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The Weather.
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Complete Service
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yOU CHI-NO. 55,
GERM,
I UDENDORFF RESIGNS AND R
0W GERMAN NOTE Wlf
PRESIDENT PEOPLK HOW RULE
AND ARE READY f M ARMISTICE
jlies Will Not Make Terms
Known Until President Has
Received the Note.
IXT)ENDORFF QUITS ARMY
Crash Comes in Personnel Of
German Command When
War "Boss" Resigns.
ALEPPO IN SYRIA TAKEN
s
Allied Armies Make Gains from
France to Asia.
(By The Associated Press.)
The German government has
prepared a rejoinder to Presi
dent Wilson's last note in which
after again referring to the far
reaching changes which have
been carried out and are being
carried out in the German con
stitutional structure to which
the military powers have been
made subject it declares that
Germany is now awaiting the
proposals for an armistice.
A London dispatch, however, report
ing tte fact that Premier Lloyd-George
and Foreign Secretary Balfour had
gone to France with naval and military
adviser?, savs it is is understood au
thoritatively that the allied govern
ment will not reveal their armistice
terms until Germany has replied to
President Wilson's last note which it
proba'p'y was expected would contain
more than the mere fact that Germany
was wait in sr forthe terms of the armis
tice.
A crash has come in the personnel ot
the German hi?h command. General
Ludendorff. reputed to be the brains
of the German army the man who
Promised the German people he would
crrsh Great Britain and France before
the United States could tret under way
m a military sense has resigned his
position as first quartermaster-general
and Emneror William has accepted the
resignation.
simultaneously, while the German
line continues to crumble under the
I Silted attacks and thp flprma.n rinrrier
:s s'.fuv:;.- ;,ut gradually being ep
proac.i.eri ry Germany's foes, comes a
report J- the rpinVotoer Ktt o lni- rr
ma, ' ; pasel a bill placing the
mil-.tary comma nd . under control of
c:v;i -'overninent.
t'n the western hattlp frnnt tho T?rit.
sh. French and Americans have con-
Untied to make further slight gains
again st (he Germans; in the Italian
tneatre both tv t2i-; ;.,t, -r i ;
save spr, c tSi -- . .
... : ui-i csbea, wniie in abi
tic Ttk.y the British have captured
on kP0 !n ?ria ?nd eTe driving ahead
00th banks of the Tigris in Meso-
ft . ' Wlth the Turks unable to
"Kck them. The fall of Aleppo and
Lae Continue'! a rli-a r, r tV Tir,.l,
grooves of such strategic value that
...... -..invij! luimsu upera oy-
position shorti-o- riii 1 .i.
lift k t. 1 a 1 uvciumc, uu LU
; -v uintl ana in Mesopotamia.
fnr-,. . iiiinea, ngnung on me
iic "win. uetween tne vjise ana
Ifpncr, ' 'i-i seeping up ineir or-
llI ijermnns ana nave
e aaditinnii ,
IYYo gams, laKing several
fan k". and cmpelling the enemy to
t tne region southeast
of Valen-
arrmnl T - i s-
-;. ave delivered violent counter-
fonr asfainst the British.
ts 3 throw
Their ef-
Kai. vw DacK Field Marshal
Ihnul men from the positions thev
-1U W -
rere nc , - . .
Iaaltie, """'-essiui ana heavy cas
aoh4 e inflicted on tS enemy by
'-ihne trim mri
Th
r,, , - - ""u ime me.
1;le rnc.rW ,
ona mr;v: "alls nave Degun the sec
l u month of tvo,- , .
