pex of the salient, risked losing his entire
defending force, should the sides be pressed in from the south and west.

[Footnote 12: Allied opposition to an American army was so strong as to
bring threats of an appeal to Wilson. The President steadfastly supported
Pershing.]

On the 12th of September the attack was launched. It was originally
planned for the 15th, but word was brought that the Germans were about to
retire at a rate which would have left none of them in the salient by
that date. Hence the attack was advanced by three days. The attempted
withdrawal secured the retreat of the German main force, but they were
unable to save their rear guard. After four hours of vigorous artillery
preparation, with the largest assemblage of aviation ever engaged in a
single operation (mainly British and French) and with American heavy guns
throwing into confusion all rail movements behind the German lines, the
advancing Americans immediately overwhelmed all of the enemy that
attempted to hold their ground. By the afternoon of the second day the
salient was extinguished, 16,000 prisoners were taken, 443 guns and large
stores of supplies captured. American casualties totaled less than 7000.
The effects of the victory were incalculable. Apart from the material
results, hope of which had motivated the attack, the moral influence of
the battle of St. Mihiel in the making of American armies and the
discouragement of the German High Command was of the first importance.
"An American army was an accomplished fact," wrote Pershing, "and the
enemy had felt its power. No form of propaganda could overcome the
depressing effect on the morale of the enemy of this demonstration of our
ability to organize a large American force and drive it successfully
through his defense. It gave our troops implicit confidence in their
superiority and raised their morale to the highest pitch. For the first
time wire entanglements ceased to be regarded as impassable barriers and
open-warfare training, which had been so urgently insisted upon, proved
to be the correct doctrine."

The victory of St. Mihiel was merely the necessary prelude to greater
things. During the first week of September the Allied command decided
that the general offensive movement of their armies should be pressed as
rapidly as possible, converging upon the main line of German retreat
through Mezieres and Sedan. The British were to pursue the attack in the
direction of Cambrai, the ce