er the increasing fire of the
enemy's artillery. Our attack had taken the enemy by surprise, but,
quickly recovering himself, he began to fire counterattacks in strong
force, supported by heavy bombardments, with large quantities of gas.
From September 28 until October 4 we maintained the offensive against
patches of woods defended by snipers and continuous lines of machine
guns, and pushed forward our guns and transport, seizing strategical
points in preparation for further attacks.

[Sidenote: The Twenty-seventh and the Thirtieth with the British.]

Other Divisions attached to the Allied armies were doing their part. It
was the fortune of our Second Corps, composed of the Twenty-seventh and
Thirtieth Divisions, which had remained with the British, to have a
place of honor in cooperation 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.

[Sidenote: Second and Thirty-sixth with the French.]

On October 2 to 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 counterattacks 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
rapidl