IreS;on nt t- u,c" operations in tne
attacks I erdun by keeping up their
Hea,e l tne Germans from the
lira ttle wooded country north of
'etn mVri" me further progress has
Ron- n- iwunstanding continued
hcnr.r 0iPoiTTtion by German machine
Ideation -ir behina the natural for
d!sWct A"hlch abound through this
rontinii.-Tw V . 11 airmen also are
sixty of them being
ni;)chin;s.
s began their op-
n !"hwest o:
i jm.':. Vlllares havi
of Verdun, more
ave been liberated.
tn:i, . lJ averase rienth nt
nie.de and more
'so,,
-ermans have been made
er.
Vh fr 'l0r:e- y- T., Oct. 27. A dU-
me7 Dominion's telegraph
r at thp K neau tonight
ien nCS3 SOPHIA AlS-.
ehinr3 th Dombing operations
Effort in ,r. 'erman lines, their latest
Gainst thl'S rospect having been made
rrth of p L, rr)tory around Briquenay
J!3"es, ,r.,5and Pre in which 140 air-
ANY SA YS SHE NOW A
'ED ARMIES FROM
Ludendorf f " Military Brain"
Of the German Government
Ludendorff,ss Action
Taken to Mean Huns
Will Agree on Terms
London, Oct. 27. The resignation
of General Ludendorff is interpret
ed here as heralding Germany's ac
ceptance of the allies' armistice
terms. Whether this is correct the
resignation of the first quarter
master cannot fail to seriously af
fect the morale of the German army.
Unofficial advices"report the situation
in Germany is daily growing worse.
There are persistent reports of riots
in various parts of the country, con
flicts wth the police and loss of life
and that lack of raw material is
seriously interferring with the pro
duction of munitions.
The socialist, Georg Ledebour, is
quoted by tne Cologne Volks-Zeit
ung as saying in the reichstag:
"The baneful effect of the kaiser
must be removed," and advocating
the abolition of the monarchical
system. His speech was greeted by
the socialistic shouts of "Abdicate!"
V J
SOU'S LATEST NOTE
ASKS FOR THE TERMS
Says President ,is Awareiof Tar
Reaching: Changes' in Ger
man Government.
'STEP TOWARD JUST PEACE'
Germany Seems to Think She jJHaa
Qualified for Concluding Peace
With President, Asserting Peo
ple Are In Power.
Copenhagen, Oct. 27. (By the Asso
ciated Press.) Germany's answer to
President Wilson' latest communica
tion says: -
"The Germaji government has taken
cognizance of the answer of the Presi
dent of the United States.
"The president is aware of the far
reaching change which have been car
ried out and are being carried out in
the German constitutional structure
and that peace negotiations are being
conducted by a people's government in
whose "hands rests both actually and
constitutionaly, the power to make the
deciding conclusions.
"The military powers are also subject
to it.
The German government now awaits
proposals for an armistice, which shall
be the first step toward a just peace,
as the president has described it in his
proclamation.
(Signed) "SOLP."
UNDERSTOOD ALLIES WILL
AWAIT RECEIPT OF NOTE
London, Oct. 27. It is underst-ood in
authoritative quarters that the allied
governments will not reveal their arm
istice terms until Germany has replied
to President Wilson's last note.
Premier Lloyd-George and Foreign
Secretary Balfour, accompanied by na
val and military officers have gone to
France.
AUSTRIAN REPLY IS READY
AND IS MOfeT CONCILIATORY
Basel, Switzerland, Oct. 27. Austria's
rejoinder to President Wilson's note is
ready according to "Vienna papers. It
was submitted to authorized quarters
today and will be sent this evening or
tomorrow to Washington. It-is couch
ed in the most "conciliatory terms.
GERMAN REPLY MAY AND MAY
NOT INDICATE ACCEPTANCE
Washington, Oct. 27. The unofficial
text of Germany's reply to President
Wilson- was received tonight too late,
to be seen,. by President Wilson and
other officials. m
The question pf an armistice trad
peace already Is being considered by
the allied governments and by the
United States.
CoL E. M. House and Admiral Ben
son, ranking officer of the American
navy, recently arrived in France, the
former to represent the president in
the discussions to be held at Versail
les where the supreme war council sits.
