your way
through," was about the only order that could be
followed. A little story will illustrate the spirit in
which the men of the Liberty Division carried on the
advance. A lean, lank infantryman had just been littered
into the advance Dressing Station and was calmly smoking
a cigarette while the doctors were attending to his many
serious though not fatal wounds. Partly to distract his
attention from their work of dressing his injuries and
partly from curiosity to learn where he could possibly
have stopped so much Boche ironware, the medical men drew
him into conversation. " well, " he said, we
came to a clearing in the woods and there was a nice wide
stretch of marsh and soggy field to charge across before
we could get at the Hun who was peppering us from the
opposite trees. Our lieutenant said 'deploy' and we did.
We got over about a hundred yards of that clearing when
shells and machine-gun bullets began to find us, so our
lieutenant ordered 'take cover.' The grass was that high,
you know," indicating a height of several inches
with his uninjured left hand. "Well, what did you
do? " asked the doctor. Swiftly and seriously,
without any attempt to be funny, he raised his hand to
his steel helmet and pulled it down to an angle over his
left eye. "That's all, and kept on going, " he
said.
With the 307th,
fighting its way up the Ravine de Charlevaux, our frontal
attacks continued. Nine Companies of the 154th Brigade
launched a drive in the afternoon of October 6th,
following an effective artillery barrage. To our men in
the front line it began to seem that the enemy was at
last wavering. It appeared as though he was not coming
back at them with his accustomed fury of grenades and
whistling bullets. (The divisional artillery had located
the enemy's position at La Palette Pavillion with
absolute certainty and between 5 and 8 A. M. laid a
concentration of fire on La Palette trench to support
this American attack as well as the French operations on
our left.) Word was received in the evening that sent
cheer through every tired, hungry man in our lines. The
flanking elements of the 307th were well to the front and
were approaching Major Whittlesey.
The 7th of October
saw success all along the divisional front. In the
morning, orders were given to feel out the enemy position
in front of the 308th and if no resistance was
encountered to push forward. Our patrols reported all
quiet and the 308th pressed ahead. Runners brought word
that the 307th had nearly reached the Binarville-La
Viergette Road to the left of Charlevaux Mill.
Simultaneously with the report that this force had
finally reached its objective, came the electrifying news
that the 308th had penetrated the enemy's position and
reached Major Whittlesey, relieving his battered,
famished, but unbeaten command.
Abandoning his
position on our left, the enemy, pressed by our constant
and vigilant patrolling, together with harassing
artillery fire on his lines of communication, began to
withdraw from his positions on the ridge in the Bois de
la Naza. Troops of the 153d Brigade closely pursued him
and established their line on the road west of Crossroads
La Viergette, making an advance of two kilometers.
Nightfall of the 7th saw our exhausted but victorious
soldiers occupying a divisional front running east
through Charlevaux Mill on the left, along the
Binarville-La Viergette Road, thence along the north and
south road held by the 153d Brigade, with the latter in
liaison to its left with the beleaguered battalion of the
308th. Our entire line was unified and intact once more.
It had been a mighty effort, tireless, relentless, that
had been crowned with this success.
There were rumors of relief for the Division, but a
breathing spell only was allowed. In the lexicon of the
77th there was no such word as "relief " when
there was ground to be gained or an enemy to be beaten.
That the Boche was in full flight and would not stop
south of the Aire seemed evident. So after him went the
Liberty Division.
It soon became
equally evident that in his flight he had not forgotten
his famous rearguard tactics. South of La Viergette, the
153d Brigade were greeted in the morning of the 8th by
the familiar rat-tat-tat of machine guns and the crash of
trench mortars. But the country had opened out somewhat,
there was cleared space to maneuver through. Our own
Stokes mortars were brought up to operate with our
machine guns, firing on an open target for the first time
in many days, and the Boche was blasted out. One kilo was
the day's bag, and we gained to a line running along the
narrow gauge east and west railroad.
Sunlight and blue
sky cheered the eyes of our battle-worn troops for the
first time in many days. Open fields began to put in an
appearance along the roads above La Viergette, and
through the trees to the right, toward Chatel Chehery,
bright, sunny vistas spread out below along the cleared
valley of the Aire. It was a wonderful relief for the men
of the 154th Brigade just to break out of the forest into
the meadowlands east of Lancon, that bordered the Bois de
la Taille.
