th the British, to have a
place of honor in co-operation with the Australian Corps on September
29 and October 1 in the assault on the Hindenburg Line where the St.
Quentin Canal passes through a tunnel under a ridge. The Thirtieth
Division speedily broke through the main line of defense for all its
objectives, while the Twenty-seventh pushed on impetuously through the
main line until some of its elements reached Gouy. In the midst of the
maze of trenches and shell craters and under cross-fire from machine
guns the other elements fought desperately against odds. In this and in
later actions, from October 6 to October 19, our Second Corps captured
over 6,000 prisoners and advanced over 13 miles. The spirit and
aggressiveness of these divisions have been highly praised by the
British army commander under whom they served.

OPERATIONS NEAR RHEIMS.

On October 2-9 our Second and Thirty-sixth Divisions were sent to assist
the French in an important attack against the old German positions
before Rheims. The Second conquered the complicated defense works on
their front against a persistent defense worthy of the grimmest period
of trench warfare and attacked the strongly held wooded hill of Blanc
Mont, which they captured in a second assault, sweeping over it with
consummate dash and skill. This division then repulsed strong
counter-attacks before the village and cemetery of Ste. Etienne and took
the town, forcing the Germans to fall back from before Rheims and yield
positions they had held since September, 1914. On October 9 the
Thirty-sixth Division relieved the Second and, in its first experience
under fire, withstood very severe artillery bombardment and rapidly took
up the pursuit of the enemy, now retiring behind the Aisne.

RESULTS OF AMERICAN OPERATIONS.

The Allied progress elsewhere cheered the efforts of our men in this
crucial contest as the German command threw in more and more
first-class troops to stop our advance. We made steady headway in the
almost impenetrable and strongly held Argonne Forest, for, despite this
reinforcement, it was our army that was doing the driving. Our aircraft
was increasing in skill and numbers and forcing the issue, and our
infantry and artillery were improving rapidly with each new experience.
The replacements fresh from home were put into exhausted divisions with
little time for training, but they had the advantage of serving beside
men who knew their business and who had alm