Admiral Benson will represent the
navy in any matters relating to an
armistice, insofar as American navar
forces may be affected. Gen Tasker
H. Bliss, former chief of staff is the
American military representative art
the council. .
The iGermac repjy i expected to
clear the way for a general discussion
of the, individual vtews of : the entente
Continued From ra Two),
WILMINGTON, N. O,
I ADVISE
His Resignation Causes Sensa
tion in Central Powers and
in Europe Generally.
IS A SIGN OF COLLAPSE?
German People Reported As
Wrathful Over Having Been
Deceived so Long.
WERE PROMISED TRIUMPH
Ludendorff Handled All Their
War News ,
Copenhagen, Oct. 27. General Lu
dendorff, first quartermaster-general
of the German army, has resigned,
says a telegram from Berlin. In ac
cepting his resignation the emperor
has decreed that the lower Rhenish
infantry regiment No. 39, of whch
General Ludendorff long had been
commander, shall bear his name.
" In the resignation of General Lu
dendorff, Germany losses -what often
has been described as her -"military
brain."
Unknown before the war, General
Ludendorff sprang into prominence in
the fall of 1914 as chief of staff to
Field Marshal Von Hindenburg, then
a general, in - the' operations against
the Russians, when Von Hindenburg
was given the chief command in Au
gust, 1916, Lhdendorff was appointed
first quartermaster-general, but his
position iii reality has been chi of
staff and collaborator with Von Hin
denburg. Soon after his appointment as first
quartermaster-general, Ludendorff te
gan to be looked upon as the real
"boss" of Germany and was recognized
as the representative of the -Pan-German
at great headquarters. It was
Ludendorff .who brought the retire
ment of Chancellor Von Bethmann
Hollweg and he was Reputed to have
been responsible for he appointment
to the chancellorship of Michaelis and
Von Hertling, both of whom were de
scribed as stop-gaps. The gentral's
rule as first quartermaster has al
most amounted to military liotator
ship. General Ludendorff was reported to
have been the originator of the plan
of the German offensive of 1918. The
plan called for offensive operations on
the western front which would split
the British and French armies and
compel the allies to sue for peace be
fore the strength of the American
army could be available to any extent,
It was planned that if the offensive
failed, then Germany would resort to
a diplomatic campaign in order to
obtain peace.
Since the death of the German of
fensive and the successful -offensive of
Marshal ocb, reports from Germany
have beefi to the effect that Luden
dorff and Von Hindenburg were losing
(Continued on Page Two.)
FALL OF ALEPPO IS
A CROWNING EVENT
Allenby Cuts Important Turk
Railroad.
British) Now Placed In Position to Ctrt
Off Remaining Turks and to Send
Aid to the Anti-Bolshevists
In Russia.
. London, Oct. 27. The Important
railroad city of Aleppo was occupied
by British cavalry and armored cars
Saturday morning, says a British of
ficial statement Issued today on op
erations in Syria and Palestine. The
statement reads: "Our advanced cav
alry and armored cars occupied Alep
po on the morning of October -26 after
overcoming slight opposition.
Tha fall of AlenDo to the -British is
the crowning event 'of the victoriousSrou want a congress that will? Ger
campaign of General Allenby in kwhich
he captured Jerusalem and Damascus
on his way northward through Pales
tine and ' Syria. Aleppo is 18-5 miles
north of Damascus and 70 miles east
of the Mediterranean Sea.
- At AJeppo the railway line from
(Goattnuea a rag '-Two
MONDAY MOBNING,
PR A N
HAYES BITTER IN
REPLY TO WILSON'S
APPEAL FOR VOTES
Republican Chairman Speaks
Words Seldom Used Against
a Chief Magistrate.
CHARGES OF MENDACITY
Says President Wants to Rob
the Allies of the Fruits of
German Victory.
