? 6 ^77 Class . Book j Volume Pennsylvania State Library Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014 https://archive.org/details/withoutcensornewOOthom WITHOUT CENSOR Courtesy, V. S. Signal Corps To the Front WITHOUT CENSOR NEW LIGHT ON OUR GREATEST WORLD WAR BATTLES By Thomas M. Johnson Illustrated Indianapolis : The Bobbs'Merrill Company : Publishers Copyright, 1928 By The Bobbs-Merrill Company First Edition inted in the United States of America Copyright, 1927 By The Curtis Publishing Company Copyright, 1927 By The Crowell Publishing Company Copyright, 1927 By The Century Company Copyright, 1928 The Popular Science Publishing Company DeNOL REBINDING COMPANY 3957 ST. CLAIR AVENUE CLEVELAND 14, OHIO BINDING AND LETTERING INSTRUCTIONS is sent Number of vols, of this title Rubbing Herewith sent to bindery at one time of this set previously Bindery has r 1 No. Volumes Pattern Pattern bound Start Color Number. BIND WITH: LETTER BACKS AS FOLLOWS: Table of Contents Title Page Covers Front Cover Only Supplements - Index Advertisements FENNA.- • STATE- • LIBRARY and assistance freely and frequently given from the unique store of experience and knowledge at their command. He is indebted to the members of the Historical Section of the Army War College, Washington, for much help and many courtesies. 831186 ' ( r f < f 1 c f ( r < ' ( < ( < * * « , < c • / ( r € < < r ( ( ,-*y *^/><l * f! « f f J < 1' : I N I H O U XY N OT E For help with that portion of the narrative dealing with the Meuse-Argonne, thanks are due especially not only to General Drum and Lieutenant-Colonel Bach, but to Major-General Fox Conner, formerly Chief of Operations, G. H. Q., A. E. F., to Major- General D. E. Nolan, formerly Chief of Intelligence, G. H. Q., A. E. F., to Major-General Charles P. Summerall, formerly Commanding General, V Corps, A. E. F., now Chief of Staff, United States Army, and to Lieutenant-Colonel George C. Marshall Jr., formerly Chief of Operations, First Army, A. E. F. Others who have given valuable assistance at one time or another, in one way or another, include: Major-General Francis J. Kernan, formerly Com- manding General, Services of Supply, A. E. F. Honorable Newton D. Baker, formerly Secretary of War. Major-General Robert L. Bullard, formerly Com- manding General, III Corps, then Second Army, A. E. F. Major-General Edward F. McGlachlin, formerly Chief of Artillery, First Army, A. E. F. Colonel John L. Dewitt, formerly Assistant Chief of Staff in charge of supply, First Army, A. E. F. Fred S. Ferguson, formerly Accredited Correspon- dent representing the United Press with the A. E. F. The late Major-General Joseph T. Dickman, form- erly Commanding General, IV Corps, then I Corps, then Third Army, A. E. F. Colonel Arthur L. Conger, formerly Chief, Infor- vi I NTRODU! 0 r ' R v. $ O T. E mation Division, Intelligence Section, G. H. Q., A. E. F. Major-General Malin Craig, formerly Chief of Staff, I Corps, then Third Army, A. E. F. Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon Johnston, formerly Chief of Staff, 82nd Division, A. E. F. Major K. G. Eastham. The Reverend Francis P. Duffy, formerly Chaplain, 165th Infantry, 42nd Division, A. E. F. Colonel William J. Donovan, formerly Command- ing Officer, 165th Infantry. Major-General C. T. Menoher, formerly Command- ing General, 42nd Division, then VI Corps, A. E. F. Major-General Douglas MacArthur, formerly Chief of Staff, then Commanding General, 42nd Division, A. E. F. General Max C. W. von Gallwitz, formerly Com- manding General, Group of Armies in Lorraine, Im- perial German Army. Colonel Willey Howell, formerly Chief of Intelli- gence, First Army, A. E. F. Captain G. E. Adamson. Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Hossfeld. Major William A. Ganoe. Major J. F. Barnes. Major R. C. Cotton. Captain Sanford Griffith, formerly with Intelli- gence Section, First Army, A. E. F. Major Gerald S. Morgan, formerly Chief Field Censor, Press Division, Intelligence Section, G. H. Q., A. E. F. .. Vll VI. N'T R o'.d v | t'Ai Ry. Note ' *.*•.:: J ..{ fy : Brigadier-General Briant H. Wells, formerly Chief of Staff, VI Corps, A. E. F. Major-General W. M. Wright, formerly Command- ing General, 89th Division, then I Corps, A. E. F. Major-General Charles G. Morton, formerly Com- manding General, 29th Division, A. E. F. Lieutenant-Colonel Aristides Moreno, formerly with Intelligence Section, G. H. Q., A. E. F. Brigadier-General S. D. Rockenbach, formerly Chief of Tank Corps, First Army, A. E. F. Colonel R. H. Williams, formerly Chief of Intelli- gence, I Corps, then Third Army, A. E. F. Major-General Robert Alexander, formerly Com- manding General, 77th Division, A. E. F. Major George G. McMurtry, second in command, "The Lost Battalion." Colonel Nelson M. Holderman, commanding the right flank, "The Lost Battalion." Captain W. J. Cullen, commanding the left flank, "The Lost Battalion." Colonel