During the next two
days, the advance continued steadily although slowly
through the forest. On October 9th, the 304th Machine Gun
Battalion was thrown into the line to cover the interval
between brigades, as both brigades pushed forward. The
usual allotment of snipers had been left behind by the
retreating enemy and they had to be cleared out one by
one. The check in our advance occasioned by the rescue of
the beleaguered battalion had been used by the Germans
for hurrying up reinforcements to support their two
hard-pressed divisions, and October 9th saw two regiments
from each of the 41st and 45th Reserve Divisions and the
15th Bavarian Division fighting for the Boche.
Two Wounded
Doughboys Enjoying Red Cross Refreshments - Chatel
Chehery, October 10, 1918
The 307th, which
had taken over the entire brigade sector on the left,
meeting considerable rear-guard resistance, was joined in
the front line by the 308th on the 11th and the two
regiments pushed on that day to the general line of the
Bois de Negremont, south of Grand-Pre, running to the
edge of the woods immediately south of Chevieres, with
detachments forward along the line of the road and
railroad on the south bank of the river Aire.
Argonne Outpost
Station of the American Red Cross
About ten
kilometers had been covered in two days. Meanwhile the
305th and 306th side by side made headway through open
country, against heavy fire from machine guns and
artillery posted north of the river, and captured La
Besogne and Marcq. Chevieres was taken by a battalion of
the 306th on October 10th. The next day, the 154th
Brigade occupied the divisional front, which extended
along the river from the crossing south of Grand-Pre to
Chevieres inclusive. All of these operations were
accomplished under constant shelling and harassing fire
from the enemy posted on the heights above Grand-Pre and
St. Juvin.
Our patrols
attempted to get into Grand- Pre on the 12th, and the
divisional engineers made numerous efforts to construct
bridges over the Aire, but these activities were checked
by the murderous fire from automatic weapons that the
enemy, with good observation, was able to direct on our
forces. Operations were then being directed from Division
Headquarters established at Chatel Chehery.
At about this time,
the work of the Divisional Artillery became extremely
effective. The forward guns in the edges of the forest
were firing with accuracy on the enemy machine-gun nests
across the river, since observation was now possible.
Harassing fire was laid down in the vicinity of Grand-Pre
and the road leading east to St. Juvin. Excellent
observatories were established on the heights south of
the river from which all batteries of the brigade were
accurately adjusted. The enemy's line of resistance had
now been reached and a surprisingly large amount of
German heavy artillery was in position waiting for our
further advance. For the first time since the attack
began, our artillery became engaged in counter-battery
work, as our observatories easily located the German
guns.
THE VICTORY
With the Argonne completely cleared of the enemy, it
seemed reasonable to conclude that the task of the 77th
Division had been completed. The work of taking Grand-Pre
and St. Juvin and cleaning up the northern bank of the
Aire seemed an undertaking that would be reserved for
fresh troops. Tired and hungry, the mud and battle-grimed
fighters of the forest thought surely that Fact" had
at last overtaken " Rumor " and that the 77th
was to be relieved.
A ringing note of
praise and congratulations had come in from the
Commanding General of' the First Army Corps. There is not
a word of it that should be omitted from the history of
the 77th Division.
"
Advanced Headquarters First Army Corps
Oct. 12, 1918.
From: Commanding General, 1st Army Corps U. S.
To: Commanding General, 77th Division, U. S.
Subject: Commendation.
1. The Corps Commander directs me to inform you that he,
feels once more during that present operations called
upon to express his gratification and appreciation of the
work of the 77th Division.
2. This Division
has been in the line constantly since the night of the
25th of September, under circumstances at least as
difficult as those, which have confronted any other
Division of the 1st Army.
3. In spite of
these conditions your command has pushed steadily forward
on a line with fore-most, and to day after eighteen days
of constant fighting is still ready to respond to any
demand made upon it.
4. The Corps
Commander is proud indeed, of such a unit as yours and
congratulates you on such a command.