New York, Oct. 27. Will H. Hayes,
chairman of the republican national
committee made public tonight a
statement in which he replied on be
half of his party to President Wilson's
appeal to the nation to return a demo
cratic congress. In his statement Mr.
Hayes said:
"President Wilson has questioned
the motives and fidelity of xur, rep
resentatives in congress. He has
thereby impugned their Royalty and
denied their patriotism. His challenge
is to you who elected those represen
tatives. You owe it to them, to the
honor of your great party and to your
own selfrespect to meet that chal
lenge squarely, not. only as republi
cans but as Americans. I, as your
chairman, call upon 'you "to do it.
"Mr. Wilson accords the republicans
no credit whatever forhavfng sup
ported the "war measures' proposed
by his administration, although they
have done so with greater unanimity
than the members of his own party.
Despite that fact, he accuses them -of
having tried ta usurp his; proper func
tions. - - 's.-A-r'-' ' - '
"At no tinier- hnrmvSi ay fcwve
they tried to take control of the war
out of his hands. The president knows
that. The country knows it. You
know it. A more ungracious, more
unjust, more wanton, more menda
cious accusation was never made by
the most reckless stump orator, much
less by a president of the United
States . for-partisan purposes. It is an
insult, not only to evry loyal repub
lican in congress, but- to every loyal
republican in the, land.
"It fully merits the resentment
which rightfully and surely will find
expression at the polls.
"Mr. Wilson grudgingly admits that
the republicans have been 'pro-war.'
Then why does he demand their de
feat? Becajise they are still pro-war?
Hardly that. No; it is because they
are for peace through, not without,
victory; because they do not believe
lasting peace can be obtained through
negotiation; because they consider
U. S.' stands for unconditional surren
der as well as for the United States
and Urrcle Sam. The democratic con
gress does not. Mr. Wilson does not.
There is the issue clear as the noon
day sun. The country will decide.
"Mr. Wilson wants only rubber
stamps, his rubber stamps, in con
gress. He says so. Noone knows it
better than democratic congressmen.
He calls for the defeat of pro-war re
publicans and the election of anti-war
democrats. He, as the executive, is
no longer satisfied to be one branch
of the government as provided by the
constitution
Republican congressmen
must be defeated and democratic con
gressmen must, as they would, yield
in everything. That is evidently his
idea-the idea of an autocratic calling
himself the servant but bidding for
the mastery of this great free peo
ple. "Republicans in congress have seem
ed to him good enough when they
assented, when they .did assent with
highest patriotism, and sometimes
against their best- judgment, to his
proposals. Republicans at home have
seemed to him good enough to send
fully a million of their sons into bat
tle, to furnish at least half of the
army and far more than half of the
money for winning of the war. But
they are not considered good enough
to have a voice in the settlement of
the war.
"But Mr. Wilson's real purpose has
nothing to do with the conduct of
the war. He has had that . from the
beginning, has it now and nobody
dreams of interfering with his con
trol. He wants just two things. One
is full power to settle the war pre
cisely as -he and his sole, unelected,
unappointed, unconfirmed personal ad
viser may determine. The. other is
full power as the 'unembarassed
spokesman m affairs at home' as he
actually demands in his statement to
reconstruct, In peace times, the great
industrial affairs of the nation in the
same way in unimpeded conformity
with whatever socialistic doctrines,
whatever unlimited government own
ership .notions, whatever hazy whim
xnay happen - to possess him at the
time but first and above all, with ab
solute commitment to free trade with
all the world, thus giving to Germany
out of hand the fruits of a victory
greater than she could win by fighting
a hundred years. A republican con-
irress will never assent to that, do
manv does.
"Mr. Wilson forces the republican
party to lie down or fight. I say plght.
Answer with .your" votes.