E. H. Houghton, formerly Commanding Officer, 307th Infantry, 77th Division. Major Kerr Rainsford, formerly of 307th In- fantry, 77th Division. Major Bradley Martin, formerly on staff, 154th Brigade, 77th Division. Captain Lucien S. Breckenridge, formerly of 308th Infantry. Captain Bradley Delehanty, formerly of 308th In- fantry. vm• • • Introductory Note Lieutenant Arthur McKeogh, formerly of 308tK Infantry. Major M. W. Howze, formerly of Division Staff, 77th Division. Major F. R. Rich, formerly of 77th Division. George Pattullo, formerly Accredited Correspon- dent, representing The Saturday Evening Post, with the A. E. F. Major G. Edward Buxton, formerly of 328th Infantry, 82nd Division, A. E. F, Lieutenant-Colonel Byron Beveridge, formerly of 32nd Division, A. E. F. Major Mark S. Watson, formerly of Press Divi- sion, Intelligence Section, G. H. Q., A. E. F. Colonel Walter C. Sweeney, formerly in charge of Censorship, G. H. Q., A. E. F. Captain A.. E. Hartzell, formerly press censor and information officer, Press Division, Intelligence Sec- tion, G. H. Q., A. E. F. Colonel R. O. Van Horn, formerly Commanding Officer, 9th Infantry, Second Division, A. E. F. Rear-Admiral C. P. Plunkett, U. S. N., formerly Commanding Officer, U. S. Naval Railway Batteries. Brigadier-General Frank Parker, formerly Com- manding General, 1st Division, A. E. F« Judge Benson W. Hough, formerly Command- ing Officer, 166th Infantry, 42nd Division, A. E. F. Captain Russell Baker, formerly of 166th Infantry. Lincoln Eyre, formerly Accredited Correspondent representing New York World with the A. E. F. Herbert Corey, formerly Accredited Correspondent ix : Introductory Note representing The Associated Newspapers with the A. E. F. Major-General George H. Cameron, formerly Com- manding General, V Corps, A. E. F. Major Charles F. Thompson, formerly Chief of In- telligence, Second Army, A. E. F. Major Walter E. Prosser and the Army Pictorial Service. This narrative has been entirely rewritten, and more than once, but thanks are due to several magazines that have permitted republication of portions of articles: The American Magazine (and especially Mr. James C. Derieux), The Saturday Evening Post, The Cen- tury and Popular Science Monthly. Finally, but for three newspaper men this book could not even have been started. They are The late Frank A. Munsey The late George M. Smith Keats Speed, Managing Editor of The Sun. Still, notwithstanding invaluable assistance gener- ously given, responsibility for the narrative in its final form, and for inferences drawn or conclusions stated, is the writer's. Occasionally these inferences and con- clusions differ from those of authorities quoted or named. Partly at least, this is because Propaganda and Censorship, indispensable if rather ghastly, created a popular version of what happened that was sometimes simply a fable agreed upon. This book comes nearer the truth, but the writer has no illusion that it is the last word. x CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE 1 I Marshal Foch Comes to Ligny ... II Great Decisions 27 57 III The Two Battles of St. Mihiel . IV The Battle That Might Have Been 90 V Camouflage 109 VI The Biggest Battle Americans Ever Fought 132 VII The Jump-Off 152 VIII Try Again 193 I X Finding the Lost Battalion .... 206 X Struggle 241 XI On the Heights 259 XII The Propaganda Front 279 XIII Behind the Front 303 XIV Victory 323 XV Peace 380 Index * . 399 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS To the front Frontispiece Facing Page After ten years 16 Rest billets 17 Letters from home—mail call ........ 17 Marshal Foch and General Pershing 36 Looking over the Woevre Plain toward Metz 37 Au 'voir, Napoleon 64 The attack, September twelfth 65- General Max C. W. von Gallwitz 76 They've gone ! 77 Slightly wounded 92 German shells bursting in Thiaucourt 93 The fortress city of Metz 112 The rolling kitchens . .113 The Meuse-Argonne 134 The goal of the Meuse-Argonne 135 A road on the battle-field 148 A ration dump 149 Montfaucon 162 The O. P 163 They brought up reenforcements in trucks 182 A traffic jam 183 Kaiser, Crown Prince, Hindenburg, Ludendorff during the Battle of the Western Front 194 Dug in 195 Troops of the crack German First Guard Division . 202 The German retreat—moving back heavy artillery .... 203 Major Charles W. Whittlesey 212 In the heart of the Argonne Forest 213 Where the "Lost Battalion" was beleaguered 234 Captain George G. McMurtry 235 The German front line 244 The Germans counter-attack, wearing gas masks .... 245 The Grim Reaper 256 One 75's part in a barrage 257 The trenches on the Heights 264 Behind the battle 265 Where the blue pencil flourished 284 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Facing Page "Good morale of our troops during the voluntary retirement," said the German caption 285 In memory of the Meuse-Argonne ....... 304 A French 155 "short" in action 305 "We deliver the goods— S.