Malin Craig,
Chief of Staff"
But sweet as was the thought of relief, when the 77 th
men were told that the neighboring division on our right
had been blocked in three attempts to take St. Juvin and
that the belief was growing that St. Juvin was
impregnable to a frontal attack, they squared their jaws
and knew that it spelled for them "Action,
Front!" The soldiers of the Liberty Division simply
tightened their belts, looked over their pieces, oiled
tip their machine guns- and they were ready.
" Column
right" was the order, and the 306th swung off at
right angles to take position behind Marcq and one
kilometer west of Cornay, in readiness to attack. This
was on the 13th.
During that night and the early morning following,
harassing artillery fire was delivered on the woods and
roads in the vicinity of Grand-Pre and St. Juvin. Under
the protection of this fire, the 302d Engineers made
several unsuccessful attempts to bridge the Aire in front
of St. Juvin. The enemy fire destroyed their work as fast
as it was completed.
At 8:30 on the
morning of the 14th, the 306th attacked, with battalions
arranged in depth, supported by the 2d and 3d Battalions
of the 305th. The jumping-off place for the leading
battalion was the front line of the 326th Infantry (82d
Division), from Marcq east to the Aire. This regiment was
side slipped to the right to give our men room to
operate. As the 1st Battalion of the 306th advanced
through Marcq to the attack, the way was prepared for
them by Companies A and D of the 305th Machine Gun
Battalion. Early that morning these two companies had
taken positions, reconnoitered the day before, on the
high ridge, 900 meters southeast of Marcq. The battery
positions were excellent, as they afforded indirect fire
with direct observation on the target.
Twenty Eight
Germans Captured in One Dugout
Arrived at the
river-bank south of St. Juvin, the 1st Battalion, 306th,
made several attempts to cross the river, but all were
checked with heavy casualties. Of the officers alone,
seven were killed here and as many more were wounded. At
this crisis, the 2d Battalion of the 306th executed an
enveloping movement on the town from the right, with the
3d Battalion, 306th, in close support.
East of Marcq, a
crossing of the Aire was forced by Company H, 306th, and
St. Juvin attacked from the south and east. Some of the
men waded the river, others scrambled across oil planks.
Forty-five minutes after crossing the river, the troops
entered the town and captured 150 prisoners. The 2d and
3d Battalions of the 305th crossed the river close behind
the attacking battalion of the 306th and supported the
latter in mopping up the town and holding it.
That afternoon, the
conquest of St. Juvin and its environs was completed by
tile capture of Hill 182, a strongly concentrated enemy
position directly north of the town. The capture was made
by Company H, of the 306th, and a detachment of Company
D, of the 305th Machine-gun Battalion. A body of 150
Germans holding the crest of this hill were all either
killed, wounded or put to flight. Our forces immediately
spread out and dominated the roads east and west of the
town. Liaison was soon established with the 82d Division
on the right.
Before reaching the
town, Company H of the 306th and the machine-gun
detachment that engineered the attack from our right
flank were obliged to charge across open fields under
intense fire. When they gained the outskirts of St.
Juvin, the infantry company mustered only forty men and
the machine gunners, one gun and four men beside their
lieutenant. After the fighting in the town, the infantry
were reduced to twenty-six men. In all, three hundred and
fifty prisoners, including three majors, one captain and
one lieutenant, were taken in St. Juvin by the 153d
Brigade, and most of these were the prizes of twenty-six
American doughboys and four machine gunners.
The capture of St. Juvin won for the 153d Brigade the
following commendation of the Division Commander,
contained in General Orders:
HEADQUARTERS, 77TH Division
General Orders AMERICAN E. F. 14th October, l918.
No.
1. The Division
Commander congratulates most heartily the troops of this
Division upon the successful result of the operations of
the 14th of October. A difficult night march was involved
to place the 153d Brigade in the proper position for
attack, which march was accomplished, the attack made and
the objective set for the day's effort successfully
reached. In the course of the operations a large number
of prisoners, including officers of superior rank, were
taken by the 153d Brigade.