"Mr. Wilson is for-uneonditional surrender-
yes, . for,, , the - unconditional
jtrrreade ts- Aiwaelf iff the republican
Contmu on PagreyrTwo).-
OCTOBER 28, 1918
TERMS
WILSON CONFUTES
REPUBLICANS WITH
THEIR OWN LOGIC
Appeal of McKinley, Roosevelt,
Harrison, Lodge and Pen
rose in 1898 is Cited.
"STAND BY PRESIDENT'
McAdoo Declares United Com
mand at Home Essential as
on Western Front.
Washington, Oct. 27 Secretary Tum
ulty tpnight made public a letter he
has. written atPresident Wilson's di
rection to the Cuyahoga county repub
lican committee at Cleveland, O., in
which he replies to protest against
President Wilson's appeal to (he coun
try to return a democratic congress by
recalling quotations from utterances
by Colonel Roosevelt, former President
Harrison, Senators Lodge and Penrose
and former Senator Foraker in the
campaign of 1898 at the close of the
Spanish war.
The Cuyahoga county committee tele
graphed the white house, taking issue
with the president's statement. Secre
tary Tumulty, writing at the presi
dent's discretion, simply commended
the statements he quoted and also vari
ous editorials appearing at the time in
leading republican newspapers to the
president's consideration without com
ment. - .
The first quotation was from Colonel
Roosevelt, Identified as republican can
didate, for gOvernor- ia New York in
18984 " H
"Remember that; whether you will
it or ndi, your vote this year will be
viewed by the nations of Europe from
one standpoint only. They will draw
no fine distinctions. A refusal to sus
tain' the war and to sustain the efforts
of your peace commission to secure the
fruits of war. Such a refusal may not
inconceivably bring about a rupture of
the peace negotiations It will give
heart to our defeated antagonists; it
will make possible the interference of
those doubtful neutral nations who in
this struggle have wished us ill. i
"You could not get the benefits of the
victories of Grant and Sherman only
by re-electing Lincoln and we will gain
less than we ought from the war if
the administration is npt sustained at
these elections."
From former President Harrison,
pleading for the election of a republi
can congress:
"If the word goes forth that the peo
ple of the United States are standing
solidly behind the president, the task
of the peace commissioners will be
easy; but if there is a break in the
ranks if the democrats score a telling
victory, if - democratic senators, con
gressmen and governors are elected
Spain will see in it a gleam of hope;
she will take a fresh hpe and a re
newal of hostilities, more war may be
necessary to secure to us what we have
already won."
From Senator Lodge: "But there is
one question on which I wish to say a
few words and that seems to me to
override all others. It is whether we
shall stand by the administration and
the president at this juncture. If we
give a victory to his political opponents
we say not only to the United States
but we say to the world, we say to the
Spanish commissioners in Paris, that
I the people of the United States repu
diate its result and repudiate the man
who has led victoriously the war and
(Continued on Page Two.)
BLOODY FIGHTING
ON ITALIAN LINE
Austrian " Counter-Attacks Re
pulsed With Loss.
Island Wrested From the Enemy by
British in Two Attacks Counter
Attack Reached Nearly to Al
lied Line.
London, Oct. -27. British troops
fighting along the Piave river since
the night of October 23-24 have occu
pied the island of Grave di Papdopoli
and taken more than 710 prisoners,
according to an official statement is
sued here today. Saturday violent
Austrian counter-attacks were repuls
ed. The statement says:
"On the night of October 23-24 the
10th army undertook operations
against the island of Grave di Papdo
poli in the Piave. The seventh. British
division, crossing the , river In small
boats,, under circumstances of consid
erable difficulty, surprised the garri
son, which consisted of troops of the
seventh Austrian division and - occu-
wied the"? northern . half -: of ; the- - island.
