o the
fighting. Of course there was fighting by some units of the division
from the time early in the summer when they went into the trenches.

When the Marbache sector was taken over by the 92nd Division, "No Man's
Land" was owned by the Germans and they were aggressively on the
offensive. They held Belie Farm, Bois de Tete D'Or, Bois Frehaut,
Voivrotte Farm, Voivrotte Woods, Bois Cheminot and Moulin Brook. Raids
and the aggressiveness of the patrols of the 92nd Division changed the
complexion of things speedily. They inflicted many casualties on the
Germans and took many prisoners.

Each of the places named above was raided by the doughty black men as
was also Epley, while their patrols penetrated north nearly to the east
and west line through Pagny. The Germans were driven north beyond
Frehaut and Voivrotte to Cheminot bridge. In their desperation they
tried to check the Americans by an attempt to destroy the bridge over
the Seille river. They succeeded in flooding a portion of the adjacent
country; these tactics demonstrating that they could not withstand the
Negro soldiers. West of the Seille river excellent results followed the
energetic offensive, the Germans losing heavily in killed, wounded and
prisoners. In nearly every instance the raids were conducted by Negro
line officers.

Up to this time the division as a whole, had never been in a major
battle. The only regiment in it that had seen a big engagement was the
368th infantry, which took part in the action in the Argonne Forest in
September.

The division's chance came in the great drive on Metz, just before the
end of the war. They were notified at 4 o'clock Sunday morning, November
10th. The motto "See it through" of the 367th infantry, known as the
"Buffaloes," echoed through the whole division.

They began their advance at 7 o'clock from Pont a Mousson. Before them
was a valley commanded by the heavy guns of Metz and by innumerable
nests of German machine guns. The Negroes seemed to realize that here
for the first time was the opportunity to show their mettle--that for
the first time they were going to battle as a division. A sense of race
pride seemed to stir and actuate every man. Here was a chance to show
what this great body, composed of cotton-field Negroes, of stevedores,
mechanics, general laborers, trades, professional men and those from all
walks of civilian life who but recently had taken up the profession of
arms, could do. An opportunit