This success,
coming as it does in the course of a campaign which has
already lasted eighteen days, made under circumstances
which have tested to the limit the skill, courage and
endurance of officers and men, demonstrates once more the
indomitable spirit and courage of this Division.
The Division
Commander, reiterating the commendation already twice
made by the Corps Commander of the work of this
organization, feels that it is indeed an honor to him to
command such
troops.
ROBERT ALEXANDER,
Major-General, Commanding.
The enemy had not
yielded St. Juvin, however. On the night of the 14th, no
less than six barrages were poured into St. Juvin and the
valley south of the village and continuous harassing fire
of artillery, trench mortars and machine guns swept the
positions of our troops in the vicinity of the town. A
great deal of the enemy's fire fell on our rear lines and
caught the divisional reserve in the valley at La
Besogne, inflicting twenty-five casualties among the
machine gunners of the divisional machine-gun battalion,
held in reserve at that point. In the morning over came
the counterattack. A severe fight ensued, but St. Juvin
stayed in our hands.
The same kind of
business was going on at the left of our line with the
307th and the 308th handing out the goods. St. Juvin
without Grand-Pre was a condition not to be tolerated.
On the 14th, the 308th threw one battalion across the
Aire to the east of Grand-Pre, with its right resting at
La Lairesse and its left at Chevieres. The mission of
this force was to move by the left and cut the enemy's
communications in the east, thus assisting in the
operations against St. Juvin then under way. This mission
it proceeded to carry out on the morning of the 14th.
Meanwhile the main attack against Grand-Pre was
preparing.
The divisional artillery, which had established art
observation post, directed the fire of its 155's with
unerring accuracy into the town. From point of vantage on
the hill in Bois de Negremont, our machine guns and 37
mm. poured their fire into it. With this protection, and
under the cover of rifle and Chauchat fire which
distracted the enemy's attention, two platoons of Co. B,
307th , waded the river unobserved by the Germans and
reached the island south of the town. Foot bridges were
constructed, and soon the balance of the 1st Battalion
gained the island. During the night, they were joined by
Company I.. At daybreak of the 15th, we attacked. Company
D encircled the town from the west. Company A rushed in
on the left and Company C on the right. Company B
remained in support just south of the village. The
Americans came on them from all sides, and the Germans
broke and fled into the bills to the north, leaving 1
officer, 2 N. C. O.'s, eight light and two heavy machine
guns to be gathered up by A and C companies, when they
mopped up the town. Grand-Pre was ours.
Thus ended the
"Wilderness Campaign." That night, the Liberty
Division was relieved on the Grand-Pre-St. Juvin front by
the 78th Division of the American Army. Both brigades
were drawn back, the 153d to Camp de Bouzon and the 154th
to the vicinity of Chene Tendu and Abri du Crochet. After
three weary weeks of constant fighting and exposure, rest
had come. The thought of' baths and shaves and clean
clothing to replace the itching, tattered rags they were
wearing, filled every tired, grimy soldier with joy.
Gaunt faces grew cheerful at the idea of food in plenty
to fill out the hollows and build up strength that was
nearly spent. Spirits needed no bracing. They had been
put through the fire and come out fine steel.
In their struggle
through twenty-two kilometers of dense woods and across
the Aire, fighting against five German divisions, the
77th Division had taken, beside the vast territory
included in the forest itself, the towns of Chevieres,
Marcq, St. Juvin and Grand-Pre, and captured ten cannons,
155 machine guns and 631 prisoners, the latter including
12 officers. The cost had been heavy. Our casualties
included 24 officers and 537 men killed, and 98 officers
and 3,038 men wounded and missing.
This was the story
of the. Argonne-the undertaking, the preparation, the
attack, the pursuit, the victory. The victory won by the
men of the 77th Division was a moral as well as a
physical victory. They had shown to the world that the
soldiers of America's National Army, in endurance,
aggressiveness and spirit, were the equal of any soldiers
on the Western front. With the tenacity of a pack of
beagles, they had routed the snarling Boche tiger from
the wilderness he had grown to consider forever his own.
They had given a pull to the bell that was sounding the
knell of German hopes. They had proved to Germany that,
Americans could accomplish the impossible. They had
captured the FOREST OF ARGONNE!