e were 1,019,115 American soldiers in
France.

The Fourth of July was celebrated in England, France and Italy as well
as in the United States. On that day Americans assisted the Australians
in taking the town of Hamel and many prisoners. On the 8th and 9th the
French advanced in the region of Longpont and northwest of Compiegne. On
the 12th they took Castel and other strong points near the west bank of
the Avre river. July 14, the French national holiday was observed in
America, and by the American soldiers in France.

The fifth and last phase of the great offensive which the Germans had
started in March, began July 15, in an attack from Chateau Thierry to
Massignes, along a sixty-five mile front and crossing the Marne at
several places. At Chateau Thierry the Americans put up a strong
resistance but the enemy by persistent efforts finally succeeded in
getting a footing on the south bank. The battle continued east and west
of Rheims with the Allies holding strongly and the Germans meeting heavy
losses.

While the Germans were trying to force their way regardless of cost, in
the direction of Chalons and Epernay, General Foch was preparing a
surprise in the Villers-Cotterets forest on the German right flank. In
the large force collected for the surprise were some of the best French
regiments together with the famed Foreign Legion, the Moroccan regiment
and other crack troops including Americans. On the morning of July 18, a
heavy blow was launched at the Germans all along the line from Chateau
Thierry on the Marne to the Aisne northwest of Soissons.

The foe was taken completely by surprise and town after town fell with
very little resistance. Later the resistance stiffened but the Allies
continued to advance. Cavalrymen assisted the infantry and tanks in
large numbers, helped to clean out the machine gun nests. The Americans
who fought side by side with the French won the unbounded admiration of
their comrades. Thousands of prisoners were taken with large numbers of
heavy cannon, great quantities of ammunition and thousands of machine
guns. By the 20th Soissons was threatened. The Germans finding
themselves caught in a dangerous salient and attacked fiercely on both
flanks, retreated hurriedly to the north bank of the Marne and still
farther.

Meanwhile things were going badly for the Austrians. After its retreat
in 1917 to the line of the Piave river, the Italian army had been
reorganized and strengthened under Ge