- 7 (Coatinuertroxn, Page Two.-
EICHSTAG
OF ARMISTICE;
SEEKS CONTROL;
WIN
HERCULEAN TASK OF
PERSHING'S MEN IS
BEING A CCOMPLISHED
Steam Shovel Used to
Dig Graves for Many
Victims of Influenza
New York, Oct. 27. A steam
shovel was used in one of New
York's cemeteries today to dig
a trench in which to inter tempo
rarily the bodies ' of victims of
Spanish influenza. This extraordi
nary procedure was made necessary
by a shortage of grave diggers
coupled with Wie large number of
deaths.
At another cemetery there were
400 unburied bodies and city la
borers have been drafted to pre
pare graves.
, New cases of influenza reported
in Greater New York in the 24
hours ending at 10-a. m. today in
creased 185 over yesterday's re
port to , a total of 4,897, ealth
Commissioner Copeland announced
tonight. In the same period the
. number of deaths was 418, an in
crease over yesterday of 24.
A decrease was reported, how
ever, in the number of. new cases
of pneumonia and in the number
of deaths from that disease.
FRENCH GAINS ON
OISE-SERRE FRONT
Advance of Five Miles Made and
Numerous Villages, Cannon
and Men Taken.
3l'
BRITONS SMASH ATTACKS
Haigs Army Repulses Very Heavy As
saults by Germans South of Val
' euciemtM Allies Continue
PreffiUK.
Paris, Oct. 27. A marked advance by
the French troops in the sector be
tween the Oise and Serre rivers is re
corded in the official communication
issued by the war office tonight. Num
erous villages have been captured and
at certain points the advance amount
ed to about five miles. The statement
reads: ,
"The enemy, pressed hard by our
advance guards, continues his retreat
between the Oise and Serre on a front
of more than 25 kilometres (about
15 1-2 miles. Our advance at certain
points exceeded eight kilometres in
the course of the day.
"On our left we occupied Boheries,
Proix and Macquigny and pushed our
advanced elements as far as the out
skirts of Guise.
"Further south our troops are draw
ing near to the road between Guise
and Marie, having attained the gener
al line of Bertaignfemont wood, Landi-fay-et-Bertaignmont,
west of Faucos
ey, Monceau-le-Nuf and Montigny-sur-Crecy.
We took numerous prisoners
and captured much material. ,
"Since October 24 the number of
prisoners taken by the First army has
reached 3,700. In the booty taken by
this army in the same period, were 20
cannon and several hundred machine
guns.
"On the Serre front the Tenth army,
in close liason with the First, has en
ergetically pressed the enemy north
ward. Our troops have occupied Cre-cy-sur-Serre
and have gone consider
ably beyond that point.
"West of Chateau-Porcien, the fight
ing in the last two days has likewise
compelled the enemy to abandon part
of his Hunding position which he had
still held between Herpy and Recouv
rance. Our units are keeping in close
contact and are continuing their prog
ress." ,
FRENCH MAINTAIN PRESSURE
ON 40-MIIJS OISiS-SKIUiE UTXE
Paris, Oct. 27. On the 40-mile front
between the Oise and the Aisne, the
French maintain their pressure and on
the left have made important gains
according (to the official statement to
day from the. war office.
- They have captured four villages be
tween the Oise and the Serre, and
along the Serre have penetrated the
enemy-positions.
Between Sissonne and Chateau Por
cien, on October 25 and 26, the French
took more than 2,450 prisoners.
The statement reads
"During the night the troops of the
First army redoubled their efforts
along the entire front between the
Oise and the Serre. The Germans, dis
organized in the fighting yesterday,
were compelled to fall back along the
entire line toward the north. , They
abandoned the positions which they
had occupied. The French conquered
Mont D'Origny, Origny-Ste. Bendite,
Courjumelles and Chevrlses-Monceau
and also a number of fortified points
between these villages. On the right
French, units crossed the Perorf river
and; progressed -toward the- northeast,
capturing 1Hill,llZ and 1 Sucrerie, 1,500
Continued ;n Page 'Two).- .
WHOIiE NUMBBB 30,578
SUCCESSES
First Major Operation Nets 20,
000 Prisoners; 165 Miles
, of Territory.
MONTH OF BITTER WAR
Wooded Heights, Swamps, Machine-Gun
Infested Ravines
Slowly Taken.
USED 2,500,000 SHELLS
V
Have Downed 230 Enemy Planets
and 23 Balloons.
With the American Army, Northwest
of Verdun, Saturday, Oct. 26. CBythe
Associated Press). Irt its first major
operation against the Germans, con
sidering the clearing of the St. Mihiel
salient as a local affair, the American
army in a few days less than a month
has liberated more than 45 vi lieges
and advanced to a average depth of
ten miles, freeing 165 square miles of
territory. In the offensive the Ameri
cans have captured more3than 20,000
prisoners. :f'-
of 2Q miles . from the Argonne to the -
Meuse, and the axtyance nas oeen maae
in the face of almost Insurmountable .
difficulties, due principally to the 'na
ture of the, .ground which is covered
with hills, deep ravines and woods.
In addition, the Americans had front
ing them four organized systems of
trenches the Hindenburg line, the
Hagen position, the Volker position
and the Kriemhilde position. They
have forced their way through all
these lines. Ahead of them lies the
Freys position which has been reach
ed at one point in the region of the
Bantheville wood.
The advance has been particularly
difficult because the Germans have
stubbornly resisted every foot of the
way and have used more than 33 dl-
visions on the 20-mile front. The ene
my continues to make a formidable
effort to hold this front in order to
protect his great lateral line of com
munication running through Hlrson,
Mezieres, Sedan, Montmedy and Lon
guyon. This line is threatened and
should the Germans lose it they wlll
lose their main line of cbmmunicatlon
from Germany Ufro occupied France.
In addition t the prisoners. Gener
al Pershing's Jnen have taken more
than137 gun of large calibre, num--erous
machine guns end anti-tank
guns, a great score of ammunition and
much war material including locomo
tives and railway cars.
"Since September 26 the Americans
have fired more than 2,500,000 shells,
trie number at times reaching as high
as 150,000 daily. The guns used in
cluded a great number of heavy ones
and also some captured from the ene
my. American avfators and anti-aircraft
guns in the period since September 27
have brought down 230 enemy - ma
chines and 23 enemy baloons, despite
adverse flying conditions and bad
weather at times. Bombing planes
dropped more than 40,000 kilograms of
explosives on railroad centres, troop
concentrations and other points be--hind
the enemy lines.
From the view of the engineer, the
most difficult task faced has been the
repairing of roads and the movement
of supplies, men, ammunition and food
to' the front. More than 40,000 engin
eer troops are employed day and yight
in rebuilding shell shattered roads,
using where possible crushed rock
from villages destroyed by the German
shells.
In the Argonne, hundreds of yards
of German barbed wire entanglements
fastened from trees to various heights,
had to be bridged, as it was impossible
to cut them. In audition, many roads
in the Argonne were of black loam
which became a morass in rainy
weather. The engineers were com
pelled to virtually build bridges over
many miles of these roads.
The crosaing of Forges brook was
accomplished in the first day of the
advance under a heavy fire. The brook
traverses marshy land and to bridge
it the engineers had to lay bundles of
faggots on -both sides of the stream.
The crossing was made in record time
and then began the battle of the Ar
gonne which lasted for more than two
weeks.
Computations made by army officers
show that of the more than 165 square
miles taken from the enemy since Sep
tember 26, almost one-half were heavi
ly wooded and machine gun -infested.
The Americans had to take by storm
159 hills and ' high crests, most of
which were heavily wooded and de
fended by strong machine gun de
tachments. Of the hills, 141 were west
of the Meuse and 18 east of the river.
The Germans also had to be driven
from 430 -ravines, all defended by ma
chine guns and nearly-as hard to take
as the hills. . 5
General Pershing's men have had tq
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